Saturday, September 03, 2011
Is this the best beach town in Uruguay?
Dear Reader,
In the blue corner, we have the defending champion, Punta del Este. In the red corner, the challenger: Piriapolis. They're ready to fight for the title of Uruguay's Best Beach Town. Take a look at the score card...
Ease of Access. Piriapolis wins this one. It's an hour and ten minutes from Montevideo. Punta del Este is another thirty minutes east. That places Piriapolis closer to city amenities and the international airport.
Local bus companies offer regular services to both towns. Punta del Este does have an airport, but with a limited schedule of flights, mostly to Buenos Aires.
The Setting. Piriapolis wins again. Punta's a pretty little peninsula, fringed by white-sand beaches. But Piriapolis looks like a slice of the Mediterranean. Green hills and craggy mountains surround the town. Pastureland and pine forests sweep down to white-sand beach and the deep-blue ocean. It's a superb setting that's hard to beat.
The Beaches. Piriapolis has a beautiful white-sand swimming beach. But Punta comes out ahead. It has two beaches with very different styles. Mansa Beach is a long sweep of sand, wrapped around a calm bay. Brava Beach is wilder, with large sand dunes and big white-capped waves that attract surfers. So Punta's choice takes the crown in this category.
Amenities. Both towns have a marina and a casino. Punta offers more restaurants and cafes, shopping and entertainment than you'll find in Piriapolis. Both towns have similar numbers of permanent residents. But Punta's population explodes in the summer months. Many of the stores and restaurants in Punta only open during peak season to cater to the summer crowds. It's the best time of year in Punta - unless you hate crowds. (In which case, you could enjoy the peace and quiet of Piriapolis, and head to Punta when you need a bit more action.)
But Punta is also close to Maldonado, a city with stores and restaurants that stay open year-round. So I'm declaring Punta del Este the winner in this category.
Property Prices. Punta's property market is booming. New ocean-view condos in central locations start from $2500 a square meter. Lots in private communities around Punta can fetch up to $500,000 an acre.
In Piriapolis, you can buy new ocean-view condos from $1750 per square meter. Lots in private communities run up to $130,000 an acre. Piriapolis wins this round.
So, Piriapolis edges ahead, winning three out of five categories. It beats Punta del Este to take the title of Uruguay's Best Beach Town.
Margaret Summerfield
Posted Under:
uruguay, chill weekends, affordable
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