Punta del Este in the News

In this section I am posting past and present articles on Punta del Este. Not only real estate news but also articles on tourism.  I have been collecting and reading articles on Punta del Este for the past 10 years as I've been fascinated by this beautiful city.  Some of the articles are over 10 years old but it is very interesting to read and you can clearly see how real estate has been a good investment here over the long-term.  I believe that you will see more and more articles about Punta del Este as more and more foreigners discover the beauty of the city. 

January 7, 2007   NEW YORK TIMES   Feeling at Home Among the Elite in Uruguay’s Punta del Este   By MATT GROSS   PERCHED on a bar stool and sipping a $7 Negroni, I surveyed the casino of the Conrad Hotel in Punta del Este with keen but detached interest. The slot machines blinked and burbled like exotic birds, and at the blackjack and poker tables, neatly dressed men and women glanced at their cards with stony faces. A poster near the V.I.P. rooms advertised an Enrique Iglesias concert.   I could hear the money running merrily down the drain — counterclockwise, of course: this was the Southern Hemisphere. To say that casinos make the Frugal Traveler antsy is a vast understatement. My weekend budget of just $500 was enough for a mere five rounds of V.I.P. baccarat. In Punta del Este, on the Atlantic in the southeast corner of Uruguay, however, the casino serves another purpose: sitting at the base of the town's milelong peninsula, it's the perfect rendezvous point. The choice is as much symbolic as practical, for Punta del Este is a place devoted to celebrating money.   Punta is known as the Hamptons of South America — a haven for elites from Argentina, Brazil, Chile and beyond. It's where they come to chill with the supermodels Naomi Campbell and Gisele Bündchen at Buddha Bar, and to stock up on luxury labels like Gucci and Valentino.   Punta has other charms. Its beaches form a blond, boulder-flecked halo around the city, and in the golden light of early November, the buildings — the glinting Miami-esque towers, the immaculate old stucco hotels, the modernist glass summer homes — appear almost computer-generated in their breathtaking flawlessness. Farther inland, the rolling hills are carpeted with neat stands of pine and green-golden pastures that are home to cattle as tasty as Argentina's (tastier, Uruguayans claim).   And despite its jet-set reputation, Punta has surprisingly nice people, like the women who, as I passed them on the sidewalks, would look at me and smile for no discernible reason, and Dani, an easygoing currency trader whom I met through a former co-worker, and whose shiny bald head and thick eyebrows I finally spied on the crowded casino floor. Dani took a perch, ordered a whiskey and expressed surprise when I told him where I was staying: La Posta del Cangrejo, a whitewashed hotel on the ocean in La Barra, a hip, tiny suburb about 10 minutes' drive from downtown Punta. La Posta has a posh reputation — former President George Bush once checked in — and is not the kind of lodging the Frugal Traveler can normally afford. But I'd found an off-season special, $80 a night for what I joked was Mr. Bush's presidential suite: a spacious garden room that smelled like an old man.   To experience Punta the truly frugal way — the way that Dani and his children-of-the-elite friends have for decades — he took me down to the peninsula's port, where the megayachts dock, to a restaurant with plastic tables that specializes in chivitos.   To call a chivito a cheese steak may be accurate, but it misses the point. Chivitos may be grilled slices of juicy beef tenderloin on a roll, but really they're delivery devices for toppings: mozzarella, bacon, egg, lettuce, tomatoes, mushrooms, onions, hot peppers, sweet peppers, olives, pickles and several different blends of mayonnaise.   Fresh ingredients are key, but just as important are the architectural talents of its chef. And at the Chivitería Marcos, we found an exceptional chef-engineer, who assembled our chivitos with effortless skill. Not a drop of juice dripped down my arm as I gorged myself with a delight enhanced by frugality — with French fries and a large Budweiser, we spent 330 pesos, which was about $13.60 at the exchange rate then, 24.2 pesos to the dollar. It was far from fancy, but saving money that night meant I could splurge the next.   It was close to midnight — early by Uruguayan standards — and Dani and I drove around the peninsula in search of life. The big clubs had not yet opened for the season, so there would be no $20 cocktails at Tequila, no invitations to the after-party at Martin Amis's house. We happened on Punta 33, a new bar-restaurant in a grand yellow building with a palm-fronted garden and jovial bouncers, on an otherwise lifeless and almost industrial block in the heart of the peninsula.   In contrast to the bright exterior, the inside was demure and low key, with a modest dance floor and a dozen wooden tables where several parties were finishing dinner. It seemed like a cozy place, but by the time we ordered a second round of $6 whiskeys, some 200 young Brazilians in short skirts and expensive jeans had transformed Punta 33 into a buzzing nightclub.   As a band played oddly familiar South American rock songs, the dance floor — indeed, every square inch in the club — was packed. By 3 a.m., Punta 33 was a mass of heaving, gyrating bodies, so many and so dense that we couldn't find a waiter to pay the bill. APPARENTLY, I'd seen nothing yet. Dani informed me that I was in Punta at exactly the wrong time. The party scene doesn't kick into high gear until Christmas, he said, when the boldface names, Brazilian models and international scenesters arrive for a week or three of get-togethers, lavish dinners and midnight cruises.   But despite all that glamour, Dani added, Punta was also a place for families to relax and far-flung friends to reunite — more Wellfleet than Southampton.   In fine Punta tradition, I slept in Saturday, rousing myself just in time to reach La Barra's most popular bakery, Medialunas Calentitas, before it closed for lunch. I ordered a quartet of their famous sticky-sweet croissants and a cortado (espresso with a little milk) for 95 pesos, and as I munched them outside at the surfer-chic picnic tables, latecomers cautiously approached the bakery, only to be turned away. For a moment, I felt like an insider.   Afterward, I strolled back along Route 10 — La Barra's main drag and essentially the only road in town — pausing at several cool boutiques. It was a refreshing departure from the Louis Vuitton and Valentino shops off Avenida Gorlero in downtown Punta.   At the Antique Shop, I found stacks of Atlántida, a fashion magazine from the 1940s, along with a rare G.E. radio set from 1931. And at Por Los Siglos, a jewelry store, I found a beautiful handmade silver bracelet embedded with tree bark. I bought it for my wife, Jean, and discovered a Punta secret — pay cash, get a discount. The bracelet was listed at 1,100 pesos, but the proprietress happily accepted 1,050 pesos rather than break out the credit-card machine.   That afternoon, I did very little, but what else are you supposed to do in a beach town? I read my Émile Zola novel, then used it as a pillow while watching surfers battling the unrelenting waves on the break just outside La Posta. I wandered to a church, where men in double-breasted suits and their immaculately coiffed wives were pouring forth from a wedding. When I got hungry, instead of going to the upscale restaurants in town, I ate a tasty four-cheese pizza (110 pesos) on the picnic tables at nearby Pico Alto, where a crowd of surfing teenagers had gathered.   Finally, I drove to the Museo del Mar (85 pesos entry), a warehouse-sized museum chock-full of marine ephemera: 30-foot whale skeletons, fetal dolphins in formaldehyde, giant turtle shells and a stuffed manta ray whose placard identified it as the species that killed the “Crocodile Hunter” Steve Irwin. This was exactly the kind of place I love — quirky, chaotic, obsessively detailed and, without question, unique. I could have spent all day examining the collection and improving my Spanish (ah, cangrejo means crab!). But the sun was beginning to set.   So I drove to the peninsula's tip for a good look. There were a dozen cars already there, and we watched the sun cast rainbows onto clouds as it sank into the sea. As soon as darkness fell, a parking attendant shooed everyone away. I drove back along the coast, dark waves crashing on my right, a bright pastel moon hovering on the horizon.   FOR dinner late that evening (no one eats before 10), I went to Lo de Charlie, one of Punta's more expensive restaurants — I'd barely spent half my budget so far. An intimate bistro with pale violet walls and an open kitchen, Lo de Charlie hummed warmly with a dozen diners.   I sat down to eat — a lot: a pile of chipirones, or baby squid, sautéed with onions; an orgy of side dishes like pommes lyonnaises; and — to avenge Steve Irwin — pan-seared stingray with an aromatic saffron sauce. All that, plus a bottle of fruity Uruguayan viognier and cheese-flavored ice cream, came to 1,030 pesos, and since I was paying cash, I got 10 percent off. I slept well that night.   But I awoke Sunday morning feeling oddly empty. I had nothing to do that day but watch surfers and pretend to read Zola's “Germinal.” But check-out time was nearing, so I packed my belongings, fired up the rented Chevy, and drove off to get one last glimpse of Punta del Este. To the northeast, I found a beachfront complex of modernist brick apartments topped with gargantuan red pipes; to the west, a vertically oblong vacation home of unpainted wood, with enormous windows and an outbuilding in gleaming crimson. And in the countryside, a farmhouse with a rotting 60-foot yacht in its front yard.   I took pictures until barking dogs chased me away, then drove out of Punta with more than $200 still in my pocket. Wait a minute, I thought, were the baccarat tables still open? Total: $284.36   VISITOR INFORMATION   WHERE TO STAY   La Posta del Cangrejo, Route 10, La Barra; (598-42) 770-021; www.lapostadelcangrejo.com.   WHERE TO EAT & DRINK   Chivitería Marcos, Rambla Artigas between 12th and 14th Streets, Punta del Este; (598-42) 449-932. Conrad Hotel Casino, Barritz y Artigas Avenue, Parada 4, Punta del Este; (598-42) 491-111, conradhotels1.hilton.com.   Lo de Charlie, 819 12th Street, Punta del Este; (598-42) 444-183. Medialunas Calentitas, Palmas de la Barra shopping center, La Barra; (598-42) 772-347.   Pico Alto, Route 10, La Barra; (598-42) 770-436. Punta 33, Calle 11 de las Palmeras between 8th and 10th Streets, Punta del Este; (598-42) 447-719; www.paraty33.com.br.   WHERE TO SHOP   The Antique Shop, Route 10, La Barra; (598-99) 840-290; e-mail, aerocamel@hotmail.com Por Los Siglos, Route 10, La Barra; (598-2) 601-8555.   WHAT TO DO   Museo del Mar, Calle de los Corsarios, casi Calle El Galeón, La Barra; (598-42) 771-817.   Museo Taller Casapueblo, in nearby Punta Ballena, (598-42) 578-041, www.carlospaezvilaro.com, is the museum and workshop of the artist Carlos Páez Vilaró, full of his paintings and an artistic monument in itself, like a villa imported from the planet Tatooine. Admission $4.

March 6, 2005   Punta del Este Sparkles Once More, Day and Night   By LARRY ROHTER   IT was shortly after midnight on a warm summer night at the harbor in Punta del Este, Uruguay, and tanned young couples were streaming out of restaurants, wondering what to do next. Walk down the block to one of those well-appointed bars that would remain open until dawn? Or head over to a discothèque on the beach? And what about that all-night electronic music festival at the old airfield? After losing some of its shine during the 1990's, Punta del Este, traditionally known as ''the Pearl of the Atlantic,'' has reinvented itself as South America's premier all-purpose vacation spot, with attractions for everyone from lounge-music fans and families with small children to sport fishermen and gamblers.   ''Over the past few years, Punta del Este has evolved into something that is a single place in name only,'' said Carlos García Rubio, a local music promoter. ''People still come here to see and be seen, but depending on where you go and what you do, you can have three or four completely different kinds of vacation experience.''   Indeed, the sheer variety of activities during the December-to-March high season -- jazz, festivals, film festivals, rodeos, fashion shows on the beach and various tournaments, including golf, rugby and polo -- is dazzling. Last year, the Miss Playboy TV Latin America beauty contest completed the roster of events.   Add to that casinos, nature reserves, spas, top flight restaurants and hotels ranging from basic to such quietly luxurious lodgings as the Hotel-Art Las Cumbres, and the result is a vibrant array of possibilities. With cruise ships now visiting in growing numbers and the E! Entertainment Channel's ''Wild On'' program popularizing Punta del Este's inexhaustible night life for a broader international audience, the resort's transformation from stodgy dowager into party belle now seems complete.   In its original incarnation, Punta del Este was the preferred summer haven of the Argentine and Uruguayan upper middle classes. From the beginning of the 20th century, generations of families lodged at elegant hotels or rented cottages along the shore, many of which still exist, in order to escape the stifling January heat of Buenos Aires and Montevideo. But during the boom years of the 1990's, with the Argentine peso linked to the U.S. dollar at an artificial and ultimately unsustainable one-to-one rate, many Argentines who would normally have gone to Punta del Este began flocking instead to places like Cancún or Punta Cana, in the Dominican Republic, or Miami, leaving Punta del Este to a less affluent crowd.   With the collapse of the Argentine economy three years ago, however, Punta del Este's original clientele, its tastes now internationalized, began returning. Now the region is undergoing a building and tourism boom, with more than 30 new restaurants and hotels going up. Existing hotels are filled most weekends during the Southern Hemisphere's summer high season. These days, the new, revived Punta del Este extends far beyond the original narrow peninsula that was its center a century ago. Almost the entire 40-mile coastal strip from Punta Ballena in the west to José Ignacio northward toward the Brazilian border is lined with hotels, condominiums, sports clubs, marinas, nightclubs and restaurants.   With the increase in new construction, parts of the coastline, such as Punta Ballena, or Whale Point, now recall a Mediterranean setting -- Ibiza, perhaps, or Crete. Off the highway to Montevideo, whitewashed buildings -- some of them houses, others luxurious resorts -- cling to the bluffs rising from the shore.   Elsewhere, once quiet fishing villages like José Ignacio, known locally for its lighthouse and spectacular sunsets, have emerged as getaways for the rich and famous, including Argentine celebrities and people like the British novelist Martin Amis, whose wife, the writer Isabel Fonseca, is half Uruguayan. José Ignacio, Mr. Amis said in a newspaper interview not too long ago, is the ideal place to escape ''the world hum'' that is ''too much in our ears now.''   Around the original peninsula, you can choose between two distinct beach experiences. The Playa Mansa, or Tame Beach, faces the calm, broad estuary of the Río de la Plata. Some families have frequented the same placid patch of seashore for generations, using the old numbered bus stops, known as paradas, to help guide them to the right spot. Surfers and adventurous swimmers prefer the rougher stretch facing the Atlantic Ocean on the other side of the peninsula, starting with the Playa Brava, or Wild Beach, close to downtown and the site of one of Punta's famous landmarks -- a sculpture of a giant hand, its digits protruding from the sand. Farther up the coast, toward La Barra, there is even a topless beach.   Of course, Punta del Este began life as a whale-hunting area, and on Isla Gorriti, just offshore, some of the buildings where whale blubber and oil were processed are still standing. The Southern right whale continues to migrate to local waters and can sometimes be seen from the beaches, though usually only between July and November.   But the main attraction in Punta del Este nowadays is not so much the beaches -- which pale in comparison to those just a few hundred miles north at Brazilian resorts like Camboriú and Florianópolis -- but the night life. When the sun finally sets, between 8:30 and 9 p.m. in the middle of summer, Punta comes to life. The streets along the harbor are lined with restaurants, but this is also the area where long-established and eternally popular bars like Soho, Moby Dick and Napoleon are always buzzing. At the moment the trendiest clubs tend to be concentrated in two other areas. The younger crowd congregates in La Barra at places like María y el Lobo, Selena or Mint, an enormous barn of a place, while a slightly older set gravitates to La Plage, at Parada 12 on the Playa Brava, with the sound of crashing waves just outside competing with the thunderous music inside. In La Barra, the action spills out into the streets, and in both areas, dancing continues until dawn.   And then there is gambling. Many people come here just to visit Punta's ubiquitous casinos. Here, you'll find a surprising amount of Chinese and Korean alongside Spanish and English. The largest casino, a bustling Las Vegas clone in the Conrad Resort and Casino, at Parada 4 on the Playa Mansa, has 450 slot machines and 63 tables where guests 18 or over can wager on games of chance from poker to baccarat.   Along with the casinos come Las Vegas-style floor shows, with the Conrad leading the parade. Many performers have little or no following in the English-speaking world, which can give some presentations a certain camp appeal, but Brazilian pop stars like Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil and Gal Costa have played Punta in recent years, as have B-list American singers like Donna Summer, Dionne Warwick and José Feliciano. Theaters around town also offer Catskill-style comedy revues and plays, in Spanish of course, that include productions of Broadway hits like ''Art'' and ''Houdini.'' Even the 19th-century American Chautauqua tradition of public lectures continues to thrive in Punta, with hotels, bookstores and community groups sponsoring readings by well-known authors and panel discussions on political, literary and religious matters.   When it comes time to eat, Punta del Este has endless choices, even at late, late hours, ranging from cheap, simple kiosks to haute cuisine. Seafood is the dominant option, especially at the cluster of restaurants near the harbor, but every cuisine from Basque, Sri Lankan and Chinese to barbecue and Spanish tapas is reliably represented.   On a recent visit, I wandered past La Bourgogne, on Calle Pedragosa Sierra in the El Bosque neighborhood, considered by many critics to be the best restaurant in Uruguay. After one look at the prices on the menu, I fled: A dinner for two of fish soup, breast of duck, dessert, mineral water and a glass of wine cost $200, an extraordinarily expensive meal by local standards.   Instead, I headed back down to the harbor and ended up at Piegari, a relatively new branch of a well-known Italian restaurant in Buenos Aires. The ambience was tropical, with palms, a thatched roof and pastel adobe walls. The staff was dressed in vaguely Mexican garb, white shirts and pants with a bright sash. The portions were generous, the bill (at half the price) manageable, and after my meal I did what everyone else was doing and cruised the scene up and down Rambla General Artigas, moving from one place to the next until I was too exhausted to continue. NEW LIFE FOR A URUGUAYAN RESORT   At the moment, no airline has nonstop service between New York City and Montevideo, though United has daily flights from Washington, and American offers nonstop flights from Miami three days a week. Round trip fares start at $700. Once in Montevideo, the easiest way to travel the 90 remaining miles to Punta del Este is by bus, taxi or rental car. An alternative route is to fly to Buenos Aires, just across the Río de la Plata, and then catch one of the 40-minute jet flights offered several times a day during high season by Pluna, the main Uruguayan airline, or Aerolineas Argentinas. WHERE TO STAY   At the 296-room Conrad Punta del Este Resort and Casino, (598-42) 491-111, www.conradpuntadeleste.com, at Parada 4 downtown, a round-the-clock casino, spa, theater and four restaurants may tempt some visitors never to leave the premises, even though the beach is right across the street. In high season, December through February, a double room runs $300 a night; March through April, it's $220, at 25 Uruguayan pesos to $1.   A traditional choice on the other side of the peninsula, at Parada 11 on the Rambla Lorenzo Batlle Pacheco, is the 128-room Hotel San Rafael; (598-42) 482-161; www.hotelsanrafael.com.uy. The feeling is that of an Alpine lodge, with lots of wood paneling and plenty of athletic facilities, including a spa, on the grounds. About $120 a night in the high season, but dropping to $70 in March.   With 20 rooms and 8 suites -- and a 360-degree view of the sea -- the Hotel-Art Las Cumbres, on Ruta Nacional 12, (598-42) 578-689, www.cumbres.com.uy, is the last word in quiet, off-the-main-drag elegance. Each room is done in rustic style, but with plenty of flourishes: tiled baths, rugs and sofas and state-of-the-art sound system. Rates for a double room (except Dec. 20 to Jan. 6) start at about $120. WHERE TO EAT   With its resurgence, Punta del Este is awash with new restaurants. Of them, Piegari, on Calle 11 between 10th and 12th in Altos del Puerto, is among the most celebrated. The menu is Italian, focusing on pasta, seafood and poultry dishes such as chicken with olives, mushrooms, peppers and onions. Dinner only; call (598-42) 449-752 for reservations. Meal for two without wine, about $100.   On the beach in José Ignacio within sight of the lighthouse, Los Negros, (598-486) 2091, is definitely worth trying, and not just for the setting. The menu focuses on Uruguayan dishes and sauces, from beef to seafood, with a modern international twist. Lunch or dinner for two with wine, about $60.   For a good seafood lunch, it's hard to go wrong down at the port. For instance, Solomío, on Rambla General Artigas at the corner of El Trinquete Street, (598-42) 449-298, specializes in brotola, a local fish, prepared in orange sauce. Lunch for two with beer, about $40.

Taking a Punta   Who knew Uruguay was a millionaire's playground? Chris Moss on the St Tropez of South America   Chris Moss Saturday March 27, 2004           Imagine a town off the beaten, budget, backpacker or any other kind of track that melds the languorous sensuality of Brazil, the all-day sunshine of Cancún and the Europhile sophistication of downtown Buenos Aires. Throw in barbecued beef from clover-fed cows, dirt cheap but daring wines from Mendoza, a warm welcome for visitors of any stamp and status and a handful of hedonistic hotels. Cool, cultured, beautiful and just slightly brazen, this would surely be the resort of choice for anyone who had the money and imagination to get there.   But is Punta del Este that dream destination?   According to Argentina's moneyed classes and their media, it most definitely is. Every time summer comes around, "Punta", as everyone in the know calls it, stirs up headlines, sensations, (trivial) scandals and no end of glam gossip. Even the big national dailies talk the place up: "Summer is here: Punta buzzes again"; "Punta - Numero Uno en America Latina"; 'Punta: heavenly home of los ricos y famosos'."   There are plenty of other sunny, sandy strips on the Atlantic coast, but when the red sun sets on the peninsula at Uruguay's "eastern point" - as it does so photogenically almost every evening - the rest of the resorts can only glow green.   But it's only a beach, basically, and all the fuss is very local, very excited and, with so much else on offer in Argentina and Brazil, why bother with a millionaire's playground in a pancake flat buffer state famous only for an ancient World Cup victory and corned beef tins that you opened with a key?   Punta's history has been a strange string of brief heydays and mini booms. In the 1950s, the Rat Pack would come down here ostensibly to escape the media glare of Rio de Janeiro (though, of course, the effect was simply to stir up more interest in such a small town). In 1961, the Tudor-style Hotel San Rafael's bedrooms hosted Che Guevara, who ranted at the imperialist patrons of Latin America's puppet dictators and democracies. Punta prospered as an out-of-the-way conference town and, notwithstanding Che, endless rounds of free-trade talks were held here in the 70s and 80s. During the 1990s, economic policy gave way to excess and Menem's new rich Argentinians took the 20-minute flight from Buenos Aires to spend their overvalued pesos at the Conrad's flash casino, buying up all the land to build beach houses, bars and restaurants.   Unsurprisingly, Punta has recently slipped from public view a bit, what with recession in Brazil and economic meltdown in Argentina in late 2001. Still, celebs from Leonardo di Caprio to Martin Amis have been seen here and the opening of a stunning new Cipriani Resort, Spa and Casino in La Barra is set to put the peninsula back on the map of ultra-stylish stopovers for jetsetters who've been to all the obvious places.   Modern, minimalist and stridently cosmopolitan, the Cipriani has come to town to challenge the beautiful Four Seasons hotel up on the River Plate at Carmelo and the Hyatt's planned complex at Colonia, also on the river - but it's main purpose is to tap into the streams of cash, beauty and business that flow through the most important beach resort in the Cono Sur.   Punta proudly wears its artifice with attitude, luxuriating in an erotically charged plasticity. To keep up with the perfection on view at Pancho Dotto's modelling agency - brand new offices at the Cipriani and a section of the Cipriani Lido called Dotto Beach, naturalmente - many of the beach babes have been transfigured by BA's plastic surgeons, and they joyously parade their pertness on the seaside promenades and in the neon-lit bars at dusk. At the packed house music all-nighters, these pneumatic Latina Leninas are grafted on to beautiful boys fresh from open-air workouts. It's clean somehow, everybody high on their own egos and the easy life God has granted them.   Such voluptuous nubility is mere child's play, though, compared to the power games of Punta's celeb culture. It's called the "farandula" here - a celebrity way of being, a raison d'etre for anyone in the limelight, from national hero Diego Forlan, through visiting dignitary Diego Maradona to the latest starlet wearing nothing on primetime television. You can even do a Hollywood-style tour of celebrity homes, most of them in a neighbourhood known as Beverly Hills - they are every bit as loud and lavish as their US counterparts, with the requisite high walls and armed guards.   The best beaches, bars, restaurants and - so they'll tell you - the best people, are to be found in La Barra, a stunning inlet on the coast. Everybody wants to eat at Beluga, drink at Mint, dance on Bikini Beach and, since last November, hang out at the Cipriani, where sponsored parties and launches draw the select shortlist of top names from film, music and fashion. Shunning the generalised alcoholism of Anglo-Saxon cultures, and anxious to be decorous even when playing at being dirty, Latin Americans are not big on boozing. An expat favourite is Moby Dick, which, with its wood and maritime paraphernalia, feels a bit like an English pub - and in summer it never shuts.   For right-thinking, left-wing Argentinians and Uruguayans, Punta has become a kind of metaphor. They associate the place with trashy tabloid types, with corrupt business leaders and with - worst of all - Menem and the other rich politicos and powerbrokers who wind up there for the massive summer recess. Che-admirers will spit : "They've gone to Punta," as if it were a moral Babylon, a culture-less Blackpool for the bourgeoisie, comparing the resort unfavourably with "real, authentic, Latin America", by which they mean Brazil, Bolivia, Guatemala.   This is, of course, cojones - or "eggs" as River Plate Spanish would have it. A gap-year student's technicolour poncho is as much of a consumer product as anything on show in Punta and, whatever the guidebooks say, there is nothing particularly edifying about going only to Latin America's lowliest, poorest spots.   Moreover, the glitzy surface cannot take anything away from Punta's dramatic setting, its splendid Brava and Mansa beaches and the beautiful, clean air and deep blue waters of the South Atlantic. You only have to head up to Punta Ballena and take in the broad sweep where the estuary opens out into the ocean to understand why wealthy Latin Americans came here in the first place. Or go and talk to local artist Carlos Paez Vilaró, who has an atelier in the strange, surreal Casapueblo hotel, and who will tell you "people have come and gone over the decades, but Punta remains beautiful. Out of season, we go back to being a fishing village again and all the hotel workers then take their holidays here, when it's peaceful and empty."   But the place is also more than an austral St Tropez, a mere setting. Argentinians are basically frank, foreigner-loving, friendly folk, and Uruguayans are among the most charming, self-effacing citizens on the planet - the welcome given to those who stray down here, to a spot far less touristy than, say, the Iguazú Falls or Salta, is warm and sincere. Between bouts of bathing, yachting, betting and ogling, take in the sea lion colonies on the Isla de los Lobos and Isla Gorriti, or see the impressive marine life museum. And, if you know even a few words of Spanish, chat to locals over a gourd of mate tea and they'll happily tell you about the grand old days of Fray Bentos up the river, the scuttling of the German battleship Graf Spee in 1939 and the Ingleses who settled in Uruguay 100-odd years back.   Oh yes, and if you manage to tire of this, there are ranches, old cars and cows galore out on the people-free pampas just beyond Punta's city limits. This is undiscovered country and if the Cipriani, the celebs and the sexy chicas and chicos get people to visit it, then there is a point to Punta after all.   Way to go   Getting there: British Airways (0870 8509850, ba.com), Aerolineas Argentinas, Varig (0845 6037601, varig.com) and Iberia (0845 6012854, iberiaairlines.co.uk) all fly to Montevideo and/or Punta del Este, with stops at Madrid, Rio and/or Buenos Aires. Return flights start at around £600.   Where to stay: Cipriani Resort, Spa & Casino, La Barra (598 42 77 10 00, ciprianipuntadeleste.com). From $250 (winter) and $450 (summer). Conrad Punta del Este Resort & Casino (598 42 49 11 11, conrad.com.uy): From $180-$300. Out of town: Posada La Ballenera (telefax: 598 42 77 10 79). Budget: Backpacker de La Barra (tel: 598 42 77 22 72). $10-15 per night.   When to go: Summer is from mid-December through to the end of March, but temperatures can be just a bit too high for beach fun (35C-plus). Also, the kids and their families are on their holidays throughout the whole of January and February. The best times to visit are October and November and March-April.   Further information: Latin American Travel Association: lata.org. Country code: 00 598. Flight time: 13-15 hrs, depending on route. Time difference: -3 hrs. £1 = 54.8 Uruguayan pesos.

Punta del Este This winter, the Uruguayan getaway vies with Rio for the sexiest seaside playground in South America. New York Magazine By: Denise Penny For a Buenos Airean, keeping a summer home in Punta del Este is like owning a hedged-in mansion in East Hampton. But it’s only now, with Rio’s exclusivity waning, that Europeans and Americans are beginning to discover Punta’s gorgeous beaches and seductive cycle of daily sunbathing and nightly carousing. While Rupert Everett, Charlotte Gainsbourg, and supermodel Natalia Vodianova descended on the Uruguayan peninsula last summer, and Hamptons restaurateur Francis Mallman is opening a hotel there this winter, Punta’s simple-chic allure is equally suited to the fabulous and non-fabulous alike. The twelve-hour flight merits at least a four-night stay; if you’ve got more time, spend it in Buenos Aires—most flights pass through. 1 Book a flight from JFK to Buenos Aires (American, United, and Aerolineas Argentinas offer nonstops), then take Aerolineas Argentinas for the 50-minute hop to Punta; round-trips in high-season (December– March) start at about $1,600. 2 Rent a car from the tiny Punta airport, and head for Mallman’s five-room Hotel Garzón (598-4102811; from $220), a restored century-old mansion with claw-footed bathtubs that opens this December in a rural village just past the famed lighthouse at Jose Ignacio Beach. 3 Beach-hop in La Barra, Punta’s trendiest neighborhood. Among the most popular stretches of sand are Montoya (preferred by surfers), and Bikini and Manantiales, dotted with toned, tanned bodies. At around four o’clock, follow the locals to Jose Ignacio Beach, where D.J.’s set up tiki torches for “chill-out” sessions in the sand. 4 Befriend some locals during a game of fulbito (mini-soccer) on the beach, and cajole your way onto a private-party guest list, if that’s your thing. The best bashes start well after midnight, and are thrown at the beachfront homes of models, impresarios, and telenovela actors. Most of the clubs in La Barra change ownership every year, making each summer’s hot spot a wild card. The exception: Tequila, which remains magically hip season after season. 5 Break the beach-party-sleep routine with a visit to Casa Pueblo, a museum in a white-stucco castle that displays works by Uruguayan artist Carlos Páez Vilaró—touted as South America’s Picasso. Back in La Barra, stop in the Trench Gallery, known for its contemporary paintings by regional artists. 6 Buy a hand-woven wool shawl from Manos del Uruguay, one of several local-designer boutiques on glitzy Avenida Gorlero. Down the street at the Hippie Market, sift through handmade jewelry, textiles, and baskets to find the perfect mate—a bulbous goblet made for sipping yerba maté, a strong tea as ubiquitous in Uruguay as Starbucks lattes are in Manhattan. The souvenir doubles as an objet for your coffee table back home. 7 Crowd into the tearoom of L’Auberge, Punta’s most distinguished hotel, where locals converge at six o’clock to indulge in decadently sweet waffles with dulce de leche. 8 Ask your concierge to hook you up with a baqueano (a horseback guide) for a ride through the forested hills near Garzón. You’ll weave through brush, beneath coronilla trees, and across rushing streams, spotting exotic birds and boarlike carpinchos. 9 Watch the sunset over Jose Ignacio Beach. Grab a cold Quilmes (the favored Argentine beer), lay your blanket close to the shore (far from the D.J.’s), and enjoy Punta’s most popular spectator sport. 10 Eat late: The earliest acceptable dinner reservation is at 11 P.M. Book a table at the seaside Los Negros in Jose Ignacio, and order the brotola, a local codlike fish, and a bottle or two of Viognier Juanico, a rich, dry local white, which you can sleep off in the morning on the long flight home.

Punta del Este Journal; For Argentines, There's No Place Like Uruguay By NATHANIEL C. NASH   New York Times   Published: February 7, 1991   Summers do not pass at this chic, bustling resort city on the southern coast of Uruguay without talk of beautiful women, tiny bathing suits, deep tans, visiting royalty and a night life that regularly ends at 4 or 5 in the morning. But that is being rivaled this season by more mercantile chatter: the vast flow of capital into this country from neighboring Argentina and Brazil, escaping economic upheavals and Government intervention there. And the most obvious manifestation of this flight of capital is the number of homes worth $1 million and more that are being built.   Just a mile to the east of la punta, or the point, that juts into the Atlantic Ocean, scores of mansions, with cavernous living rooms, indoor-outdoor pools, tennis courts, three-car garages and undulating lawns, dot the landscape, their newness evident in the freshly lacquered woodwork and sparkling ceramic roofs. A 10,000-square-foot home is considered a respectable size, and many are larger.   Finely crafted and entirely ostentatious, the homes reflect the Argentines' fondness not only for showing off their wealth, but also for investing their money outside their own country. Prices have risen steadily for almost 10 years, and local officials say building permits have tripled in the last year. "You might have a real estate problem in the States, but there is no problem here," said Juan Alberto Etcheveritto, a Uruguayan real estate developer. Middle Class Comes, Too   Real estate experts estimate that the number of homes worth $1 million and up is fast approaching 100 and that the total real estate value in greater Punta del Este -- a city with a population of 15,000 that swells to as many as 350,000 in January -- is $5 billion to $6 billion. But the capital fleeing Brazil and Argentina does not belong just to the very rich. More and more middle-class Argentines say they are investing their money here, buying apartments or more modest homes and establishing bank accounts beyond the reach of their governments. The building activity indeed tells a tale of how Uruguay serves the financial and political needs of its giant neighbors to the north and south. Argentines, and more and more Brazilians, find a refuge for both themselves and their money here.   The two giants of South America have struggled to control hyperinflation, cope with huge levels of debt, and strengthen the democratic process in their countries to avoid a future military takeover. Except for a period of military rule from 1973 to 1985, Uruguay has had a much more peaceful history and has been known as a banking haven, where information about accounts is kept strictly confidential and earnings can be protected from taxation. Privacy Is Respected This role has increased with the ouster of Gen. Manuel Antonio Noriega in Panama and that country's diminished standing as an offshore banking center.   "For 100 years, Uruguay has been a safe haven for those who have been persecuted in Argentina by dictators," Jose E. Rohm, an Argentine banker, said, relaxing in a home he has rented near the very tip of the point. "When the military took over, people would come here." "There is great respect for people and their privacy here, whereas in Argentina and Brazil the people are being robbed. Inflation, retroactive taxes and devaluations, that's all taking money away from people." A year ago, the Argentine Government froze all bank accounts in the country in an effort to halt hyperinflation. In exchange, Argentines received Government-backed bonds that they could sell in the market for only a fraction of the value of their deposits. In Brazil, the Government of Fernando Collor de Mello took similar action. Tax Inspectors Feared   Despite perennial efforts to get Argentines to pay taxes, the Government has so far failed. But the public still fears the tax inspectors that the Government sends poking around to see if the way of life of people is commensurate with the taxes they pay. But all it takes is a 25-minute plane ride from Buenos Aires for both the very rich and the middle class to feel safe, on vacation and able to strut their wealth. "You don't have the fear of a tax inspector coming around," Mr. Rohm said. "No one is going to check up on your bank account or see what kind of a boat you have at the dock." Argentines, who make up 85 percent of the population here, say they walk the streets until 4 in the morning with no fears, sleep with unlocked doors, and let their children play unattended. And they say they think nothing about living in a $1 million home for January and February and closing it up for the next 10 months. And despite the fact that Punta del Este is essentially an Argentine colony, Uruguayans do not chafe. In fact, many have developed a very comfortable life selling Argentines real estate, running shops that offer high-priced designer clothing or otherwise using Argentine capital for business ventures in Punta del Este. 'Thay Always Have Money' A quieter, more reserved people than their southern neighbors, Uruguayans are often amazed at how Argentines continue to spend so much. "They always have money," said Walter Costa, who with his wife, Estela, does a brisk business renting some of the higher-priced homes, which can cost as much as $40,000 a month. "It's a mystery. They say they are in the dumps, that their currency is falling, but they're all here and still buying." Jorge Eduardo Scelza, manager of a 300-unit apartment complex, added: "If they like a piece of clothing, they say 'Give me six of them.' If they have $100, they spend $500."

March 8, 1981   WINTERING AT PUNTA DEL ESTE IN SOUTH AMERICA'S SUMMER   By EDWARD SCHUMACHER   Suddenly, Uruguay's Punta del Este resort is glamorous. Its beaches are crowded with sleek men and women wearing the skimpiest and most extraordinarily well-fitting of bathing suits. In the late afternoons the streets are crowded with strolling young people. Around 10 P.M., considered a civil hour to begin the evening, adults begin to fill the restaurants and discotheques; the revelry goes on until the first rays of the morning sun send merrymakers home.   It is all very chic and very, very expensive, for at La Punta, as the initiated call it, there are no charter groups and no tour packages. There is also no crime to speak of, no social or racial problems and no squalid shacks licking on the outskirts. In their place is one of the world's most dazzling displays of contemporary residential architecture and landscaping. Punta del Este, the site of hemispheric summit meetings in the 1960's, now is a place at which to be seen, and, increasingly, Americans and Europeans are joining Argentines and Uruguayans in being seen there. The town's permanent population of 10,000 swells many times over on any given weekend during the season, which is from the middle of December to the middle of March, though the weather remains inviting into June. Nearly a million visitors come to Punta del Este during the South American summer. But for all the visible glamour, the ultimate draw still remains a good beach.   The peninsula itself is mostly rock with small beaches and patches of sand tucked among the outcroppings and crevices. One or two can lie on some of those patches and feel relatively secluded. But on either side of the peninsula, which separates the Atlantic Ocean from the Rio de la Plata estuary, are miles of open, sandy beaches. The Atlantic waters are considered rougher than those on the estuarial side of the peninsula. There is no industry in the area, so the beaches and the water - which is cool with temperatures akin to, say, Virginia beaches - are clean.   My wife, Marisabel, and I went to Punta del Este in December just before the season began. We stayed at the Palace, a colonial-style hotel that is decorated with Indian and colonial art and antiques, and has a large open patio in the center. We were fortunate to check in just before the high season began; the rate was $60 for two, without meals; in season it would have been $170 for two, with three meals. It was on Playa Marconi, on the estuarial side, that Marisabel and I met Geraldo and Matilde. The day was warm and beautifully clear and a refreshing breeze blew in off the sea. Many other Southern Hemisphere resorts lure the frozen Yankee at this time of year but what distinguishes Punta del Este is that omnipresent breeze. The beach is toasty but seldom stifling and nights are almost always cool, sometimes even requiring a sweater. To our way of thinking, it was ideal beach weather with an invigorating change of pace at night.   Geraldo and Matilde were from Buenos Aires, each 31 years old. He was a corporate economist; she a stockbroker of sorts, as she described herself. What made us notice them was Matilde, in a red bikini, demonstrating bicycle exercises in the air. Perhaps the relaxed nature of Punta del Este is the result of the influence of the Uruguayans rubbing off on their more uptight Argentine neighbors.   ''I have been coming here for 10 summers,'' Geraldo said. ''These beaches are the most beautiful there are and it is so easy here. You just pay and do; everything is at hand - sports, restaurants, night life.''   They were in many ways typical of the flood of Argentines who seem to have taken over Punta del Este. Buenos Aires is only half an hour away by air, and though Punta del Este is more expensive than Brazil or Chile, it is also more convenient. Many affluent Argentines come here and buy condominium apartments - priced from $300,000 upwards - for their entire familes, grandparents and grandchildren included. The high-rise buildings have sprung up among the creamy beige lowslung houses with red-tiled roofs that once clustered neatly on the promonotory. And there is a clamor to build more.   The main street of the town, Avenida Gorlero, has palms and outdoor cafes scattered along it. The beaches are dotted with thatched-roofed restaurants called paradores. During the day their shaded patios are a retreat from the sun and sand; during the night the chefs of the avenue's restaurants prepare fresh seafood and thick steaks, sometimes barbecued over charcoal, rich with the tastiness of rangefed beef that is disappearing from North American tables.   Though censorship persists and there is little political freedom, there are few visible signs of the military government that has ruled Uruguay since 1973. Last November the Government staged a plebiscite on a proposed constitution that would have perpetuated much of the military's power; much to the surprise of the soldiers, the constitution was defeated by an overwhelming margin.   It is unclear what will happen next. The Tupamaro terrorist activity of the early 1970's has abated and the military has continued such social welfare programs as free medical care and generous pensions. And almost all political activity in Uruguay seems to be in suspension during the summer beach season anyway.   A typical attitude in Punta del Este was that of Manuel Garcias, the manager of a hamburger franchise that is part of an Argentine chain. As he hammered away at new booths he is installing, he stopped long enough to look up and say: ''I have been waiting for this summer with enthusiasm. After passing the winter we are reborn.''   Thunderstorms that pass through quickly are not uncommon at Punta del Este, and during one of those dreary moments my wife and I drove in a Volkswagen Beatle to Punta Ballena, about 15 minutes to the west. (We had rented the car in Montevideo for $28 a day and 16 cents a kilometer.) Along the way we passed many large summer homes of contemporary design. Punta Ballena, a cliff that sticks like a finger into the estuary, is even more dramatic. A road along its ridge leads to a lookout point where the view of the water, of Punta del Este in the distance and of waves crashing on rocks below is hypnotic.   About halfway back down the ridge, we parked the car, walked down a grassy incline, and there found on the side of a cliff what is surely one of the world's more audacious tourist attractions. Casa Pueblo, an artist's homage to himself, is the home of the Uruguayan painter Carlos Paez Vilaro. It is both a museum of his work and a gallery for his reprints. For an admission charge of $2 a person, visitors may see a slide show of Mr. Vilaro's life and adventures as well as pictures of some of his friends. He was once known as the ''Picasso of South America,'' a title he apparently relished.   The real pleasure, however, is the house. Casa Pueblo is a white stucco fairyland fortress. It has long curving walls, curious sculptured ancient symbols, a swimming pool and layers of balconies with views of the water. The workmanship is purposefully primitive, like a child's sandcastle. But Mr. Vilaro has said that the house is meant to be a paean to the sun, and that it is. His own studio is in a wing that is not open to the public. On our return to Punta del Este we stopped at the first parador we saw. The chef prepared a hearty paella according to our specifications; Uruguayan restaurants are accommodating that way. We ate too much and drank too much of a Uruguayan red wine; it was a pleasant way to end what had begun as a rainy afternoon.   The casino is a main attraction of the resort community's night life but we were a little disappointed the one night we went. Most of the dealers were slow and a little clumsy, though this could have been because it was still early in the season. The casino is government owned and attached to the Hotel San Rafael. It had the customary gaming tables - blackjack, roulette and others - and people were dressed to the nines; they were, in fact, the show.   We then went on to Ezekiel, one of the many discotheques in the town, and danced to American music on a packed dance floor. The admission charge was $2.50 a person, and the price of drinks more than $10 each. It was four in the morning before we thought to return to our hotel. But there are many other things to do. Punta del Este and Maldonado, the town inland to the north, have more than 200 tennis courts. A temporary membership for use of the Cantegril Country Club's courts from Monday through Thursday is $300. Independent courts charge $10 a person a half hour. The country club has one of the most challenging and beautiful golf courses in South America but temporary membership to play golf is $300 for weekdays and $500 for weekends. Horseback riding is $6 an hour. For water sports, catamarans can be rented for $25 an hour. Water skiing is $20 for 15 minutes.   There is more passive recreation as well. Wandering down Avenida Gorlero, peeking in and out of the artisan and antique shops, stopping to chat over an espresso or a drink, is a pleasant way to spend an afternoon. The antique shops are particularly well stocked with Art Nouveau pieces purchased in Europe and the United States in the early decades of this century, when Uruguay was a rich, beefexporting country and the peso stronger than the dollar.   Good values these days are the woolen sweaters, shawls, bedspreads and rugs made by hand by Manos de Uruguay, a cooperative of Uruguayan artisans. The sweaters, which come in rich colors and interesting styles, cost $100 or more in Madison Avenue boutiques and half that much in Punta del Este.   Another way to spend time is to take a charter boat to Isla de Lobos, where you can see a seal colony in its natural habitat. A boat trip we wanted to take but never did for lack of time was to Isla Gorriti, a few minutes away, where we were told one can pass the day lying in hammocks in the shade or on the island's beaches.   Or one might simply wander down to look over Punta del Este's large marina; during the high season it is filled with yachts of all kinds and sizes. If You Go ... ...to Punta del Este you will find no large, international hotels. Write to the Uruguayan Consulate General (301 East 47th Street, New York, N.Y. 10017, 212-753-8191) and ask for a small blue brochure called ''Uruguay Informacion'' and a copy of their list of hotels in Punta del Este. On the current list are addresses, services and facilities for each hotel as well as prices for rooms during the season (mid-December to mid-March). During the season ending this month double rooms, without meals, ranged from $33 to $75; during the off season beginning this month discounts generally run 30 to 40 percent. Rates are expected to increase 20 to 25 percent next year.   A sensible alternative to hotel accommodations, particularly for a family, is to rent an apartment or a house for a week or a month, which is what Argentines and Uruguayans commonly do. A nicely furnished one-bedroom apartment in a high-rise rents for $1,200 to $2,000 a month, depending on the view. Weekly rentals are from $50 to $70 a day but are harder to find.   Hotel rooms and apartment rentals can be arranged through travel agents in Buenos Aires and Montevideo, who in turn can be contacted by travel agents in the United States.   A couple should expect to pay $30 to $60 for dinner with Uruguayan wine at the resort's better restaurants and paradores. Airlines serving the New York-Montevideo route are Lan Chile (212-582-3250) and Pan Am (212-973-4000). Lan Chile's direct flight (it stops in Miami, Santiago and Buenos Aires enroute to Montevideo) leaves New York on Fridays and takes 17 hours; regular economy roundtrip fare is $1,728. Pan Am's direct flight (it makes one stop in Rio de Janeiro) leaves New York on Fridays and takes 12 hours; regular economy round-trip fare is $1,258.   Car rental should be arranged for before arriving in Montevideo; the drive from the airport at Montevideo to Punta del Este takes an hour by good road. There is, however, no nationwide network of rental agents and service. Visitors can hire a driver and car ($35 for eight hours plus 12 cents a kilometer) to tour the area around Punta del Este.