Punta del Este was a tender port today. We met our guide Ximena at the port and off we went to tour this lovely area. City, small town, art, wetlands, beaches, and rocky points…. This tour had it all! The population of Punta del Este is 11,000 residents but during the summer months the population can grow to 700,000...A popular resort/tourist town with hundreds of waterfront high rise buildings. The city has a mix of colonial architecture contrasting with many beautiful modern buildings. We toured the port area with its fish market and numerous birds, sea lions looking for their breakfast. We went to the Lighthouse and the adjacent Candelaria Church. The city has many beaches on the Atlantic Ocean and we saw the Englishmen, Emir Beach with its shrine to the Candelaria Virgin, Mansa and Brava beaches with the Hand sculpture. We left Punta del Este for the chic seaside town of La Barra stopping at the Boca de la Barra and Maldonado stream before crossing the Wavy Bridge. La Barra is known for its nautical sports, fishing and three famous beaches; Montoya, Bikini and Manantiales. Ximena took us to the Pablo Atchugarry Foundation exhibition dedicated to the promotion of arts and culture in Punta del Este. From here we crossed the city to Punta Bellena to the peninsula with views overlooking Punta del Este and the Rio de la Plata. We drove into the Santorini styled Casa Pueblo hotel complex. On our return to Punta del Este, we had Ximena drop us in the shopping area and we made our way to the port area passing the Glorieta Gazebo via the seafront boardwalk. This was my first time in Punta del Este and it was a very nice visit to this beautiful area of Uruguay.
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