Punta del Este Is South America's Answer to St Tropez, and Has Been for Decades

Punta del Este sits on a narrow peninsula in Uruguay's Maldonado Department, roughly two hours east of Montevideo, and has been South America's best-known summer resort for the region's wealthy since the mid-20th century. Long nicknamed the Monaco, or sometimes the St Tropez, of South America, it built that reputation on a straightforward split of geography: two very different beaches facing opposite directions, a few minutes apart.

Two beaches, one peninsula

Playa Mansa faces the Río de la Plata estuary and stays calm, favoured for swimming and sailing, while Playa Brava faces the open Atlantic and pulls in surf and a rougher chop. That contrast, along with the peninsula's high-rise skyline rising directly behind both beaches, gives Punta del Este a more built-up, glamorous silhouette than most of Uruguay's otherwise low-key coastline.

The sculpture on Playa Brava

La Mano, five giant concrete fingers emerging from the sand on Playa Brava, was created by Chilean sculptor Mario Irarrázabal in 1982 for a local land art competition and has since become the town's most photographed single landmark, instantly recognisable even to travellers who have never visited.

Casapueblo and the quiet side, José Ignacio

A short drive west, the whitewashed, cliff-hugging villa of Casapueblo was built over decades by Uruguayan artist Carlos Páez Vilaró as a home and studio and now operates partly as a hotel and museum, its curved, window-punched walls a landmark in their own right above the Atlantic. Further along the coast, the former fishing village of José Ignacio has grown into a quieter, low-rise alternative to Punta del Este itself, favoured by visitors who want the same social scene without the high-rises.

Traveller tips

• Punta del Este has its own airport with seasonal flights, though many international visitors connect via Montevideo's Carrasco International Airport, around two hours away by road.
• The peak season runs from late December through February, the Southern Hemisphere summer; outside these months the town is markedly quieter.
• Boat trips to nearby Isla de Lobos, home to a large South American sea lion colony, run from the harbour during the warmer months.
• José Ignacio is best reached by car or taxi from Punta del Este; it has limited public transport links of its own.