Playground Of The Rich- Punta Del Este
Punta del Este is known as the St. Tropez of Uruguay, thanks to its beautiful beaches, upscale resorts and swanky clubs.
Punta del Este, Uruguay Monday, February 13, 2017
Our ten (10) minute tender gave us an impression that Punta Del Este is a sophisticated and a fashionable resort reminiscent of the French Riviera. Multi-million dollar yachts crowd bow to stern in the marina and impressive mansions lined the sun-drenched coast. The City reeks of cash and cool, celebrities and good life and good taste.
The main attraction in Punta Del Este are the beaches and wealthy tourists come from all over South America to enjoy the beaches and the nightlife.
Our taxi guide took us around the city by taking us to sophisticated neighborhoods of Beverly Hills, Cantagril, and San Rafael. Most houses have manicured lawns and to drool-for landscaping. Our guide told us that majority of the houses that we saw are foreign- owned.
Our Must- See Stop were the following :
La Mano, (The Hand) at Playa Brava. It is also known as Los Dedos (The Fingers) — a sculpture by Chilean artist Mario Irarrázabal that depicts five human fingers emerging from the sandy beach.
The famous La Mano sculpture.
Maldonado bridge or Puente Leonel Viera is an unusual form of bridge with its distinctive humps. It was built in 1965. Located in La Barra about 10 km from Punta Del Este City center. Crossing the bridge gave us a roller coaster kind of ride!
El Faro De Punta Del Este - You can get a view of Punta Del Este from El Faro. Across the street from the lighthouse is Nuestra Senora de la Candelaria church. Casa Pubelo - This was once the seaside home of Uruguayan artist Carlos Paez Vilaro. Now it is a modern art museum and the most visited place in Punta Del Este. The artist uniquely designed this shiny white house with a touch of ocean blue, and it took him 36 years to complete the work.
Casa Pueblo was built with passageways and corridors that lead to 24 rooms including bedrooms, lounges, workshops and balconies. Every room has a window overlooking the ocean.
Casa Pueblo is a unique, white, Mediterranean looking building, built into the cliff on the coast around 13km from Punta del Este.
The Beaches - they stretched for miles and miles and the sand is so soft. Mansa Beach, Brava Beach and Gorriti Island are some of the most popular. The beach culture is also relaxed.
The social life, art galleries, shopping and excellent dining are well spread in the City. The views from the restaurant where we dined was excellent and the food and wine were superb.
Now we know, why Punta Del Este is one of those places in the world where everybody wants to return. Its beautiful beaches are the perfect destination for those in search of sunshine, clear waters and a lot of glamour!