How do you think Jose Ignacio differs from other Uruguayan towns?

The grand difference between Jose Ignacio and, let’s say, Rocha, is that Jose Ignacio is located in the state of Maldonado. Jose Ignacio is the last southeastern peninsula, where residents and guests can experience both the sunrise and the sunset. Jose Ignacio isn’t a fishing town like Punta del Diablo, nor is it as wild as Punta del Este. It’s a rural coastal aldea, or village, nestled between two lagoons, the countryside and the sea.

Being inside the radius of Punta del Este (40 km, or a half-hour drive away) allows us access to the city’s action, without sacrificing our ability to offer an experience totally apart from it. We are incredibly lucky to have within our reach all the services and infrastructure of Punta del Este, as well as the stability of the state of Maldonado.

Is it true Jose Ignacio has its own ordinances?

Yes, in 1993 we successfully fought to be defined within the boundaries of Maldonado, as well as to have our own set of ordinances and building codes. Jose Ignacio was defined as the village, the area bounded between the lagoon of Jose Ignacio and the lagoon of Garzon, and the area between just north of Route 9 (including the town of Garzon) and the Atlantic Ocean.

Jose Ignacio is what it is, thanks to our work as a community, as neighbors, and the government’s response of this time. We went to them with a judicious approach. We explained that Jose Ignacio was a gem within the limits of Maldonado. We could either polish this gem, or destroy it. After a year of fighting, we achieved our objective: our own ordinance codes. Jose Ignacio is the only place in Maldonado that has it’s own building ordinances, as well as very tight zoning restrictions that explicitly prohibit certain activities like nightclubs. At one point we had an issue with them and we figured the only way to cut them out was to prohibit them.

Jose Ignacio is not a new place, or a “recent discovery.” It has always existed, it is a beautiful place. The majority of the people who came were coming from La Barra or Punta del Este, seeking a different experience; they came and fell in love with the place. As a community we were left to ask, what do we do to guarantee these people, who are often paying a lot of money to be here, that we will not grow to the point that we lose our identity?

To you, what is the identity of Jose Ignacio?

To me the two fundamental aspects of the personality of Jose Ignacio are familiar character and low density, which might be the most important. We asked ourselves: What can we do, the community, to grow Jose Ignacio in a sustainable way? And our response—low density. This allows Jose Ignacio to continue to be a place characterized by family. If we allow for excessive building, like what was happening before 1993 with condos and such, Jose Ignacio would have been destroyed. Today, there are no condos being built. Now there is a rule: one owner, one house. Before there could be six families in one house. Now there can be just one family.

What was the reaction to you desire for low density?

All the other Uruguayan real estate agents said we were crazy to fight to limit investments to Jose Ignacio. They said to me personally as a real estate agent, shouldn’t you be fighting for more investment? No, what I am fighting for—what I see as my life’s purpose—is to preserve the spirit of this place—a spirit that can’t be seen in empirical data. It is the possibility to wake up, leave my house to buy a loaf of bread, and greet Juan to my left and Pedro to my right. I know my neighbors—those who live in front, behind, and alongside my family. And this is a privilege worth preserving.

What was the town’s reaction to the change in ordinances?

Throughout the years this law guaranteed low density and a small town character. After changing the town’s building ordinances, it is explicitly prohibited to build pubs, dance clubs, music venues, shopping malls, camping, etc. The reaction was mixed. Some said we were elitists, or at least trying to be elite. This wasn’t the case; we were attempting to preserve the rural character of our town. Growth isn’t always good—it can push out local merchants, fill the streets with signs and unnecessarily bright lights.

[Nacho’s discussion of Jose Ignacio is interrupted by the entrance of his two daughters, who are asking for money to buy an ice cream.]

The law was very polemic. It wasn’t that we wanted to cut business. Rather we wanted to maintain Jose Ignacio as a place to raise children and know your neighbors. How do you explain to an established merchant that you are going to prohibit certain types of growth? We did not want to cut growth, we wanted to change the face of growth. We wanted merchants and restaurants to sell poco, caro, y bueno or small, expensive, and good. We wanted to offer a differentiated product to a high-minded clientele, versus selling cheap products to the masses. Certainly it was hard to negotiate, but in the end, everyone understood it was best.

The law in 1993 paused growth, and I mean that in the best way. Jose Ignacio could have exploded; we could have transformed into another La Barra. I knew La Barra in the 70’s, and by the 80’s it had completely changed. Back then La Barra was the edge of the action; when you went past it you had reached the end of the world. Maybe there was a house or two, in Manetalias, for people from San Carlos who came to summer there, but nothing like it is today. You’d get to Jose Ignacio and there was nothing. There was like 40 houses in the pueblito. [He proceeds to name almost all the families of each].

100 Years

This past year in 2009, we hosted a celebration for the 100th anniversary of the fraccionamiento of Jose Ignacio, or the breaking up of the town into divisions. In attendance were some characters who have lived in the town their whole life, including Rosendo Nuñez, who administered the only form of communication between the village and the outside world. He had two yellow old buses, the kind you might imagine seeing in Costa Rica, with open doors and chickens and pigs on top. He had a company called El Faro, which ran buses from San Carlos to Jose Ignacio and San Carlos to Garzon. Not only did he take people from town to town, but he also brought with him things like prescriptions. At this point there wasn’t a pharmacy. If you had a headache, you’d have to suffer through the whole day until he came with aspirin in the afternoon.

Though the town has undergone physical changes and seen radical growth since the 80’s, it’s character remains in tact. The policy of one family, one house is very important to this preservation. The market can be very demanding. People with millions and millions of dollars all want to buy and develop here. It’s very difficult to control growth when there are willing investors. There’s always someone asking for a favor, an exception. The community must be very alert and consistent; exceptions cannot be made, or else everyone will expect one. This year a change in the building ordinance was proposed for the small hotel sector within the peninsula Jose Ignacio, which created quite the controversy. We got worried about how it would affect the rural character of the town. An inn’s guests are always changing. For a neighbor, waking up to greet a visitor of a hotel is not the same as waking up and greeting another resident who you know and see, day after day. In response, we hired a consultant in Montevideo to conduct a simulation of the impact that potential changes to the ordinances would have on the community. It cost a fortune, but we shared the cost between neighbors. Why did we do it? It wasn’t to be crazy, or elitist, or to say that we can’t change a thing, ever. No, it was to provide proof that changes to the building ordinances would ruin the spirit of this place. It was a great accomplishment.

And who supported this study?

When I speak of Jose Ignacio, I’m really referring to the residents of Jose Ignacio, Santa María de los Médanos, La Juanita, Arenas de José Ignacio, as well as the surrounding rural areas. In total the residents are in the 700’s, dispersed between thousands of hectares. In the actual town of Jose Ignacio, there are around 370, 70 of which split the cost of the 2009 study.

Moving into real estate, how much do lots go for in the village of Jose Ignacio?

In the village, or caso viejo, the land is around US$500 per square meter to US$600 per square meter. The cheapest lot you probably can find is US$400,000.

Editor’s note: Other real estate listings currently on offer in Jose Ignacio include—a 230-square-meter three-bedroom, two bath house three blocks from beach for US$550,000; a 730-square-meter villa, with five en suite bedrooms, and spectacular views for US$1,000,000; a 8.5 hectare chacra with charming farmhouse and lake overlooking Jose Ignacio Laguna and ocean for US$800,000; and a brand new, 500-square-meter, four-bedroom property on 5.5 hectares for US$1,200,000.

Is there much commercialization of the lots?

Within the village there really isn’t a disposition to sell, and there aren’t many sales, as odd as that sounds. Sometimes someone will approach a homeowner and try to convince them to sell their home. The owner will usually resist, but sometimes deals are struck between the two of them without the house ever being technically “for sale.” To set a price they will say, how much did you pay for the land? The house? And they will set a price.

What type of person buys in Jose Ignacio?

There really aren’t developers, because there aren’t “deals.” The town isn’t a market for investors, but rather final consumers. The type who buys here is a type who wants to be here. They don’t buy to sell. They are often investing a large portion of their inheritance or savings to purchase in the town, and they do so with the desire to personally enjoy their property. More and more Europeans are buying here, especially the French and Belgians. 

So Americans coming to Jose Ignacio is a new phenomena, no?

Very new. The Europeans were here long before North Americans. I assume it’s because North Americans have the Caribbean so close, that they never really had to travel too far to go to a beautiful beach. However after 2001 it was as if North America rediscovered South America. Why? I believe that the Argentines helped sell a new vision of our region. No one sells us better than the Argentines. They say our country is safe, with good infrastructure. We in turn sell a way of life as well: passing the day tranquilo, on the beach, drinking a cold beer with beautiful people all around.

Editor’s note: Actors Bruce Willis, Uma Thurman, Kevin Bacon and his wife, Kyra Sedgwick, along with singers Shakira and Julio Iglesias, and the model Naomi Campbell, are just a few of the celebrities who added their star-power to the tiny town of Jose Ignacio. Posada del Faro, a boutique hotel, has been host to many of these celebritities, along with fashion photographer Mario Testino and model Giselle Bundchen. Yards from the Posada is the home of British novelist Martin Amis.

You were able to halt crazy development, but obviously in the many years of fighting, you would have experienced victories and defeats. What was your gravest loss?

Gratefully we have experienced mostly victories. However, the greatest deception was the development project Setai. The original owner bought 40 hectares on the beach. He could have made a fortune just making lots of the lands, but the spirit of the developer—the desire to milk the land of all its worth—got the best of him. So instead of creating 20 to 35 lots on the land, which would have still tripled his investment, he wanted more. So what did he do? Using a very prominent architect, Carlos Ott, he created an initial project saying they were going to create a hotel. Then they explained that the clients they were going to attract were the type of people who were accustomed to the best resorts in the world, where they have access to the beach directly from the hotel. Thus, if they were going to spend $40 million building a hotel, it would need to be directly on the beach and not 150 meters from the beach, as Uruguayan law dictates. His proposal was a complete departure from national protocol. Moreover, the original document proposing and justifying this exception is nothing short of shameful. It is more shameful still that the national government and the state government eventual granted permission for the exception.

And how did they allow it?

I don’t know. I don’t know. The state government and the junta (local government) approved the project even though the entirety, or at least the majority, of the community was opposed to the project. Instead of 150 meters, the Setai would be allowed to be built 90 meters from the beach. The community reacted immediately to the news. We contacted the Minister of Environment and every other relevant office. Along with questioning the environmental impact of the project, we also asked how it was that the local government was going to allow for a development that limited public access to public beaches. After all, there are stringent national laws that regulate and limit construction in front of beaches, so as to keep them accessible to the public. As a resident I presented saying, how could the state deny me the right to walk along the beach? But unfortunately, what’s done is done.

Is Casa Vik comparable?

Editor’s note: The Norwegian billionaire investor Alexander Vik’s summer home (made of titanium) will cost $10 million to complete. It measures 4,201 square meters and is designed by Carlos Ott, the famous Uruguayan architect. Ott’s other projects include the Antel tower in Montevideo and the Opéra de la Bastille in París. Vik’s 1,500-hectare property outside of Jose Ignacio is also home to a boutique hotel. You can stay there for a pricey $750 a night.

Vik is another story. He came to buy an estate north of the lagoon and made a hotel that is discreet and contextualized. Each bedroom houses a mural by a young Uruguayan artist, a project that he wanted to do to support young artists. He is also building a home sobre el mar (at the beach). It’s his house for his personal use from the end of December to January. If he wishes to rent it once he leaves, he’s allowed to, just like any resident. He insists that it’s his own home. The difference is clearly the size. It’s like the difference between renting a sailboat and a yacht. If you rent Vik’s beach house, you are in essence renting a yacht of a home, including amenities like a chef, wait staff, etc. The scale was difficult to accept at first, because it’s a break from the context of the town. People don’t normally build so large and we wouldn’t exactly like to make a trend of it. .

Do you live full-time in Jose Ignacio?

We have a home here, as well as in La Barra and in Punta del Este. We live here in-season. However, it didn’t make sense to permanently be here because my daughters attend school in Punta del Este. The 40k commute was just too much for them during the school year. They would return home very tired from school, their activities, and then the long drive. But even though we live part of the year in Punta, when you ask my girls where they are from they say, “Jose Ignacio.”

Punta.

That is, Punta del Este.  Just call it “Punta” to be cool and in the know like all the Argentines, Uruguayans, Chileans, Brazilians, and international jetsetters who flock there each summer from December to February.

It’s the glamour puss coast where the elite come to play with their toys: shiny yachts, Miami-style luxury high-rises overlooking the azure sea, manicured gardens with European-style mansions, and hot, bronzed beauties gracing the sands. Akin to the St. Tropez on the (real) Riviera and the Hamptons in the States, while you can chill with supermodels like Naomi Campbell in José Ignacio or stock up on Gucci, Punta is really all about the beach. Amen.

The golden, fine, sandy beaches, stretching for nearly 40 miles, are the draw. Turquoise waters, some rocks for scenic texture, beautiful homes clinging to the shores, and the green pastures in the background form a vivid beach mosaic. I was seduced by the allure of its beaches (and nearby wineries). One summer I had to get away from the frigid waters of the south Pacific Chilean coast. The thought of swimming in the ocean with no rip tides or limb-numbing temperatures was really becoming foreign to me (Viña del Mar’s ocean is like swimming in Half Moon Bay near San Francisco).

As an American girlfriend told me, “Liz, it’s very east coast style beach”.

“Ahh, east coast like the Jersey shore of my youth?”

“Yes, and,” she continued, “there are lots of awesome restaurants, beautiful people, sand dunes, cute villages.” Add in one boutique hotel and I was in–and to celebrate my birthday in late January I may add.

So after hitting the wine country to drink some Tannat, we headed for several days of R&R in Punta Piedras, between the now very chic fishing village of José Ignacio and La Barra. We slumbered in Posada de Piedra, the most exquisitely decorated boutique hotel we’ve stayed in for ages. We felt like we were crashing with wealthy friends with an oceanside estate tucked away among green pastures and aromatic eucalyptus trees, with the glimmer of the sea in the distance. Only 3 minutes away to being oceanside.

The days in Punta were how I like to spend my vacations: wake up (late, no 6am alarm please); have thick-as-tar coffee and medialunas with dulce de leche in the sun; head for the beach; find a cute lunch spot with grilled fish and cold beer; take long siesta on beach (reapply SPF); come home recover from sun (add tan-enhancing lotion as necessary); dress up and head out for cocktails and dinner. Repeat next day.

We jumped around between José Ignacio with its gorgeous lighthouse and wild, rolling waves; La Barra’s chill family-oriented ambience, and Manantiales Bikini beach scene where massages and pick-up volleyball seemed to be happening simultaneously all the time. When not lounging, people were surfing, jogging, walking, biking, leisure at its best during the day. At night, make reservations for dining, that was the entertainment. However, as popular, crowded, and exclusive as Punta can supposedly be, even in the height of the season, we never thought it was overwhelming. At least where we were in Punta, farther out from the city scene, there was space, sand, relaxation, and enough people to feel like it was summer.

For all of you Punta-bound readers this summer, I’d like to share a teeny preview of our upcoming Eat Wine Guide (Uruguay) slated to debut in 2010. This list is by no means exhaustive and does not cover all the great eats, especially in places like José Ignacio or Punta proper (the idea is buy the new guide!). And if you haven’t been yet, seriously, what are you waiting for? I wish I had discovered its cool beachy vibe years ago. Oh well, I am now back to being an east coast beach goer. Remember though, the action is from December-February to get the real Punta experience.

Cactus & Pescados (Manantiales):

Just across the road from Mar de Verdes, for a more restaurant-y lunch, arrive early to stalk out your spot on their sunny terrace overlooking Bikini Beach and the Emeralds coastline stretching up towards La Barra. Locals swarm here at lunch time to savor the local brótola, a flaky whitefish similar to grouper, brillantly seared and served in creamy sauces with tiny  shrimp and mussels. They also serve up finger-linking good chipirones, tiny fried squid, served with a tangy pimiento homemade mayo. Perfect washed down by a cold beer. Slather on the SPF, tanning on the terrace is not optional.

Medialunas Calentitas (La Barra):

Believe me when I tell you to get there early or be prepared for a never-ending line. Crowds form at Punta’s most popular bakery for, what else?!, dozens of sticky sweet medialunas, a type of local croissant. Order a frothy cortado, espresso cut with steamed whole milk and cop-a-squat at the picnic tables. Or take them to go, for the beach or your deck, naturally.

Mar de Verdes (Manantiales):

Yummm! An unassuming whitewashed snack shack on the corner of Route 10 at Bikini Beach in the heart of decor-conscious Manantiales (super cute!). They serve up  cappuccinos,  sweet treats, and energizing zumos, fresh-squeezed juices like carrot-orange-fresh ginger. Stock up on delicious ciabatta sandwiches like roasted eggplant with goat cheese, sundried tomatoes and arugula or the local sandwich with the works, chivito (steak, cheese, bacon, tomato, egg, roasted peppers, tomato, onion, lettuce, mayo). All the fixin’s for a perfect picnic on the beach.

El Abrazo (Manantiales):

On top of a hill amid a eucalyptus grove, this young couple, Lucía Sosa Dias and Federico Gasparri, constructed this minimalist gem to run a cool yet homey restaurant on the first floor and their home upstairs. Owners of the hipster café, El Beso, in Ciudad Vieja in Montevideo, the only way to sum up their offering is: summery, fresh, creative, and attentive. Unlike most of the meat-heavy menus in Uruguay, here the star ingredients are born from the sea in dishes like ceviche, crab, local fish like brótola or mero, in addition to braised meats. Start with a daiquiri made with fresh fruit and watch the sunset on their oriental style terrace where they build a bon fire every night. Romantic, intimate, be sure to leave room for the dark chocolate “volcano”. Local phone: (042) 774 140, be sure to get good directions. Not on the main road.

Parador La Huella (José Ignacio):

I LOVE this place, in fact, it may be my favorite hang out in Punta/José Ignacio. The location is primo, nestled among the sand dunes and million dollar homes of José Ignacio. Once a rustic fishing village now discovered by the jet set crowd, every day and night there is a scene happening at La Huella. First, don’t think about coming without a reservation–several days in advance. You will want to ensure yourself a piece of this cool, sleek al fresco beach club with the waves crashing nearby. Settle into the cushy couches and order a clericó, sangría-type drink, or killer vodkatini. Tasty sushi and simple, fresh gourmet fare rule. The owners recently launched this year project 2, Parador La Caracola, part of a private island club on Laguna Garzón, La Caracola, only accessible by boat. Sweet!

This week I had planned on writing the third part of my renovation series about furnishing your newly restored apartment. I was going to snap photos and tell of bargains and jewels, wowing you with what you can buy in the street-markets and auctions of Montevideo. But as my deadline approached, I remembered frantically that there was no way I would be able to finish the article in time.

Why? Because in Uruguay, everything is closed for las fiestas (the holidays). And if you are thinking of moving to Uruguay, you must know about las fiestas, particularly el verano (the summer). Starting on the 24th of December to the end of Semana Santa (Holy Week) or as Uruguay calls it, Semana de Turismo (Tourism Week), everyone who is able, leaves the city for the East Coast. For the lucky few, that could mean the whole of January and February.

However, for the majority of Uruguayans, their holidays begin on the 31st, and last until somewhere between January 10th and 15th.

I moved to Uruguay in 2008, in the thick of the summer holidays; the streets were empty and the houses boarded up. I felt I had moved to a ghost town. Of course now I know that Montevideo is a lively city between March and December. But for January and February all the activity is going on in the east.

So where do the people go? Well that depends on the people.

Punta del Este

If your criteria for summering is where the beautiful, famous people are, then Punta is your place. There you can join the likes of Shakira, Kevin Bacon, Bruce Willis, and the oodles of Argentine beauties, who have danced or dated themselves to notoriety. Nightlife abounds in Punta. If you want to keep up with the jet set, be prepared to go to bed no earlier than 7 a.m. The city is swarmed with Brazilians, Europeans, Argentines, and tourists from the Southern Hemisphere looking to take a break from the winter blues. However, if just the idea of dancing until dawn (or later) leaves you tired, rest assured that along with the raging nightlife, Punta also becomes a hub of cultural events in the summer. From the 7th to the 10th of January this year, there’s the 14th Annual International Jazz Festival; there’s a regatta on the 3rd; and starting the 2nd, the Pablo Atchugarry Foundation in La Barra will play host to a riveting display of the works of Le Corbusier.

For a more complete list of what’s happening in Punta, you can read a local expat’s guide to the events here.

Jose Ignacio

Some people call Punta “the Pearl of the Atlantic.” But to me, the real pearl is Jose Ignacio. Charming and understated, Jose Ignacio is hardly the secret some make it out to be. Last spring the Wall Street Journal and New York Times wrote about thefishing town, and international jet setters have vacationed there for years. In the summer it is home to Chandon parties and the Chivas Studio, to reservation-only meals and incredible rooftops lounges where you can sit and watch the sunset.

Last year I had the luxury of vacationing in Jose Ignacio. Some friends from New York wanted to escape the winter in a town as glamorous as Punta but with a lower-profile. Jose Ignacio was the perfect choice. Read more about its charm here.

Cabo Polonio

Polonio, as Uruguayans like to call it, is hands-down my favorite place in Uruguay. By day you will see white horses grazing in green pastures, and by night you will read and eat by candlelight. There is no electricity in Cabo, nor running water. Some houses have generators and water pumps, but if you are lucky, yours won’t. There are moments in Uruguay when I feel I live in a dream; a great adventure. On the shores of Cabo Polonio I feel it most. You can read an excellent account of fishing near to Cabo here; and a general article about why its wonderful here.

Punta del Diablo

Farther North up the coast is Punta del Diablo, a tiny fishing village that for two weeks of the year explodes with Uruguayans and internationals alike looking for a good time. The vibe is less hippy-chic than Cabo, and certainly less glamorous than Punta. A hot spot for backpackers and surfers, it has one large boliche (nightclub), and various small restaurants. If people can’t find hostels or houses, they often will camp in nearby Santa Teresa. Find out how to get there here.

If you are interested in receiving this report, contact us at info@dbrs.com.

http://www.adiazpropiedades.com

Punta del Este es sinónimo de playas.

Kilómetros de costas de la más variada constitución le esperan, desde las tranquilas aguas de las bahías de Maldonado y Portezuelo donde siempre se puede contemplar singulares puestas de sol, hasta el mar abierto y las olas fuertes del lado del Atlántico donde se puede descubrir el amanecer luego de una noche de fiesta.

Todos los años la movida veraniega elije una o dos playas, las renombra, y se transforman en centro de atracción de famosos.

El acceso a las mismas es libre en todos los casos.

En las más concurridas hay servicios de guardavidas durante casi todo el día y prácticamente no hay playa muy concurrida que no tenga música o que no se organicen eventos auspiciados por conocidas marcas.

No está permitido bajar a las playas con animales y vehículos, y existen zonas habilitadas para deportes de playa y náuticos que dependen de cada playa.

Aqui les enumeramos todas las playas más clásicas, pero siempre se podrá encontrar una que sea la de última moda o que todavía nadie haya notado demasiado.

Uruguay junto a los líderes en el índice de Latin Business

BY CHRONICLE STAFF

As president Hugo Chavez continues to strengthen his grip on Venezuela’s economy, its business climate is in free fall, according to the fourth annual Latin Business Index from Latin Business Chronicle. While Venezuela again managed to rank as the worst country for business in Latin America, its overall score fell dramatically, largely thanks to high inflation.

Meanwhile, Argentina has dropped six places to 17th place, making it the third-worst country after Venezuela and Haiti, also in large part because of its high inflation combined with poor results in most other categories.
The index of 19 countries is the broadest measure of business climate in Latin America. Rather than looking at the size of a country’s GDP or GDP per capita, it looks at five key categories and 27 subcategories to measure the recent, current and future business environment in a country. They are:

• Macro Environment (GDP growth 2007 and 2008, estimated growth this year and forecasted growth next year, inflation 2007 and 2008, estimated inflation this year and forecasted inflation next year).

• Corporate Environment (corporate tax rates, access to capital for entrepreneurs, ease of doing business (including starting and closing a business) and economic freedom).

• Globalization & Competitiveness (globalization, competitiveness, tariffs, education/ health and security for companies and businessmen).

• Technology Level (PC, Internet, broadband, wireless and fixed telephony penetration).

• Political Environment (political freedom, political stability, political outlook, business policies of government and corruption).

Brazil, Latin America’s largest economy, ends up in ends up in 9th place, while Mexico, the second-largest economy in the region, ranks just ahead in 8th place. Mexico dropped two places, largely because of the worsening macro economic climate in the country.
Chile is again the best country for business in Latin America, as it was in the Latin Business Index the previous three years. Panama and Peru follow.
Uruguay ranks fourth thanks to heading the category on technology level, while ranking fourth in macro economic environment, third in political environment, sixth in globalization/competitiveness and seventh in corporate environment.

The hardcore regulars arrive in Jose Ignacio by Lear or private yacht from Buenos Aires. Forget the logistics and the actual geography of Uruguay, this is an Argentine colony through and through – the Argentine swish don’t have their own beaches across the river so they’ve decided to have these ones. No one comes here for a slice of Uruguayan culture and if they did they wouldn’t find a shred of it – this is la dolce vita porteno style where every other restaurant seems to be far east fusion and where instead of shops selling beach balls and ice cream there are boutiques full of contemporary garden furniture for your new beach house, cashmere blankets and hand blended fragrances. You’d have to drive for miles and miles just to find a chivito (the otherwise omnipresent Uruguayan national breakfast sandwich and grease fest of egg, steak, bacon, mayo, olive and tomato). Hell, the place is so stubbornly insular that you have to drive for over half an hour just to get some pesos out of a hole in the wall.

Jose Ignacio is the kind of seasonal town that isn’t so much an idyll or escape, more a de rigeur calendar fixture – just as summering in the Hamptons requires early planning on the part of Manhattan’s modern day Astors, so it is with Jose Ignacio and an increasingly international set – with just a handful of teeny tiny luxury posadas with rooms for rent, it’s all about in which outlandishly modern beach house, and with whom, you’ll be staying from the end of December onwards. Once that’s established, it’s which assados you’ll be invited to and which table you’ll be getting at Garzon, Marismo or Nam and who’ll be dining there that night. Yes, that is Ralph Lauren across from Naomi Campbell, Shakira and Mr Abromavich, but then no one stares in anyone else’s direction over dulce du leche crepes here – in Jose Ignacio everyone’s a star.

It wasn’t always like this and it won’t always be. Fifteen years ago no one had heard of Jose Ignacio, even though Punta had been a-swinging for decades. It wasn’t so much a one-horse town, as a town which depended on its horses to deliver the drinking water. It was the end of the Earth – a tiny fishing village with a lighthouse and some sand dunes on the frequently inhospitable South Atlantic. Though multi-million dollar picture-windowed villas are breeding fast, visually, in the centre of town at least, little else has changed. Jose Ignacio itself is nothing more than a few criss-crossed streets with bungalows on a narrow blonde sand peninsula; a sleepy whitewashed town with a lovely beach that can be placid and blue sky scorching in summer and swirling with drama and black cloud stormy in winter.  It’s what goes on there that’s changed. The fishing industry has given way to pitchers of cocktails and sashimi down at La Huella and long afternoons at the private beach club Caracola, Huella’s sister operation.

There’s no signage at Caracola and you need an invite from head honchos Peter or Guzman at Huella to be able to book for the day. When you eventually find it, you gesture across the lagoon (or rather you wave your arms wildly above your head) and they send a rowboat for you – then you sip rosé, eat parilla and hang out with your own private tent channelling sheer I-am-fabulousness on the beach until sundown. It’s the platinum door syndrome in full, shameless, effect: Competition for the best table to eat the  grilled catch of the day at barefoot-in-the-sand restaurant Marismo, which itself has a notorious and near invisible entrance, may be fierce, but once you’ve achieved silver status in Jose Ignacio, you want gold, and then more… and you don’t want everyone else to be having it either. Locals talk in hushed, paranoid tones about plans for bridge construction to the east that would make the town more accessible to the wrong kind of people – not so much tunnel types maybe, but definitely bridge…

Last season some of the best parties were held in the temporary Setai pavilion; Adrian Zecha is bringing a branch of his hyper-luxe Miami hotel to the coast, in itself enough reason to sound the bells of change. While the likes of Lenny Kravitz play guitar in the skyscraping penthouses of the Setai Miami, this will be a distinctly Jose Ignacio adaptation – low rise, with less than 20 hotel rooms.

Invitations are one thing, but determination is another – and you have to be determined to drive for half an hour on perilous dust roads to get Garzon, Francis Mallmann’s unhinged but wonderful project in the ghost town of the same name. Mallmann is South America’s most glam, most notorious chef. Jean Paul Bondoux may famously cook up a storm with his exquisite, refined contemporary French fare along the coast at La Bourgogne but Mallmann has long since torn up the rulebook for what it takes to create a haute dining room. He takes simple comfort food concepts and waves a Fantasia-like wand across them with an insane cackle – something as prosaic as steak and chips is instantly fashioned into something sensuous and revelatory. His Garzon hotel and restaurant project is fabulously arrogant: Five rooms and a kitchen in the middle of nowhere. It’s actually further out than nowhere – this is a dustbowl of a town that shut down entirely when the railway stopped running through it some years back. Now Mallmann is opening luxury tents in the nearby hills, each with their own chef, and has his eye on the derelict Gustave Eiffel railway bridge, overgrown with weeds and forestation, with a view to creating a cocktail bar. He’s also reopening his defunct Jose Ignacio restaurant, Los Negros, on a new site in the town. ‘It’s going to my most expensive restaurant so far!’, is the promise, as is the exclusivity that fewer than 20 covers a night will offer. Already Mallmann’s glamour magnet is pulling together the desired effect – London art dealer Martin Summers has a vast house here, and many of Garzon’s crumbling buildings are being snapped up by Europeans to be converted into unlikely facaded, ultra sleek, Italia B&B-stuffed homes.

Jose Ignacio is unashamedly cliquey. The Londoners invariably end up at the blindingly white-on-white Posada del Faro while the Brazilian hippy chic-set hang out at Posada Paradiso. Irene Abadi left a career in fashion in Madrid and a spell in the Balearics to open up Paradiso in 1989 and hasn’t left, or worn shoes at work, since. Her husband and his artist friends have painted murals on every square inch of surface at Paradiso, and Irena’s paella parties by the pool are the stuff of legend. ‘This is really our house, and we’re here to entertain’, she says. ‘We used to close for a period in the winter, but I got depressed when it was empty, so now we stay open all year’.

Alfredo Suaya opened up his home, a typically Punta, Norman Foster-goes-stone-cladding kind of affair, to paying guests just over a year ago and is expanding with more villas – at the peak of the season, in the first week of January, the same crowd that you’ll find at Suaya’s Geisha House hangout in Los Angeles colonise the sunloungers and restaurant. It feels like a Miami pool party, fully charged.

The weekend scene at Tierra Santa, Argentine hotelier Alan Faena’s holiday home, is the very essence of Jose Ignacio. ‘We have parties here all the time’, says Alan while walking along the secluded beach beneath his insanely coloured Bollywood-meets-Starck weekend home. ‘….Not big dance parties though. You know… it’s just friends. It’s low key. We have an assado. It’s just a place for me and the people who are close to me.’ Which sums up this jazzed up fishing village’s raison d’etre – it’s a place which thrives with the most high profile, high fashion set, but does it quietly, with a finesse that’s in direct contrast to the 24 hour diamante-encrusted Eurotrash carnival that rolls out across the rest of Punta del Este. The Argentines love a barbecue as much as the Uruguayans, or indeed any South American, and a chilled out afternoon around the garden grill is the de facto Jose Ignacio pastime. Meanwhile, a forty five minute drive from Jose Ignacio will take you to beaches in Punta central where you’ll need to employ guerrilla tactics to score space on the sand and where sometimes the high rise holiday towerblocks block cast long unwelcome shadows. Punta as a whole may still be expensive, but it’s upmarket Las Vegas casino posh rather than genuinely tasteful or stylish; drop dead nouveau. Jose Ignacio, on the other hand, keeps just enough of that breezy feel-good DNA but filters it down into something positively minimalist. This isn’t the West Indies or the South Pacific – sometimes the sky goes grey, fog rolls in and a storm brews, even in high summer. It can, at times, look and feel more like Dungeness than Rio, but then it’s all the more beautiful for it – Jose Ignacio is a cooler kind of seaside, where less is more, as long as you’ve got more of a beach house to have it in, and more of the right kind of friends to fill it with.

Air France fly from London to Buenos Aires daily, via Paris. Prices from £610 return. www.airfrance.co.uk. The Buquebus ferry between Buenos Aires and Montevideo and Punta del Este runs throughout the day, from £35 each way. www.buquebus.com

Casa Suaya (00598 486 2750; http://www.casasuaya.com) from £210 for a double room, including breakfast. Adolfo Suaya’s holiday home continues to expand around a white hot poolside scene and the 100% organic romance of fireflies swarming at sundown.

Garzon (00598 410 2811; www.restaurantgarzon.com) from £160 for a double room, all-inclusive. Take the load less travelled to Mallmann’s barmy, fabulous wonderland of baked peach and jamon.

Posada del Faro (00598 486 2110; www.posadadelfaro.com) from £80 for a single room, including breakfast. Immaculate and minimal with a perfectly formed pool and honesty bar, beautiful staff and breakfast ‘wherever and whenever you want it’. The hippest hotel in Jose.

Posada Paradiso (00598 486 2112; www.posadaparadiso.com) from £80 for a double room, including breakfast. Relentless hippy chic but don’t expect George V amenities… it’s all about lack of attitude, late night conversation and friends you haven’t met yet.

Marismo (00598 486 2273; no website) Jose Ignacio’s ‘secret’ restaurant needs not so much directions as GPS and thermal imaging: Look for the blue wooden fish on the Garzon Lagoon road and then take a torch to the bushes… Tip top cocktails and seafood, in the most romantic torch-lit barefoot ambience, await.

La Huella (00598 486 2279; www.paradorlahuella.com) ‘The tower of Babel’ is what locals call it – each table is buzzing with a different language, but local gossip is the common denominator. Good for dinner, unbeatable for lunch, right on the beach.

Haras Godiva (00598 480 6112; www.harasgodiva.com) rides from £32. This ranch plays host to some wonderful parties during each season as well as offering a wide array of fantastic inland-to-beach rides. Sunset on horseback at Jose Ignacio is something to behold.

The generously spaced line of incredibly designed beach front properties that you pass as you drive away from the high rises of Punte towards the old fishing village of Jose Ignacio are bricks and mortar shorthand for the psychology of the towns newcomers. This may be an unspoilt idyll that offers refuge from the craziness of Punte’s charged up hedonism, but it’s an unspoilit idyll that is being colonised fast by millionaires and the most modern of seasonal homes – elongated, cubist, minimalist, one or two storey structures with immense picture windows, like so many rustic Moonbases. Many are adorned with exterior surfaces of what is effectively posh stone cladding – something you really need a swank beach house in Uruguay to pull off. Jose Ignacio is where the beau monde of South America come to hang out until the end of April before flying off to Europe or the States to chase the sun. High profile Argentine Portenos come here in droves in Special Class (not First, perish the thought) on the Buquebus ferry across the River Plate from Buenos Aires, or via a short hop flight. ‘The Hamptons of South America’ is what they say, and I’d say it too – this is where the tastemakers of Palermo Soho come for a long weekend.

‘I created the idea for my hotel here, says Alan Faena, a man as famed for his white Stetson and celebrity filled address book as he is for his Starck designed Faena Hotel + Universe in Buenos Aires. I took a walk with him through his Jose Ignacio beach house, all brightly coloured ethnic ecletica and Murano glass, out into the Alice in Wonderland garden. ‘I always have friends staying here and I like the drama of the winter as much as the beauty of the summer’. Right on cue, a group of cherubic children in hippie skirts run toward us from the guest house with a couple of Faena’s dog, like extras from a Bruce Weber photoshoot.

Another one of the town’s glitzy South American snow birds is Adolfo Suaya, the L.A restaurant mogul, who is adding satellite chalets to his private home with lashings of that posh stone cladding. He was already playing host to Lear-loads of visiting friends, so he decided to turn it into a commercial proposition. Casa Suaya is a good signpost for the way the rest of Jose Ignacio is going.

Jose Garcia Arocena is the owner of La Posada del Faro, a 14 room hotel with bright white paint on whitewashed artisanal bedrooms similar in style to one of Martin Margiela’s conceptual clothing stores, and just as stylish – a lot of thought has gone into making del Faro this simple. Jose has seen a lot of changes since he first set up the Posada in 1991: ‘When I first came, Punte del Este had already been glamorous since the 40s, but Jose Ignacio didn’t even have running water.’ A decade later Jose’s hotel was put on the map by Herbert Ypma’s benediction of Hip Hotel status, bringing its existence, and indeed Jose Ignacio’s, to the attention of a whole new kind of traveller. ‘About three or four years ago we saw a big change,’ recalls Jose. ‘We started seeing people from New York and London coming. Now about 12 of the 14 rooms are always occupied by people from outside South America.’

Though Jose Ignacio is a playground for the very independently wealthy, this isn’t an Indian Ocean resort or South of France beach club – there are no extravagant infinity pools or luxury hotels with corps of uniformed cocktail wallahs. The beach itself undergoes an attitude and population profile adjustment according to the season – from aggressively high fashion and hands on hips with clamped on Chanel shades at New Year to photogenic Argentine Brady Bunches pulling up in shiny four by fours as the credits roll on the summer sometime after the Easter weekend. The beach itself is a long and fine one, with South Atlantic breezes cooling the heels of groups of novice surfers in wetsuits and ladies being massaged in the thatched treatment hut close to the lighthouse.

Jose Ignacio is low key and discreet, thought relentlessly and shamelessly snobby with the odd outbreak of Latin bling. Want a lunchtime table at the sole seafront restaurant La Huella? Haven’t booked? Then go beg the lady with the clipboard on its steps, while others swan past to join the cocktail swilling vacationers swathed in white linen on the porch. For even more exclusivity, ask the staff at about their sister property, Caracola – a tiny all-inclusive $130 a day beachclub on the Garzon lagoon accessible only by rowboat and for those with an invitation and reservation. Smile, be nice and look the part: If they like you, they’ll give you the number. If you’re lucky they’ll give you directions too. Even here, in VIP Jose Ignacio, there are levels of exclusivity, with an invitation to one of the more extravagant private beach houses (like Faena’s) for an assado, the ultimate goal for the Punte arriviste.

I’d heard wonderful stories about Marismo, the ‘secret retaurant’ where you eat barefoot in the sand surrounded by flaming torches. You have to look for a long blue wooden fish on the left as you drive along the dirt road towards the Garzon lagoon and then use a torch to find the entrance. I arrived half an hour late, having accidentally wandered into a private home in the surrounding woodlands. On arrival I expected a little of the legendary South American laissez faire attitude towards tardiness but the hostess was having none of it. I was made to wait another forty minutes and then sat in Marismo Siberia – right by the bar.

There aren’t a plethora of dining options in Jose Ignacio – Apart from Namm, which serves so-so sushi and oriental fusion cuisine in groovy beach huts, and the aforementioned La Huella and Marismo, you have to drive out to celebrity chef Francis Mallmann’s Garzon if you want something spectacular on your plate. Garzon is mad genius Mallmann’s fantastic folly – a hugely expensive (£80 a head) restaurant attached to a tiny boutique hotel fashioned out of an old general store in a genuine ghost town, complete with abandoned railway station and cattle bones scattered in the dirt. You have to endure a thirty minute drive on dirt track to get there, but the food, pared down but revved up and muscular comfort dishes, is to die for. To get the best out of Garzon, stay a couple of nights. The bedrooms are wee but chic, with a monastic meets boho design bent with a few floursishes of knowing, faux vintage chintz. If you’re staying here, all the food and wine is included in the rate, and if you’re here, you may as well stay because it’s a bugger to get back to the coast after dark.

Mallmann’s long term projects for Garzon, including luxury tents with butlers and the conversion of an overgrown Gustaf Eiffel railway bridge into a cocktail bar, are unhinged but inspired. ‘If you build it they will come’? Mallmann thinks so.

Back on the coast, there used to be just a couple of posadas to stay in, but the scene is developing: There is a stretch of coast with Setai flags planted in the sand, announcing the imminent arrival of an outpost of Miami’s most luxe hotel. For now, hotel rooms are few and far between; there’s Suaya, Garzon, Posada del Faro and the bohemian hippy-chic Posada Paradiso, run for 19 years by Irene Abadi, the perennially barefoot Argentine-by-way-of-a-spell-in-the-Balearics landlady and her artist husband Pero. There’s relatively little posing at Paradiso; the main event is Irene’s famous paella evening. It’s an informal, spirited, hair down, lets-make-friends kind of a place. While sharing a plate of tortilla and a glass of vino blanco Irene told me that there were complaints when she opened. ‘Our motif is a palm tree with a serpent’, she said, gesturing to the image on the menu in front of me. ‘Some people complained and suggested an angel would be more appropriate. I think that’s the kind of mentality of some of the visitors coming here. But we’re older and more open minded. A lot of people grew up with the military government so are more closed-minded than my generation’. For Irene, conservative attitudes aside, it’s ‘security and tranquility’ that make Jose Ignacio so magical, and which make her stay.

Despite it’s designer boutiques and mod interior design stores, the village is still very much a backwater, and stubbornly so. The nearest ATM is a solid half hour drive away. Most of the roads aren’t really roads, and one of the best ways to get a feel for the landscape is to go on a sunset horse ride from the middle of the nearby pampas down to the seaside, on one of the Haras Godiva stables group outings. For all its posing and grooming, there are no nightclubs – the only flashing lights along this coast are the glowworms strobing across the grass at dusk. And as for Phil Collins, he is obviously someone’s guilty pleasure moment, because the soundtrack to the rest of my stay was the antithesis of MOR, running a narrow, knowing gamut from Ibiza ambient at Suaya to Sufjan Steven’s estori-folk and Malcolm McLaren’s Paris album at del Faro. After dark, the music was replaced by the sound of crashing waves and a few outbreaks of house-party style chatter by whichever pool I may have been at. This may be one of the most fabulously self conscious seaside resorts in the world right now, but it’s never anything less than impeccably well behaved as well as turned out, and unlike the all-night hedonism to be found a short drive along the coast, it does like it’s peace and quiet. For now, anyway.

Mark C.O’Flaherty travelled as a guest of Air France. Air France fly from London to Buenos Aires daily, via Paris. Prices from £610 return. www.airfrance.co.uk. The Buquebus ferry between Buenos Aires and Montevideo and Punte del Este runs throughout the day, from £35 each way. www.buquebus.com

Casa Suaya (00598 486 2750; http://www.casasuaya.com) from £210 for a double room, including breakfast.

Garzon (00598 410 2811; www.restaurantgarzon.com) from £160 for a double room, all-inclusive.

Posada del Faro (00598 486 2110; www.posadadelfaro.com) from £80 for a single room, including breakfast.

Posada Paradiso (00598 486 2112; www.posadaparadiso.com) from £80 for a double room, including breakfast.

Haras Godiva (00598 480 6112; www.harasgodiva.com) rides from £32.

Marismo (00598 486 2273; no website)

La Huella (00598 486 2279; www.paradorlahuella.com)

The beaches here are tranquil and peaceful; they don’t typically get the crowds of young partygoers that are common in some of Punta del Este beaches. Rather, they draw the individual who comes here for a quiet stroll along the strand or to read a book to the sound of the lapping waters.

No sooner is José Ignacio reached than dozens of wooden signs, either carved or painted by hand, inform visitors of how to expect the pace of life in this place: “Only the wind runs here”.

This popular saying, which has lately turned José Ignacio into a trademark, prevails as a daily routine amongst its denizens as well as amidst the visitors who come along in the summer season.

In the daylight

There are plenty of activities to keep you busy during the day. Group walks are the primary pastime of visitors, both in the city and its surroundings. Hiking tours are a great way to see the area’s natural scenery and wildlife.

The most outstanding beaches are Playa Brava (Rough Beach), which is renowned for its big waves ideal for surfing, and Playa Mansa (Quiet Beach) a great beach for children.

The lighthouse, which is a famous landmark of the town, is visited by hundreds of tourists every day during the summer season. From the top, an incredible view of town may be seen.

Nearby Garzón Lagoon and its resident rafts is the most visited site. In addition to taking pictures of an amazing range of wildlife here, you can fish for large black drum and silversides that swim into the sea with the high tide.

But the main event is enjoyed at any time of the day or night, when an abundant variety of fish and seafood caught by local anglers is served in the small restaurants in town. After this wonderful pleasure, allow yourself to get lost in the night through the small streets of José Ignacio, atmospherically lit by the lighthouse.

The information in this article has been reproduced here with the permission of http://www.welcomeuruguay.com.

De noite, procurei bastante o que fazer. Parei num bar chamado Pica Alta para comer pizza e tomar umas cervejas (sempre locais: Patricia, Norteña e uma outra, de casco verde).

Antes de entrar em qualquer lugar fiz um ¨tour¨ pela cidade procurando algo em conta, já que o objetivo principal da minha viagem nao é curtir a noite. Aqui se entra bem tarde nas boates (chamadas de boliches), entre 2:30 e 3:00. E antes de escolher o Iguana parei para ver o Pummas, um Pub, uma boate que nao me lembro o nome e  uma outra, chamada Crobar, lotada de brasileiros e logo descartada.

O Iguana (La Barra, Uruguai) é um lugar, de certa forma, até interessante. Como no restante da cidade, era muito difícil se deparar com uma mulher feia. O problema é que elas eram BEM novinhas. Outro problema era a música, todas em espanhol e completamente desconhecidas para mim! A cerveja custava 100 pesos (pouco mais de R$10), diminuindo bem o meu consumo. A entrada já havia me custado 150 mas ganhei um Whiskycola de cortesia.

Uma coisa engraçada é que tocou Xuxa (é isso mesmo que voce leu!) e Netinho (aquele velho conhecido de todos, de Mila e suas mil e uma noites) em versoes remixadas, ambos em espanhol. Aliás, esta última faz sucesso!

Resumo da noite: Barato para entrar, caro para beber, até certo ponto divertida e MUITO engraçada, pelo menos para mim e os meus amigos.

Gastos:

• Entrada – 150 pesos (com um drink)
• 2 cervejas – 100 pesos cada

Depois de fazer várias viagens com bebê, uma coisa era certa: a viagem de comemoração do primeiro aniversário de casamento depois do nascimento da Clara seria necessariamente uma viagem SEM bebê.

E o que busca um casal que comemora aniversário de casamento quando deixam as crianças pequenas em casa?

Dormir.

Ou ao menos ter o direito de dormir. Sim, cada casal tem lá seus gostos e preferências, eles podem até aproveitar a viagem para encomendar um irmãozinho, mas a verdade é que 10 em cada 10 casais vão celebrar a liberdade de, se quiserem, poderem dormir até mais tarde quando tiram férias de seus pequenos pimpolhos.

E é aí que Punta se destaca como destino número 1 das viagens sem bebê.

A razão é simples. O que acontece se você acordar às 10 da manhã durante as suas férias em Alagoas?

Terá perdido várias horas úteis de praia, inclusive o melhor solzinho da manhã e passará o pouco que sobrará das suas horas de praia se esturricando debaixo do sol forte até que lá pelas 5 da tarde, o sol se esconderá atrás dos palmeiras, antes que você dê um último gole naquela caipirinha.

E o que acontece em Punta del Este?

Em Punta, você acorda às 10 da manhã e não terá perdido nada. O café da manhã estará tão fresquinho como às 7h lá na Bahia.

E se você acordar tão cedo, às 10 da manhã é porque você não terá ido à balada no dia anterior.

O por do sol em Punta que no verão cai lá pelas 9 da noite, marca a metade do dia útil do visitante.

Há muito que fazer depois da praia, as pessoas fazem um happy hour, tomam alguma coisa e só vão pensar em jantar depois das onze da noite… muitos, ainda, seguem para a balada. E ninguém perde nada no dia seguinte.

A noite de Punta é uma criança que deixa os pais dormirem até bem tarde no dia seguinte…

Praia de Jose Ignacio, Punta del Este, Uruguai

Antes que você ache que estou sendo grosseiro, eu pergunto: você conhece esta frase “It’s the economy, stupid!”?

Abro parêntesis para um momento “trivia”:

O autor, James Carville, estrategista da campanha de Bill Clinton contra Bush-papai em 1992, pregou um cartaz com esta frase no comitê democrata para lembrar a todos os correligionários e assessores qual deveria ser a principal mensagem a ser explorada para diferenciar a campanha democrata. A frase acabou virando o slogan da campanha e ganhou o mundo. Enquanto Bush explorava o sucesso da invasão ao Kuwait em suas mensagens beligerantes, o país estava em recessão e lutava por mais empregos. Clinton usou o seu slogan irônico para voltar a atenção dos americanos para o que realmente fazia diferença para a vida deles: a economia. Era óbvio!

A frase que ganhou a eleição, hoje é parte da cultura gringa. Variações da frase são cunhadas para exprimir uma obviedade, para resumir a verdadeira resposta para um assunto qualquer.

Fecha parêntesis.

O que tudo isso tem a ver com a minha viagem à Punta del Este? Tudo!

Eu nunca havia tido o menor interesse de conhecer Punta del Este.

Para mim, tratava-se de um lugar muito cafona onde argentinos ricos construíam suas casas para passar o verão não muito longe de Buenos Aires, acompanhados, ao mesmo tempo, de muitos outros argentinos, não tão ricos, que não podiam passar o verão em algum lugar muito distante de Buenos Aires.

Posada del Faro

De tanto ver imagens de praia com mar cor de dulce de leche onde dedos da mão de Deus saíam da areia e das estrelas globais se refestelando no Cafonrad (copyright Diogo Destemperado), eu só pensava:

“Por que as pessoas acham esse lugar tão interessante?
“Por que eu gostaria de ir a um lugar tão caro e ao mesmo tempo tão cafona?”

Alguns pescadores ainda resistem à sofisticação de Jose Ignacio

It’s Jose Ignácio, stupid!

Nos próximos posts, eu discorro sobre a minha visão de Punta, desde uns 40kms “mas a Este”.

Edicion Digital 2008 para Ver y Leer -CLICK AQUI-

Campaña en cines de Punta del Este Internacional 2008

Declarado de interés Turístico Nacional por el Ministerio de Turismo de la República Oriental Del Uruguay y Declarado de interés Turístico Departamental por la Intendencia Municipal de Maldonado.

Punta del Este Internacional es la única publicación con presencia permanente durante todo el año en librerías, quioscos de revistas y mediante diversas campañas y acciones de promoción en radios, TV y cines.
La Intendencia Municipal de Maldonado utiliza al anuario como material de promoción en las ferias internacionales, por su calidad y por ser trilingue y la obsequia a todas las personalidades ilustres que visitan la región. Además se distribuye la edición digital a más de un millón de usuarios en todo el mundo.

¿Por qué publicitar?

Por su distribución, ya que se vende en las principales librerías, aeropuertos y puertos de Argentina, Uruguay y Brasil. También via e-mail se distribuye a más de un millón de usuarios en su versión digital para ver y leer, en castellano, inglés y portugues.
La Intendencia Municipal de Maldonado utiliza al anuario como material de promoción en las ferias internacionales de FITUR en Madrid, World Travel Market en Londres, ITB de Berlín, Salón Inmobiliario de Madrid, Barcelona Meeting Point, ABAV de Rio de Janeiro, FIT de Buenos Aires y Achmart en Chile y obsequiandola a todas las personalidades ilustres que visitan la región.

¿Quienés nos leen?

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Que el finalista sea tan conocido habla muy bien de la novela ganadora, quiere decir que este año el mito se rompió, porque no es el más conocido el ganador. Sin embargo hay algo que hace especial la novela de Boris, el haberla terminado en Uruguay entre julio y agosto, entre casas de famosos y un frío polar, en la casa que el periodista Jorge Lanata tiene en José Ignacio.

Creo que este año voy a comprar los dos premios Planeta, porque Boris lo terminó en Uruguay y porque Millás se lo merece.

***

Juan José Millás ha ganado la LVI edición del Premio Planeta con la novela El mundo. Boris Izaguirre ha quedado finalista con la obra Villa Diamante.

***

Publicado originalmente en Uruguayosporelmundo 

Video de cuando fuí a despedirme de Felipe y José Ignacio “Nachi” el martes 2 de octubre del 2007. Música: “Pa´bailar” de Bajofondo, de su disco “Mar dulce” (2007)

The Charrua Indians were the original inhabitants of Uruguay until the Spanish arrived here in the 17th century and made Montevideo as their capital. It was not until 1828 that Uruguay became an independent country but peace from riots, coups and civil wars was restored not till 1903. But this tranquility paid price to the guerilla movement which was finally squashed by 1972 to reinstate calm and peace in the country.
With almost 500 km of gorgeous un-interrupted coastline along the Atlantic the country of Uruguay is famous for the number of beaches it has to offer. It had nine sandy beaches for bathing amongst others. The Uruguayan Riviera along with its cluster of beach town is the real crowd pullers. Also worth visiting are the chocolate brown freshwater beaches of Colonia del Sacramento.

Settled by the Portuguese it is Uruguay’s oldest city and is also recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. Water sport enthusiasts will never run out of fun options at the beaches in Punta del Este which offers activities like water skiing, yachting, parasailing, boating and surfing. Easily available villas and chalets can be rented here to provide all the comfort with modern amenities as desired. For peace and solace seekers the modest seaside village of Aguas Dulces is the perfect spot to spend some time in. The capital city of Montevideo is a mix of European, colonial and modern architecture melting into each other in perfect harmony. The centre of the city boasts of the Plaza Independencies having the statue of the country’s hero on top of the famous Mausoleo de Artigas. The way into the old city is led through the Puerta de la Ciudadela or the “Door to Citadel”. Surrounded by sea is the small old inner city called the Ciudad Vieja which with its amazing antique shops is any antique lover’s dream come true.

A ride on a hydrofoil would enable you to witness the old time Swiss charm in Colonia Suiza. Not to be missed for anything is the energetic, energy oozing, thumping and lively Ash Wednesday which is Uruguay’s carnival. This fun filled event showcases the real ever present vibrancy in a whole new spectrum. Surrounded by two lagoons is the bird watchers zone in the Jose Ignacio area. Capable of being explored on foot or on a bicycle this wilderness amongst other native birds is a treat to view the flamingoes. The breathtaking view in the town of Minas provided by magnificently covered lush green hills are also worth admiring and capturing.

Though small and not well known, there is nothing which the country of Uruguay does not have on offer to please any genre of tourists visiting it. The only thing desired is a visit.