Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Sights & Activities
El Faro del Cabo Santa María
LIGHTHOUSE
(admission UR$20; 10am-1pm & 3pm-sunset)
The 1874 completion of this local lighthouse
marked La Paloma's genesis as a summer beach resort. The unfinished first attempt col-
lapsed in a violent storm, killing 17 French and Italian workers who are buried nearby.
Outside is a solar clock using shadows cast by the lighthouse.
Laguna de Rocha
RESERVE
An ecological reserve protected under Uruguay's SNAP program, this vast and beautiful
wetland 10km west of La Paloma has populations of black-necked swans, storks, spoon-
bills and other waterfowl.
Peteco Surf Shop
SURFING
(Av Nicolás Solari btwn Av El Sirio & Av del Navío)
This friendly surf shop rents all the necessary
equipment (shortboards, longboards, bodyboards, sandboards, wetsuits and kayaks) and
can hook you up with good local instructors. The best surfing beaches are Los Botes,
Solari and Anaconda southwest of town, and La Aguada and La Pedrera to the north.
Sleeping & Eating
La Balconada Hostel
HOSTEL $
( 4479-6273;
www.labalconadahostel.com.uy
; Centauro s/n; dm US$22-50, d US$80-120, d with
shared bathroom US$50-90; )
This surfer-friendly hostel has an enviable location that's a
stone's throw from La Balconada beach, about 1km southwest of the center. Take a taxi
from the bus station and the hostel will pick up the tab.
Hotel Bahía
HOTEL $$$
$$$
( 4479-6029;
www.elbahia.com.uy
; cnr Av del Navío & del Sol; d US$80-130, with air-con
US$110-145; )
For its central location and overall comfort, Bahía is hard to beat.
Rooms are clean and bright, with firm mattresses and bedside reading lights. The seafood
restaurant downstairs (mains UR$220 to UR$480, closed Tuesday) has been in business
since 1936 and regularly gets recommended by locals as La Paloma's best.
Punto Sur
SEAFOOD $$$
