Punta del Este is South America's most glamorous beach resort — a narrow peninsula jutting into the Atlantic where the Rio de la Plata meets the ocean. It has two very different coastlines: the sheltered bay side, calm and good for families, and the open ocean side, where waves roll in hard and the beautiful people go to be seen.
From December to March, Argentine and Brazilian jet-setters fill the high-rises and beach clubs. Prices spike, traffic stalls, and the place hums with a particular kind of Latin energy that's hard to find anywhere else on the continent. Out of season, Punta becomes a quieter, more contemplative place — wide beaches largely to yourself, restaurants open and unhurried.
The resort is compact and walkable. The main strip along Gorlero Avenue has shops and restaurants; the port area has good seafood and a constant parade of yachts. Nearby Casapueblo, the extraordinary white-washed artist's castle a few kilometres west at Punta Ballena, is worth the trip on its own.