From Montevideo the east coast unfurls endlessly all the way to the Brazilian border, with a succession of seaside towns and golden sands. From the laid back charms of La Paloma to the swanky Punta del Este, it is time to kick off your shoes and walk barefoot on some of the most delightful beaches in South America.

Punta Ballena

Carlos Paez Vilaro claimed he carried out a lifetime war against the straight line and it is easy to believe him if you visit Casa Pueblo, his clifftop home on a scenic peninsula above Punta Ballena. The artist was born in Montevideo in 1923 and was heavily influenced by the black canombe music of that city. It inspired an interest in tribal people and a passion for travel: he spent time in Africa amongst the Samburu, the Masai and others,  developing his mural techniques as well as ceramics. He lived in New York for some time, painted murals in the South Seas for Marlon Brando and knew Brigette Bardot – indeed, women were probably the second greatest influence on his art.

He first came to Punta Ballena in 1958 and lived in a fisherman’s shack but gradually this metamorphosed into the sprawling white cliffhanger that you see today. The building is a strange amalgam of styles: in its smooth whiteness, it reminds me of the houses of Santorini; in its spiky embellishments and thick round walls, there is something of the Dogon villages of Mali or Cappadocia  in Turkey about it. 

It is a giant megalith which tumbles over the hill to end in manicured lawns and mosaiced swimming pools by the rocky coast below. If you want to see it more thoroughly, it is necessary to stay: most of it is given over to hotel apartments and the tour area is actually fairly brief.

It is slightly pricey too at $9, but the film is interesting and allowed us to test out his seats which looked very uncomfortable but surprisingly weren’t. I was joined by a friendly cat for the screening – they survive from his days and indeed, sad to say, the whole area does rather reek of tom cat! One only hopes they are not allowed in the hotel section.

His art is not really to my tastes though he was a friend of Picasso and suffice to say the work is in the same vein. In the earthy colours one can envisage the ancient pottery of the tribes; I much prefer the more vivid colours of his cat portraits or the little blue and white pieces that are scattered on the walls around the building. There are some amusing spiky giant ceramic pots too, Sadly we missed the going down of the sun ritual, where there is a recording played of him reading a paean to the sunset with accompanying music: it is cleverly timed to coincide with the exact moment of the setting sun. Carlo actually died in 2014 and was still to be found working in his studio at the age of 90: he claimed that work was his rest.

There is also a jolly cafe with wonderful terraces from which to enjoy the view, and indeed the peninsula below is worth a wander, with rugged cliffs and prime real estate. Don’t miss the little fishing shack at the end with its multitude of cats, surely a relic from the past. There are also some good beaches in front of the town.

Punta del Este

The towers of Punta del Este can clearly be seen from the high ground near the Casa Pueblo. This high powered town which is packed into a small peninsula attracts many rich Argentinians and international celebrities –  within half an hour we saw the only three Porsches we were to see in the country. However, chic and not cheap as it is, it is not as high rise as it could be and still manages to be quite spacious and airy around its edges, so for a city resort it is actually quite pleasant.

The Playa Mansa on the Rio de la Plata river is nicely shaded by scattered palm trees and  is the more sheltered option; while the Playa Brava lies on the more exposed Atlantic ocean – it is this beach that has Mario Irarrazabal’s famous La Mano en la Arena (or Hand in the Sand) sculpture. A rather crude mix of iron and cement , it depicts a giant hand seemingly emerging from the sand and is an obligatory photo stop.

Other than that there is not a lot to detain you, though don’t miss the little fisherman’s market at the Puerto de Punta del Este where sea lions beg for scraps like labradors. After admiring the yachts at the Yacht Club and dodging the occasional lounging sea lion on the breakwater, the adjacent Artico Fast Sea Food restaurant makes a good stop.  The pavement that runs around the outer edge of the city provides a pleasant place to  walk with great sea views and is also popular with joggers.

Leaving the city to the north east, we found the rollercoaster Puente Leonel Viera (bridge) at Arroyo Maldonado –  it was such fun we had to go around again. 

North of Punta del Este

This took us neatly into La Barra, a hip little spot with lots of cool cafes and eating spots, as well as some nice clothes shops. Montoya Beach seemed to be popular with surfers and we followed the coast road past a long succession of wide sandy beaches. There was building everywhere: a succession of new houses of all shapes and sizes until they finally petered out to leave pine forests and sand dunes. However there were many ‘for sale’ signs along the road, so I don’t expect these more pristine areas to last very long.

Our next stop was Faro Jose Ignacio which was very charming, its rugged headland crowned by a lighthouse with a lovely beach to each side.

There is a cool beach bar called El Faro which was very popular with Harley riders when we were there and a couple of stalls selling some nice scarves and artwork. The Parador La Huella looks deceptively like a beachside shack but is known for wonderful fish and clay fired pizza. La Petite Boulanger is also great for pastries and has a little outdoor seating area. If staying in the area, La Posada del Faro is a popular option with fresh seaview rooms starting at US200.

One of the gaps in the coastline to the north  has recently been filled by an amusing round bridge over the mouth of Laguna Garzon. It is worth stopping on the northern side to check out La Balsa, a little fisherman’s village with a restaurant and unusual accommodation in neat little floating cabins .

Soon after this, the route heads inland to skirt around Laguna Rocha, whose mouth is unbridged at present. This is an important wetland reserve with its mixture of fresh water and seawater attracting a huge variety of birdlife. Unfortunately there was a howling gale the day we were there and I think all the birds had sought shelter elsewhere. However it is a wild and beautiful spot which can be approached from either side, though it is probably more accessible from La Paloma.

Things started to feel markedly quieter by the time we reached La Paloma, an unpretentious seaside town 28 miles east of Jose Ignacio. It has a variety of good beaches and lots of excellent viewpoints around its coastline, including another lighthouse and a huge breakwater. 

We found the excellent Lo de Edison restaurant in the main street, which also doubles as a scrummy bakery and is reasonably priced and popular with the locals. However, for really fine dining, visit La Esquinita restaurant, opened by Rodrigo Piccardo, another one of those chefs escaping the rat race and bringing fine dining to the provinces.

NOTES

Punta Ballena.

 We enjoyed the leafy Punta Ballena campsite, 5 minutes north of town and UP300 per person. There is a huge pool surrounded by lots of bird life. Casa Pueblo is the fun and more luxurious option with airy apartments and scenic balconys. It is hard to beat the location and the pools by the coast are lovely. Prices start at about the $200 mark

The Carlos Paez Valero museum at Casa Pueblo is open from 10 am until sunset every day. You can visit and return later for the sunset cermony if you wish. Entry is $10 or UP340.

Jose Ignacio boasts one of Uruguay’s more exclusive hotels: the Vik. there is an excellent bakery in town with a little outside seating area and the El Faro for drinks. 

Exchange Rate (March 2020) 1 pound equals 54 pesos