A GUIDE OF PUNTA DEL ESTE, URUGUAY
Location: Punta del Este, Uruguay
Language Spoken: Spanish
Currency: Uruguayan Pesos and USD
This year I decided to spend New Years in Punta del Este with some friends and I had an amazing time. I grew up going to Punta with my grandparents because they had a house there, but I hadn’t been in a long time, so it felt amazing to go back there and see all the places I used to go to when I was younger, as well as to experience things I couldn’t before, like going to the casino. After this trip, I wanted to compile a list of places to visit and things to do in Punta del Este for you guys. I hope you enjoy it.
Restaurants
La Huella
On our first day in Punta my friends and I went to lunch at La Huella. This is a very famous beachclub which is located in José Ignacio, about a 40 minute drive from Punta. Although it is a bit far, I definitely recommend going because not only is the food and the vibe of the restaurant amazing, but everyone there is super cool and well dressed which for me, who loves fashion, is fun to see. At La Huella we had some amazing food. The image on the left features a margherita pizza, grilled octopus, steak with fries, and a veal milanese. On the right, is a selection of breads offered to the table, calamari, baby calamaries, and a delicious salad. For drinks, I recommend getting clericot; this was all I drank while I was in Punta.
Posto 5
Another beach club I really enjoyed in Punta is Posto 5. I went there with my friends one day and we had some amazing food. I think the atmosphere of the restaurant is also super important and that is another reason I really liked this place. It is super close to town, on the beach, and has a great vibe.
Guappa
Guappa is another great restaurant in Punta. My favorite part about this restaurant is that it is in the port, so you have an amazing view while eating. I had a great grilled octopus there.
There are many other incredible restaurants in Punta worth trying. Those include El Secreto, Imarangatu, Ovo, etc. The ones I talked more about are the ones that I had a chance to go to and actually enjoyed a lot, but I know from my friends who have been that Imarangatu and El Secreto are amazing. El Secreto is a beautiful restaurant by the port and Imarangatu is a beach club.
Activities
I would say that in terms of activities Punta is quite a laid back, chill destination. Since I went there at the end of the year, my friends and I had bought a party package called Punta Verano in which parties would be hosted everyday from the 28th to the 31st at different locations. These were mostly sunset parties which started at 17h and usually ended by 1:30.
After the parties we would always go to the casino at the Conrad hotel. I would say this was one of our favorite activities as a group, we did it basically every night.
Punta del Este sits in a division between the Atlantic Ocean and the Rio de la Plata. For that reason, there are two different types of beach experiences you can have when going to Punta. If you go to Playa Brava, you will be on the Atlantic Ocean side where the ocean is filled with waves. This is a good place for surfers or people who like more agitated oceans. On the other hand, Playa Mansa, which is located on the Rio de la Plata side, has much calmer waters, however I often see jellyfish there, so be careful if you go. There are many beach clubs stretching through these beaches. Another thing to note about the beach there is that the water is very cold.
Accomodations
In terms of accommodations, a lot of people I know rent houses or apartments there, but there are also many great hotels. Amongst them are L’Auberge, Conrad, Serena and, Fasano.