Pleasurable, perfect, Punta del Este

February 11, 7:10 PM

by Carly Milne, LA Girls Getaway Examiner

After wine, the next most important Uruguayan experience is the beach… so it’s off to Punta del Este, located in the country’s southeastern corner. Granted my gal pals and I could just hang in Santa Monica or Venice... but they don't make beaches like this back home.

Punta del Este is considered the point where the Rio de la Plata and Atlantic Ocean merge, and has the distinction of being a celebrity party playground thanks to over 40 kilometers worth of beaches. Once playing host to old-school A-listers like the Rat Pack, it’s rumored that Punta del Este is the place that supermodels flock for the summer, with both Naomi Campbell and Gisele Bunchen suspected to have second homes amid those owned by Latin American luminaries. (This probably explains why Robert DeNiro and Leonardo DiCaprio have reportedly flocked there as well.)

But my travelmates and I cared not for hunting celebrities – for the most part, anyway. Rather, we were determined to soak up as much sun as possible in the two and a half days we had there. There was just one problem – food. The restaurants were so good that it was hard to pull away from the table to scope out a good piece of beach realty. On the first day my travelmates and I dined atLo De Tere for lunch, which served flaky, grilled fish and colorful vegetables so fresh you’d swear they were caught and picked only moments before hitting your plate. With digestion still at the forefront of my mind, it was off toLas Cumbres, an incredible hilltop hotel and spa that’s supposedly situated at an energy vortex. I decided to take advantage of the folklore and meditate rather than stuff myself with dainty and delicious-looking sandwiches and chocolate-dipped macaroons during afternoon tea.

On day two we made it out to Jose Ignacio, an incredible beach town with a connected, small-community feel to it. There’s no anonymity here – practically everyone knows everyone else, and they’re all having lunch atLa Huella, where I had sashimi so good that it redefined my belief in God. And even though I was steps from the beach, I couldn’t disengage from the food, conversation, and – naturally – the wine to step across the hot sand and take a dip in the water. I did find some time to catch some rays at theConrad Hotel pool… but while fabulous in its own right, it wasn’t the same as getting sand in curious places while attempting aquatic, acrobatic feats in a mixture of fresh and sea water.

My chance to dig sand out of my bikini bottoms came on the half day before we left for Montevideo. Gorriti Island is just a stone’s throw from the shores of Punta del Este, and I was lucky enough to have an afternoon to spend there before hopping a bus to our next destination. When our boat arrived and anchored down, there were maybe a handful of other beachgoers on the shore and in the water. I can’t deny that I had a little of that Gilligan’s feel – and that was exactly what I needed. It felt like the real world was miles away as I swam and sunned, swam and sunned… lather, rinse, repeat. Had it not been for a late-afternoon influx of yachts and sailboats I could’ve easily stayed all afternoon… and likely into the evening.

However, there’s one non-beach activity that’s a necessity for anyone who’s visiting Punta del Este.Casa Pueblo, the home of famed Uruguayan artist Carlos Paez Vilaro, is located just a short drive from the core of Punta del Este. And while his massive estate is an architectural feast for the eyes, it’s his nightly salute to the sunset that’s the real treat. There’s nothing quite like sitting on Vilaro’s patio with countless other tourists, listening to a moving poem written and recited by Vilaro played over loudspeakers, perfectly timed to end as the sun dips below the horizon. It’s simply one of those moments that captures Uruguay in a magical way.