Holiday in Punta del Este

About Punta del Este

Punta del Este is South America's most glamorous beach resort — a narrow peninsula on the southeastern coast of Uruguay, where the Rio de la Plata meets the Atlantic Ocean and where the beautiful and wealthy of the continent gather during the South American summer. What Saint-Tropez is for Europe, Punta del Este is for South America: a mix of jet-set glamour, endless sandy beaches, and a surprisingly relaxed atmosphere. The sculpture La Mano (Hand in the Sand) by Mario Irarrazabal has been rising from the sand of Playa Brava since 1982: five life-sized fingers reach from the beach into the sky — the most photographed landmark in Uruguay and a symbol that is shared millions of times on Instagram. At the same time, it marks the boundary between the two worlds of Punta: the wild Playa Brava (Atlantic, waves, surfers) and the calm Playa Mansa (Rio de la Plata, shallow water, families). José Ignacio, a former fishing village 30 kilometers to the east, is Punta's open secret: a white lighthouse, unpaved roads, and the legendary restaurant Parador La Hülla on the beach — where barefoot luxury meets the freshest seafood and Argentine steak over an open wood fire. Casapüblo, Carlos Páez Vilaró's Mediterranean dream building, clings like a white sculpture to the cliffs of Punta Ballena: the Uruguayan artist created this labyrinthine house-museum-hotel over 36 years — at sunset, it becomes the most magical place on the coast when a tango piece accompanies the daily sunset ceremony. In the South American winter (June-August), Punta transforms into a quiet retreat: the restaurants and galleries are open, the beaches are deserted, and whales migrate along the coast.