Punta del Este - Uruguay

Wax it, tan it, tone it and shake it at the beach is the mantra of Punta del Este! Known to be the playground to the rich and famous of South America, we were suprised to find that fellow Brits Ronnie Wood and Amy Winehouse were also in town. Sadly, we weren't invited to their private villa gig in the hills and we didn't get a glimpse of the celebs - apart from in the morning paper! Still, we shouldn't think that our choice accomadation Camping San Rafeal would be the favourite hang-out of Amy or Ron.


January is a month long holiday for most in this part of the world, and so prices for everything shoot through the roof so camping it was. It's Punta's main money making season and the beaches around Punta and La Barra (very cool neighbourhood at the other end of town) were full of the rich and very beautiful who own or rent houses that sit empty the rest of the year. A tax haven and rumoured to be a good place to put what might be considered dodgy money, you can imagine the type of villas on show. Bars are sponsored by Citi or HSBC, it's a bit wierd to be honest. Everyone looks amazing and it is exercise mad. Whether jogging, cycling, surfing - everyone is honing and toning that beach body. Hanging out at the beach we got chatting to one of these glam families from BA who were picture perfect and lovely with it.

 Back in Camping San Rafeal, things were not so ritzy but fab all the same. Arriving late in the day, the pineforest campsite was packed and we ended up pitching up on solid ground amongst the motor-homers. This actually turned out to be a blessing, our neighbours were old-timers who had spent Jan in San Rafeal for around the last 20 years! Not only were these people amazingly friendly but they could not do enough for us. Maybe they felt sorry for us in our tiny tent, whilst they had virtual homes on wheels (some even had gardens with flower beds and a lawn). Our Brazilian neighbours insisted on setting us up with a table, complete with table cloth and umbrella. Whilst Ronnie (not Wood!) and his family from Montevideo insisted we borrow his prized bikes to get around town. The next evening a team of people came from across the way to set us up lighting, when it rained we were invited in to the old couples place next door, the next day we had bbq offerings, Luis even drove us to the bus station on departure (was he a F1 driver, a wine specialist, a space cadet? After a wine or two, B'sA's Luis had some good chat!). We can honestly say that we have never been so touched by the kindness and generosity of people that had been complete strangers - an inspiration to us all. We ended up making alot of trips to the bakers for thank-you gifts!
So, equipped with wheels courtesy of Ronnie and onl a 5-minute cycle from glam La Barra, we were free to explore Punta. On a rainy day - it rained a lot - we cycled about 15kms around the point to check out the swanky yacht club where we saw these huge sealions playing and hanging out.

On a beautiful sunny day we cycled 10kms up coast and found a beautiful stretch of deserted golden sand to top up the tans. Luckily this paradise had a little shack selling yummy sarnies and cold drinks, perfect for making a holiday rum!


Another day we hung out at the beaches of La Barra, including Bikini Beach and mingled with the 'beautiful people'. It has to be one of the best people watching places in the world. I sat there cringing as the boys next to us tried to chat up some modelesque girls with some really bad lines. You can understand why Punta del Este is so popular though, it is just mile upon mile of absolutely perfect beaches and ocean.

We thought Punta was going to be all-night parties for us, but it ended up being quite the opposite. There wasn't any flyer action or even Ibiza-esque beach bars open into the night to encourage us to go raving. Maybe all the nightime mischief goes on in the villas or maybe we were just too relaxed to go looking for a fiesta. In the end, it was the people at the camp that made Punta so memorable. We left feeling very relaxed, tanned and healthy and with some great memories of new friends made.