Ferry Services

The three companies that ferry passengers over to Colonia are Buquebus, Colonia Express and Seacat. All offer a fast ferry, that takes approximately 50 minutes, and a cheaper ferry that will get you there in about three hours. Prices are usually very similar, and can vary depending on the season or special offers, so your best bet is to ring and find out, or just pop in to the ticket offices which are all within a block of each other downtown. Ferries depart several times a day from the terminal at Puerto Madero (Antartida Argentina 821), not far from the where you buy the tickets – the vendors will give you exact instructions on where to show up on the day of your trip.

Buquebus
Cordoba 867
Microcentro
Tel: 4316 6500

Colonia Express
Cordoba 753
Microcentro
Tel: 4313 5100

Seacat
Cordoba 772
Microcentro
Tel: 4322 9551

Restaurants

For visitors on a day trip, most of the restaurants you are likely to encounter fall into the ‘tourist trap’ category, at least as far as prices are concerned.  Many are almost worth paying extra for due to their fine locations, but remember to be careful when converting prices into Argentinian pesos or dollars.

Yacht Club $$$
Santa Rita street, by the pier.

When you’re in a nice little seaside town, you can’t help but crave a nice little seafood meal once in a while. Such simple pleasures prove unusually hard to find in Colonia, but that’s where the Yacht Club comes to the rescue. At the foot of the peer, the Yacht Club offers indoor or outdoor dining, but big windows ensure the view is a gorgeous one no matter where you sit. Prices are just as expensive as most other Colonia restaurants, but at least here you feel you are getting some value for money. Seafood pastas or paellas are the menu highlights. You know it’s good because it’s where the locals are eating.

El Drugstore $$$
Portugal and Vasconsellos streets.

El Drugstore on the corner

Like a vacuous model, El Drugstore is all style and little substance.  With its ideal positioning at the corner of the main plaza, directly in front of the basilica, sitting down at one of the tables out on the cobblestones on a sunny day is hard to resist.  Even the inside decor is reminiscent of a hip San Telmo or Palermo rockabilly bar in Buenos Aires.  The menu, too, seems refreshing, with a few Asian dishes as well as some interesting sounding pastas and seafood plates.  Prices are on the high side, and although sometimes it is worth paying extra for some ambiance, El Drugstore disappoints it in the food department.  Dishes are generally lacking flavor and uninteresting.  Service is also poor and slow — we know that nobody is in a rush in Colonia, but it’d be nice if they brought the condiments before we finish the meal! And just when you think, ‘at least we can listen to some live music while we eat,’ they go ahead and charge you extra for it on the bill.  With limited options in town, El Drugstore is probably worth a look – just order something simple and don’t expect a taste explosion.

Candela $$
Ituzaingo 190

A better value option, Candela keeps it simple with pizzas, hamburgers and the like.  Despite showing questionable taste by proudly proclaiming that their food is provided by ‘McCain’, dishes are abundant and usually enjoyable.  It ain’t the Four Seasons but it’s food.  If you’re not in Colonia for the fine dining, a hearty pizza and a pitcher of beer at Candela should do the trick.

Puerto Madera $$$
Santa Rita 87

Another well-situated restaurant which is let down in the food and service departments.  Heralded by the flags of Uruguay, Argentina, Brazil, and for some reason, The United States (tourist panderers!), tables overlook the water from a raised deck.  Cats, dogs and waiters loaf about nonchalantly.  The menu is again quite interesting, with some Cuban flavors alongside the usual pizzas and pastas.  The food is not terrible, but nor will it blow your hair back.  And when the bill eventually comes, you will be left feeling a little bit exploited.

Places to Stay

La Mision
Misiones de los Tapes 171
Colonia Del Sacramento

El Viajero Hostel Suites
Washington Barbot 164
Colonia Del Sacramento

Don Antonio Posada
Ituzaingo 232
Colonia Del Sacramento

Some of the hotels in Colonia close down in the winter season, so make sure you check beforehand.

← cont. from: Colonia del Sacramento, The Uruguayan Getaway

Punta, as those who make the yearly pilgrimage call it, has a local population of only 7,000 but hosts over 150,000 vacationers between December and March. Elite tourists, bankers, models and jet-setters crowd into house parties with US $200 cover fees, unless you’re on the list.

The land is covered in rolling beach dunes dotted with dark, violet Morning Glories, Grecian style mansions, thatched churches and red pueblos. In Punta, the Porteños sip endless cups of mate while the dogs of the universe roam the golden sandy beaches along the cold, Atlantic Ocean.

Downtown Punta del Este has all of the stores that you would expect to find in a ritzy area such as a glass boxed Converse store with a painted chain link fence on it and several trendy furniture design stores. There is even a ‘MundoMac’ store.

On some stretches of Punta del Este expect to drive past shoddy beach shops selling pool chairs and cheap liquor stores that resemble the drive into any scrappy seaside town. But at heart, Punta’s landscape is reminiscent of Martha’s Vineyard, except with palm trees and sexy Latinas.

The South Americans exhibiting themselves on Punta’s beaches must have swum very quickly in the gene pool — or have some very good plastic surgeons. The men have the most unbelievably chiseled bodies. The women have perfect, thin arms and round, luscious buttocks that pop out of the sides of their thong bikini bottoms.

There are two types of beach in Punta del Este — the Brava, or oceanside beach, facing the rougher waters of the Atlantic and the Mansa, the more tranquil bayside beach on the western side of the peninsula facing the Rio de la Plata (Silver River). Downtown Punta is built up with high rises, casinos and nightclubs.

There are several areas of Punta each with their own flavor: La Barra with posh restaurants and windsurfing lessons; Manantiales Beach on the Brava side with rough, big waves, perfect for surfing; the aptly-named Bikini Beach; El Tesoro, or ‘Treasure Beach’ and Montoya Beach, popular with the young VIP’s of Punta.

The light is so radiant in Punta it can be confusing. Once the sun is down and you’re ready for dinner, it is 10pm.

Baby Gouda, a lovely restaurant on the main drag in La Barra is typical of trendy restaurants in Punta, including the fact that it’s only open for three months of the year. The ‘boutique-gourmet’ food they serve up provides a charming respite from the abundant steakhouses in the area. Here you’ll dine on Mediterranean fusion cuisine under Moroccan lamps while lounging on velvet couches near the beach. If you’re more interested in the atmosphere than calories, you can skip the food and go there earlier in the day for their 2×1 happy hour and a superb cheese platter. For the full effect, you can even huff on a hookah or catch a flamenco show.

In Punta del Este expect New York City prices. No where else in the developing country of Uruguay will you pay US $15 for a drink, as you will for a delicious Pisco Sour at Sipan, one of Punta’s newest spots, a trendy Peruvian restaurant where it’s considered a sin to eat rice with your US$25 ceviche.

A Pisco Sour is similar to a whiskey sour but with a hint of key lime pie. It is a Peruvian cocktail (although the Chileans claim it as their own too) containing pisco liquor, lemon juice, egg whites, simple syrup and a splash of bitters. If you want to take a pass on the pisco, Sipan offers eight excellent handcrafted beers and a nice selection of Uruguayan Wines – something you won’t find at the restaurant’s original Buenos Aires’ location.

To escape the bustle of downtown Punta take a trip to the little pueblo of José Ignacio, 40 kilometers north of the city center. Not to be missed here is the beautiful and delectable seaside restaurant, Parador La Huella, where you can eat perfectly–grilled seafood right on the beach while the setting-sun silhouettes the celebrated Jose Ignacio lighthouse, for which the little beach town is named.

The flight to Punta del Este from Buenos Aires, Jorge Newberry airport is 45 minutes and cost about US $287 roundtrip on Pluna airlines. A cheaper route is to take the BuqueBus, which includes a 2-hour ferry ride to Montevideo or Colonia and then a 3-hour bus ride to Punta del Este, for a total cost of about US$150. Be sure to hit up an ATM before arriving in Punta, as the one or two in the city often run out of cash.

— by Courtney Boyd Myers

Sipan—$$$$- VISA Only
Ruta 10, km.163.5,
Playa Bikini, Manantiales,
Tel: (042) 774913
Open from 9pm—3am

Parador La Huella—$$$$
Playa Brava,
El Faro de José Ignacio
Tel: 0486-2279

Baby Gouda —$$$$
Ruta 10 km 161 | La Barra,
Downtown Punta del Este
Tel: (042) 77-1874