Overview: Glitzy and vivacious, Punta del Este is known as the ‘jewel of Uruguay’, long the favoured vacation station for upmarket South Americans, which in recent years has been discovered by the international jet set. Punta del Este lies at the southern tip of Uruguay, about 87 miles (140km) from Montevideo, covering a spit of land extending into the Atlantic Ocean from the mouth of the Rio del la Plata, lined with 20 miles (32km) of pristine sandy beaches. The resort town bristles with luxury hotels, condominiums, restaurants, hot nightspots and sophisticated shops. These, together with a casino, bustling yacht marinas and an array of natural attractions, draw thousands of visitors during the summer season, which extends from December to March. Out of season many of the restaurants and shops close and Punta becomes more like a sleepy coastal town, but the temperate climate still offers the chance to make the most of the less crowded beaches. Punta offers a laid-back vacation life-style, most of the holidaymakers not emerging before noon and dining at around 10pm after watching a splendid sunset. Discos and nightclubs then keep up the action until dawn, when weary sun-bronzed revellers creep to their beds.
Shopping: Punta del Este is hard on the pocket, offering exclusive shopping in a string of boutiques lining the Calle Gorlero (the main street) and crammed into the Punta Shopping Mall on Avenida Roosevelt. Goods on offer range from well-known international brand labels and designer-wear to local Uruguayan arts and crafts. Prices tend to be higher than elsewhere in Uruguay. Favourite buys for any visitor to Uruguay are leather items. At weekends there is an evening craft market at Plaza Artigas.
Restaurants: There is no need to go hungry at any hour of the day in Punta del Este, which is packed with a huge array of eateries to suit all tastes and budgets, from simple kiosks offering chivitos (steak sandwiches) to salons serving haute cuisine. Seafood heads the list in most of the top choices, and the range of cuisine covers everything from Spanish to pizza and sushi. Most restaurants only open around noon, but keep on serving up sustenance until the wee hours. The reputed top restaurant in town is La Bourgogne on the Calle Pedragosa Sierra in the El Bosque area, but be prepared to pay through the nose for the pleasure of dishes designed by Jean-Paul Bondoux, rated the top French chef in South America. A less expensive and very pleasant option is Lo de Tere, on the waterside on the Rambla, offering a lovely harbour view and some tasty fresh fish.
Nightlife: Punta is one of the world’s most vibrant party places, with a huge variety of bars, discos and clubs to choose from, in the open, on the beach and indoors. There is music everywhere as the nightlife hots up around midnight, from sultry Latin American beats to the latest chart toppers. A great deal of night-time activity centres on the Conrad Resort and Casino, which glitters with Las Vegas-type entertainment and a sophisticated disco. A hot favourite with the younger set is the Buddha Bar on Bikini Beach in the party district of La Barra. This beach hut bar serves up cocktails and sushi all day and has DJs ripping up the decks until all hours of the night.
Activities: It is possible to holiday in Punta del Este and do no more than lay on one of the beautiful beaches, but it will be hard to resist the myriad of tempting alternatives on offer. Local vendors hawk a host of watersports opportunities on the main beaches, Playa Mansa and Playa Brava, including parasailing and snorkelling, while those who prefer to be on the water rather than in it can arrange all manner of boating and fishing expeditions. When it comes to land sports there are some excellent golf courses, the chance to play gaucho (cowboy) or polo on horse-back, or serve up a game of tennis. When it comes to sightseeing and excursions there is also plenty on offer, from the interesting historic lighthouse (Faro de Punta del Este) to the celebrated modern art museum of Casa del Pueblo. Zoos, parks, trips to offshore islands, and visits to inland towns and villages are all part of the menu of ‘what to do’ at the resort. On top of all this Punta del Este has a summer season literally bursting with events: music and dance festivals, rodeos, sports tournaments, beauty contests and fashion shows are just some of them.
Negatives: Punta del Este is extremely crowded during the summer season. Its sophisticated commercialism may not be to everyone’s taste.