Take the best - and some of the worst - parts of Saint-Tropez and Ibiza, assemble them on a large open-air soft-porn set and you have Punta del Este, Latin America's most fashionable summer escape. For 44 weeks of the year it's a sleepy fishing town on the stunning Uruguayan coastline. But for the eight weeks after Christmas it's a 25-hour-a-day pageant of parties, superstar DJs, fashion parades, real Rolexes and fake boobs. The scene - and here's where it trumps most northern-hemisphere resorts - is fuelled by fashion and pheromones rather than lager and laddishness. It is shameless, shallow and tremendous fun.
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01
Essentials
| 01 |
Snack hard and often. You won't be dining until 23.00. |
| 02 |
Get your tan in advance and bring a fleece. This is the South Atlantic, not the Caribbean. |
| 03 |
Hire a car - José Ignacio is 30km from Punta and twice as trendy. puntacar.com.uy offers good deals but it's worth checking with Hertz or Avis too. |
| 04 |
Women: while a barely visible bikini is de rigueur, toplessness is considered French and frowned upon. |
| 05 |
Surfy-type stuff is hip; anything conservative is deemed German looking and frowned upon. |
| 06 |
Pace yourself. It may be 02.00 but, as the locals say, the night is still in nappies. |
| 07 |
Don't miss Roberto Giordano's mid-January fashion parade, the season's place to be and an event that makes the Arctic Monkeys look like The Osmonds. |
| 08 |
Bring granny and the kids. Punta dishes out hedonism for all ages. |
| 09 |
Style is militantly conformist. Whatever's in is put on. |
| 10 |
If you get sick of the scene, drive north and check out Cabo Polonia, a kind of Greenwich Village (circa 1955) on Sea. |
02
Hotels
Independent and easy
La Posada del Faro
La Bahía and Timonel, José Ignacio
+598 486 2110
posadadelfaro.com
Dependable chain
Conrad Resort & Casino
Parada 4, Rambla Claudio Williams,
Playa Mansa
+ 59 842 491 111
conrad.com.uy
Premium
Garzón Hotel & Restaurante
Pueblo Garzón
+ 598 410 2811
garzon.com.uy
03
Dining
Breakfast
El Mejillón
La Punta,
Rambla Circunvalación,
Calle 11
+ 59 842 445 895
Lunch with friends
Baby Gouda Deli Café
Ruta 10, 161km, La Barra
+ 59 842 771 874
Picnic spot
Playa Brava
José Ignacio
Lunch on your own
Flo Café & Bar
Ruta 10, 161km, La Barra
+ 59 842 771 481
Sunset cocktail
La Huella
Playa Brava, José Ignacio
+ 59 842 486 2279
Dinner for two
Marismo
Ruta 10, km 185, José Ignacio
+ 598 486 2273
Dinner with friends
Novecento
Ruta 10, Esq. Las Sirenas
+ 59 842 772 363
bistronovecento.com
Drink after dinner
Moby Dick
Rambla General Artigas,
La Punta
+ 59 842 441 240
Late drinks
Buddha Bar
Ruta 10, 160km
On the tiles
Tequila
Ruta 10 y Calle 15
+ 59 842 771 922
04
Reading
Newsstands along Avenida Gorlero and the Rambla in La Punta.
05
Basics
Campus pharmacy
La Punta, Avenida Gorlero 920
06
Shopping
Something you can't get anywhere else
Nike Air Max special editions - new each season
Ruta 10, La Barra
Lost luggage - where to buy shirts, socks and underwear
Punta Shopping Mall
Avenida Roosevelt at Paradas 6 and 7
Something for the kids
Mini polo boots from La Martina
La Punta, Calle 20
Something for someone you love
Indigenous Argentine textiles from Siesta
Los Cisnes and Los Golondrinas, José Ignacio
+ 598 486 2553
siesta.com.uy
Something for yourself
A 17,750 sq ft penthouse with infinity pool overlooking the beach
in Rafael Viñoly's new Acqua building in La Punta - about €5m.
acqua.com.uy
07
Two hour tour
| 01 |
The last catch coming in at Punta del Este's fishing wharf. |
02 |
Casapueblo
Former home of Uruguayan artist, Carlos Páez Vílanó.
Ruta Panorámica, Punta Ballena
+ 59 842 578 611
carlospaezvilaro.com |
03 |
José Ignacio's famous faro (lighthouse) |
08
Limousine/car
Punta Car
puntacar.com.uy
09
Transport
Rent a bike
Centro de Información Turística
Liga de Fomento, Calle 21, Parade 1
+ 59 842 440 514
10
Fitness
Good gym
Punta Lobo
La Punta, Av. Gorlero y Calle 21
+ 598 42 449 651
Good running route
Rambla General Jose Artigas
La Punta
Alternative diversion
Playa Mansa
La Punta