Punta del Este City/Region: Montevideo Glitzy and vivacious, Punta del Este is known as the 'jewel of Uruguay', long the favored vacation station for upmarket South Americans, which in recent years has been discovered by the international jet set. Punta del Este lies at the southern tip of Uruguay, about 87 miles (140km) from Montevideo, covering a spit of land extending into the Atlantic Ocean from the mouth of the Rio del la Plata, lined with 20 miles (32km) of pristine sandy beaches. The resort town bristles with luxury hotels, condominiums, restaurants, hot nightspots
and sophisticated shops. These, together with a casino, bustling yacht marinas and an array of natural attractions, draw thousands of visitors during the summer season, which extends from December to March. Out of season many of the restaurants and shops close and Punta becomes more like a sleepy coastal town, but the temperate climate still offers the chance to make the most of the less crowded beaches. Punta offers a laid-back vacation life-style, most of the holidaymakers not emerging before noon and dining at around 10pm after watching a splendid sunset. Discos and nightclubs then keep up the action until dawn, when weary sun-bronzed revelers creep to their beds.
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