|
  |
      |
¿Did you choose your hotel in Punta del Este? - Suggest a site or resource about Travel to Punta del Este
 |
|---|
Punta del Este Tips and inexpensive places (how to survive Uruguayan 5 Stars Tourism)
We do not intend to dwell on adjectives referring to this paradisiacal peninsula in Maldonado department, main Uruguayan beach resort and known as "tourist capital of Mercosur". Better than that, and although there are thousands of uruguayan tourists and neighbors who will visit regularly on "Punta" (and even have got property in the resort), riding as expert riders its twisted streets and huge cultural and entertainment, we are going to try to write this guide for those who will try our first time this type of tourism, different from any other on the rest of the country. We will try to give some basic guidelines to demonstrate that survival there does not cost a fortune or lose several days to find the spirit "puntaesteño" to start to enjoy the resort. Lets make a starting caveat that although the itineraries of Club de Turistas intended to be for one or two days, in this case, a full week you will find too short to know much of its tourist proposal enjoying placidly between gulls and sea lions of this unique city, peninsular and ocean.
Beaches and streets Punta del Este is between Punta Ballena and La Barra tough in villager and common tourist speach (and sometimes even for hotels), these neighboring resorts and even until Manantiales or Maldonado (Capital city) are part of the proposed tourist guides, and even the name of Punta del Este.
Arriving from Montevideo by Route Nº 10 at the West of the peninsula, Playa Mansa receive us with its fine and white sand and its calm waters, suitable for fishing and transfers water sports (motor, kayaking, water skiing). After the Port and rounding peninsula, at the East is the the rocky beah "de los Ingleses" (British beach), El Emir beach, which concentrates most of Surf lovers and Playa Brava (Brave beach), with highest waves, wind and depth. These West beaches are the best for wind and waves water sports: surf
Surf en Playa Brava, windsurf o flysurf.
The streets are a bit baffling to the newcomer, but the access main routes are the Rambla to drive along beaches, the Port, the old part of town or drive out of the peninsula to other resorts, Av. Roosevelt (if you go along Playa Brava (Brave Beach), access Roosevelt on Parada 8) to get the large hypermarkets and shopping, Gorlero which is the main commercial street, one of the restaurants center and home to the famous craft fair (and parallel to 20th Street with its recognized shops for fussy buyers) and finally Bulevar José Artigas to get fastly Maldonado Capital (and going ahead, the route 39 direct to San Carlos city). These routes are easy to find and take you anywhere, however, it could be fun to improvise and get lost in internal streets by car or on foot to enjoy the architecture intimately "puntaesteña", joyful appearance, summer and distended, typically sea, unlike imposing and sophisticated towers of the main routes.
Where to go - Punta del Este is a city with a natural beauty, with wonderful beaches, warm and emerald blue water, air with sea and pine fragrance, with skies splashed with seagulls, with sunsets open to the ocean and neat wooded parks. But also that's a city that, without loosing its freshness, knows how to dress its summer seasons with designer clothes and jewelry, decorate its beaches and the port with sailing boat, yachts or huge cruises
Cruceros en la Mansa, caring infrastructure to provide comfort without disturbing the landscape and filling the streets at day and night without pause, with distended and joyful youth. All that is Punta, nobody feels foreign, and there are tourism for everybody, whoever you are. Here we give only some ideas about places you can go without spending a pound:
*) boat trips - Mos common (and inexpensive is Gorriti Island (less than 10 U$S p/p). We don't say too much about this island since you can see our page about Gorriti Island (spanish). There is also Sea Lions Island (Isla de Lobos) that is a trip 2 hours length without land at the island but having contact with these animals belonging to the largest sea lions reserve in South America to photograph or film. The price of this trip is about 40 U$S p/p. If you don't want to pay this cost you can keep in port and you will see sea lions
Lobos en el Puerto 6 ft far from you coming to collect fishermen's discard or at least take a nap while tourists come to photograph with them. To hire boats go to last dock in the port, go downstairs and you will find the offices of the various vessels. An important thing for fishermen, they also rent boats for taking you to good fishing places, the price is negotiated at the port and it is always cheaper for groups.
*) Walk along "Mansa" and Port. Like we said above, to share the space with sea lionsand gulls, watch arthisanal fisherfolk job, enjoy sunsets in summer houses
Glorieta, walk accompanied by yachts
Yates en la Mansa and sport boats, a stroll through the senses, free and enjoyable which you will want to enjoy more than once at Punta.
*) Punta del Este Lighthouse
Faro de Punta del Este. This lighthouse was built in 1860 with a mixture made of volcanic grit brought from Rome, which allows preservation until nowadays. It has 54 meters in height, but unfortunately rising is not allowed except on "Heritage Day".
*) Gorlero and artisans fair
Feria de los Artesanos. Axis of daily and nightly life on peninsula: you can go shopping, restaurants, enjoy street spectacles or simply walking along different proposals that offers paninsula's center. Arthisans fair in Artigas square is an unlosable saunter for uruguayans an foreigners.
*) Paseo de las Américas
"La Mano" de Irrazabal. Serie of sculptures over Brave Beach. There are several sculptures though most representative is "The Hand", artwork of Chilean Mario Irrazabal, representing the "human being emerging to Life".
*) Ralli Museum . See our comments inf "Art" section.
*) Leonel Viera Bridge 
Puente Leonel Viera. Bridge over Maldonado creek, accesing La Barra, built in 1965 with its unic view designed by Leonel Viera. If you drive with kids, they will ask you for drive across again and again.
*) Jagüel Park
Parque el Jagüel. Over Camino Aparicio Saravia close to Indian Park. Is free admission, there are wooden and iron gambling for kids as well as big animals figures made on acrilic.You can rent horses for riding, cars for children to turn around a track or simply enjoy a stroll in the park.
*) Punta Shopping. This mall comprises a diverse range of shops and services. There you can purchase from leather garments to perfumes, from furniture or musical instruments, there is a place with some restaurants inside and several options outside it, and offers entertainment ranging from slots to cinema, from karts for real racing games and bowling, Thats a required stroll for rainy days, though in summer it takes almost as much time in finding a place to park as walk inside the mall. And for those executives who failed " job shutdown", you have free WiFi as well.
Gastronomy / Nocturnal Life - About the food, you have good restaurants and pubs, and specialty seafood products on the Playa Mansa open on day and night and at the yatch port, in front of it and inner streets of the old part of the town. There are several renowned restaurants on the beach and also all the bar/pizzeria/restaurants around Gorlero, whose offer ranges from fast food, hot dogs and barbecues to excellent restaurants with international food.
If you run short of money in your holidays in Punta, do not despair, there is a fairly wide range of meals in the plaza of the supermarkets (although we must have patience and good humor in high season by the number of people going). Ah! we can not omitseveral restaurants scattered around Avda Roosevelt nor fail to mention various gastronomic proposals of Maldonado city. Many agrotourism establishments deserve a separate chapter, offering you as many dishes as different musical stylesyou could think of (a good example is the establishment Lapataia highly recommended although outside Punta del Este), which is common to find excellent creole food samples, especially "parrilla", a magnet that attracts tourists in Punta as well as visitors from cruises, that just come for the day. And for young people (and not so much) are discos, pubs and bowling alleys across the peninsula and environs (a reunion center for those young people each night the bar), with prices for all budgets and music for all energies.
Concerts/Events - The tourist season is mainly based on events, and it is difficult to give a detailed description since every week the proposals changes with hundreds of artistic and cultural events ranging from street performances "at will" as a tango shows, Capoeira
Capoeira en Plaza Artigas or magic shows as well as mega fashion from internationally renowned designers and international performances of artist like Paul Anka, Shakira or Ricky Martin, just to name some of them. So that the tourist of any age and with no budget, just walking Gorlero can see puppeteers, mimes, comics, músicos regionalistas
músicos regionalistas, dancers, or artisans, that there are dozens in Gorlero and Artigas Square (with its craft fair), so a simple walk turns into a night of surprises. With regard to larger events we recommend you pass weekly by the tourist office (Mansa Parada 25, just entering the city) or Mansa Parada 2 and to take any free magazine with an endless menu of events to choose every day in Punta del Este and at the rest of Maldonado cities. Off-season the list declines, though the whole year remains events in the international "five stars" hotels and other stages.
Art - The most recognized art center in the peninsula is the Museo Ralli (Neighborhood Beverly Hills, Tuesday to Sunday from 17:00 to 21:00, closed from May to September), the first museum belonging to the foundation Harry Recanati from a total of 5 in the world (the latter was founded in 2007 in Caesarea, Israel) This version of the Uruguayan Ralli Museum houses the largest collection of contemporary Latin American artists, although there are also rooms dedicated to European artists. This is a free and modern museum where you can also take photographs and film. Furthermore, especially in season there are numerous galleries and workshops where you can enjoy (and why not purchase) the works of artists mostly nationals.
Sports - The sports calendar is so bulging as artistic one, not just due the practice of marine or land sports enthusiasts, but also for international events like world championships in motor, surfing, racing at international regatta or also, with feet on the ground, tennis or golf tournaments. For this, as for art events we recommend take the calendar at the tourist office. The sports calendar is maintained throughout the year, although with less intensity than in summer.
As you can see, there are as many possibilities of amusement as you can imagine, don't waste more time, choose now your hotel in Punta del Este and come to enjoy natural life.
The " Top 15" you cannot miss before leaving de Punta del Este.
1) Visit Isla de Gorriti.
2) Stroll along port docks y take photos about yourself with sea lions.
3) View the sunset from Mansa's summer houses.
4) Spend some casino chips in Conrad.
5) Go to an artist performance.
6) See a cruise moored from the beach.
7) Shopping Gorlero and 20th street.
8) Stay in a street performance at craft fair.
9) Visit Arboreto Lussich and Lapataia farm.
10) Visit Jagüel park.
11) Go to La Barra across Leonel Viera bridge.
12) Drive your car from besides "Mansa" to "Brava" beach.
13) Photograph yourself next to "The Hand" sculpture.
14) Drive to Punta Ballena to visit Casapueblo.
15) Go dance at least one night in the city dancing places
¿Did you choose your hotel in Punta del Este? - Suggest a site or resource about Travel to Punta del Este
Sights of Punta del Este (click on the picture to enlarge) |
Sailing boats |
View from the dock |
Lighthouse |
Sunset in mansa |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Ntra. Sra. de la Candelaria |
English beach |
English beach II |
El Jagüel park |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Cruise |
Leonel Viera bridge |
Crabs |
Surf in El Emir beach |
 |
 |
 |
 |
¿Did you choose your hotel in Punta del Este? - Suggest a site or resource about Travel to Punta del Este
More Info about Punta del Este (our links Selection) |
If our info about Punta del Este is not enough, we're listing below our link selection referred to Montevideo Department. Hope you find it useful.
Intendencia municipal de Maldonado Página oficial del gobierno departamental de Maldonado (Uruguay)
|
Gastronomy in Punta del Este (advices a la carta) |
No advices yet. Recommend
Your words in the web |
In this form you can write corrections, comments or suggestions to the text of this section, your personal experiences or whatever else to help travelers like you or me. If you were here, your opinion matters more than whichever guide.
© All rights reserved - Club de Turistas - Uruguay |