Door County of the South..... Punta del Este Uruguay

One of Many Beautiful Beaches in Punta del Este

Where do South Americans come to play? Rio de Janeiro if we're talking Carnival, but if it's sun and beach they're after, it is Punta del Este, a beautiful seaside resort town... a  peninsula sand bar, so no matter where you live, a perfect sandy beach is only 1-2 blocks away. In the winter, only 10,000 people live here, but come January (summer), it jumps to 500,000. Yet, because of all its beaches, neither the roads nor the water's edge feel crowded. The beaches were a little tamer, as far as swimsuits than Copacabana. This is a place for families,  and that is what we saw.




We took a two-hour bus tour around the town and covered most since it is fairly small. Some of the peninsula is made up of tall apartment buildings, bustling in the summer, but standing vacant in winter when it occasionally in the morning it gets down to 30 degrees.

Trump Tower

As one might expect, even Trump has invested down here. His banner used to have a picture of himself, but now Eric has taken his place. Nice homes are mixed into the myriad of high rises.


One home, Casapueblo, reminded us of Santorini Greece with its white walls. Previously, the home of a well-known Uruguayan artist Carlos Vilaro, now a luxury hotel and art gallery, it commands a hilltop view of the sea.

Casapueblo former home of Uruguayan Artist

Further inland is the community called Beverly Hills, where each lot is at least a block square.

Home in Beverly Hills

Church in Center of Town by Lighthouse

Houses do not have number addresses, instead one gives a name to the house. So a letter to the house on the left would be sent to "John Doe,  Venus,  Bridge Street Punta del Este."  Trump, of course, has his named after himself.

Our bus driver sped up on the wavy bridge
 for a roller coaster experience!

Lighthouse on the Tallest Hill in Town

The sandy beaches of Punta del Este were filled with umbrellas, surfers, beach walkers, even a few fishermen were out enjoying the day.

There was even a portable Macy day sale. Carol had seen something she liked but when she turned around, the whole rack had walked further up the coast.









There was even a gaucho, singing for the vacationers. We saw him arrive by motorcycle, helmet on head, as required by law.

The city used to be a fishing village and fishermen still clean their fish right on the pier, castoffs going to the seals, who lazily munch until gone, then park themselves to sun.

And so like this giant we will wave goodbye to a truly outstanding city.

"El Mano", the hand, famed statue on the beach, which is used to separate the dangerous rip tides and rocks on the right versus the safer ocean waves on the left.  This statue has been duplicated in several other countries by the artist.