"Punta del Este" Punta del Este by wanderlust23

I stayed in La Barra, a little community about 10km from Punta. Here, there were beautiful and pristine beaches, a lovely little seaside town, and gorgeous hotels and vacation homes. In the off season (September is still winter in South America) we were the only tourists to be seen. We were told that during the week between Christmas and New Year that La Barra is filled with tourists, almost all of them American.

Locals taking a break and drinking mate.

Took a walk around the peninsula of Punta and saw the marina where the local fisherman brought in their catch and cleaned the fish in front of expectant (and fat!) sea lions. After this went to a lovely restaurant on the water for a seafood lunch.

The famous hand sculpture in Punta.

I don't know why, but this hand buried in the sand is rather world famous. It is also rather large. If you stand next to it you are dwarfed by the size of the fingers. Not easy to miss, this hand is on one of the beaches across from the main bus station.

• Pros:Beaches, sunsets, people
• Cons:Very cold in September. Very cold and windy.
• In a nutshell:Gorgeous location and tourist destination in the small country of Uruguay.