Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
VILLA SERRANA
Those seeking an off-the-beaten-track retreat will love the serenity of this little vil-
lage nestled in hills above a small lake, 170km northeast of Montevideo. Nearby at-
Km125; admission UR$20; 9:30am-7pm)
, a 60m waterfall.
Picturesquely perched above the valley,
La Calaguala
( 4440-2955;
www.lacalaguala.com
;
Ruta 8, Km145; dm/s/d UR$250/850/1700, camp site up to 4 people UR$350)
is
a friendly family-run posada with attached restaurant; horseback riding, cycling
and hiking excursions can be arranged.
To get here, take a bus from Montevideo to Minas (UR$177, two hours), then
transfer to a
COSU
( 4442-2256)
bus to Villa Serrana (UR$58, 30 minutes, 9am
and 5:30pm Tuesday and Thursday). Alternatively, any bus traveling northbound
from Minas along Ruta 8 can drop you at Km 145, from where it's a stiff 4km uphill
walk into town.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Punta del Este
POP 9300
OK, here's the plan: tan it, wax it, buff it at the gym, then plonk it on the beach at
'Punta.' Once you're done there, go out and shake it at one of the town's famous clubs.
Punta del Este - with its many beaches, elegant seaside homes, yacht harbor, high-rise
apartment buildings, pricey hotels and glitzy restaurants - is one of South America's
most glamorous resorts and easily the most expensive place in Uruguay. Extremely pop-
ular with Argentines and Brazilians, Punta suffered a period of decline during the
Uruguayan and Argentine recessions, but has come back with a vengeance.
Celebrity watchers have a full-time job here. Punta is teeming with big names, and
local gossipmongers keep regular tabs on who's been sighted where. Surrounding towns
caught up in the whole Punta mystique include the famed club zone of La Barra to the
east and Punta Ballena to the west.
DON'T MISS
