Playa Mansa stretches along the western, bay-facing side of the Punta del Este peninsula, looking out over the Río de la Plata toward the Argentine coast. The name means "calm beach," which describes it exactly: the water here is flat and sheltered, with no real surf, and the colour is a different shade from the Brava side — greener and cooler. It is the beach for families and for anyone who prefers swimming to wave-dodging.
The facilities are good along the main stretch. In summer the beach chairs are rented from numerous points and the strip of restaurants behind the beachfront is busy through the afternoon and evening. Sunset over the Plata from Playa Mansa is excellent — the light turns the water orange and the Argentine coast sometimes appears as a dark line on the horizon. It is the most photographed sunset in Punta del Este after Casapueblo.