Blogs from Punta del Este, East, Uruguay, South America - page 4

My bus from Montevideo dropped me at Maldonado, which is about another 10 minutes away from Punta del Este, Uruguay's most famous beach resort, and also one of the best in South America apparently. In summer, and over Easter weekend, the place is thronging, but by the time I arrived on Easter Monday it was quiet as a mouse. Indeed, for the last 2 nights, I've been the only person staying in my hostel. This isn't going to be a long entry, as I haven't really done that much here. My days have always followed a similar pattern of wake up late, have breakfast then head to the beach, whereupon the rest of the day was spent swimming or reading. Very relaxing. I'm not sure I'd want to come here in high season, but right now ... read more

Visitamos Punta del Este durante dos dias. Es una ciudad muy pequena pero con mucha vida. Basicamente es playa, restaurantes y discotecas.... un buen lugar para ir solo de vacaciones. Montevideo es una ciudad muy bonita con mucha arquitectura antigua y calles estrechas para caminar y ver artesanias. El carnaval de Uruguay es muy importante y en algun momento llego a ser el mas largo del mundo. La musica que tocan es llamada Murga.... read more

As you move south from Brazil into Uruguay the land changes from verdant, hilly country to gently rolling land of dry, brown grass that's been grazed short. A few islands of dark, green trees, occasional groups of cattle nosing the ground - this is the pampas. Apparently they're having a very dry year, with dead livestock (now there's an oxymoron) lying here and there in the fields. Punta del Este is an international destination, like Marbella in Spain, or Ibiza or Cannes. Magazine people (not journalists but those who wind up as the subjects of articles in the scream sheets) - the rich and famous - come here. I didn't see anyone I recognized, but that's okay. I wasn't too disappointed. Punta del Este is white high-rise lining the ocean. It's about consumption, sunbathing and partying. ... read more

Day 1 (Tuesday) - Brian and I were traveling to Uruguay the exact same days as Vanessa by weird coincidence, so we decided to make much of the trip together. The only portion of the trip that we were apart was the initial bus ride. When we got to Uruguayan customs, Vanessa was waiting for us. She had arrived 15 minutes before. We all caught the same bus to Montevideo, which picked us up directly from the boat terminal. We were in Montevideo shortly after noon and were all hungry. We went to a hostel I had read about in the Lonely Planet. It was booked but then they told us that they had an annex room with three beds that we could all stay in. We accepted and went up two flights of stairs up ... read more

Another one of those song quotes that you'll have to figure out for yourself... Punta del Este is the vacation spot for South America´s rich and famous. There are tons of beaches, but even more clubs and bars. The sand and the waves are nice, but the beautiful people sitting on those beaches are what makes them amazing (that and the dental floss the girls call bathing suits). We set up camp on Bikini Beach, cause with a name like that which other beach would four single guys go to, and simply enjoyed the day. The beach, oddly sponsored by Fox Sports, has a DJ all day long, and towards the sunset it turns into a bit of a dance party. The sun is scorching hot, which has been the case in all of Uruguay (someone ... read more