Punta del Este & José Ignacio

Punta del Este is a peninsula where the river meets the ocean, with a calm beach on one side, the Mansa, and a surf beach on the other, the Brava; a city of towers and long summer nights, with the white folly of Casapueblo on the coast to the west. Forty kilometres east, José Ignacio was a fishermen's village not long ago: a narrow point of land between two lagoons, with a lighthouse from 1877, dirt roads, art galleries and some of the best restaurants in the country. Inland, the village of Garzón and its vineyards complete the picture.

Two or three nights at José Ignacio are the right shape: the beach, horse rides along the shore and the lagoons, the lighthouse, and long dinners. Punta del Este is a day away, for its port, its beaches and Casapueblo. The coast is reached from Montevideo airport, about two hours by road, or from Buenos Aires by ferry and car.

The season is the summer, from late December to February; outside it, José Ignacio is very quiet and many places close.