Punta Ballena-Uruguay | Magic Sunsets at Casapueblo Overlooking Exotic Beaches.

Punta Ballena is certainly one of the most attractive, suggestive and captivating seaside resorts of Uruguay and among its most most fascinating highlights are undoubtedly those magic sunsets at Casapueblo that magnificent complex erected in a stunning Hellenic architectural  style overlooking exotic beaches which makes with its scenic presence that resort of South America simply unique in its kind.

With its approximately 800 official inhabitants that stupendous destination is situated in the district of Maldonado at 118,0 kilometres of distance from the capital Montevideo on a charming tiny promontory dominating a stupendous sandy coastline approximately 13,0 kilometres long and all there appears so exotically fascinating, extremely inspiring enjoying a scenery absolutely divine.

That special and enchanting place at a very short distance from the superb resort of Punta del Este, nicknamed the Saint-Tropez of Latin America for its glitzy glamorous image  and coquetry appeal with a very marked resemblance and affinities to that iconic resort of the French Riviera situated just 17,0 kilometres away, Punta Ballena with its unique fabulous,peaceful and sunny atmosphere and a more than picturesque maritime scenery is  mandatory for all the tourists tourist who are planning a trip to that Nation with the chance to admire a sort of little dreamland. 

Uruguay is a small and enchanting country enclosed between two giants as Brazil and Argentina but despite its reduced size it is a magnificent mine packed by natural treasures and marvellous places and one of the multitude of gems present all around its territory is certainly that resort, a shining jewel surprising and delighting the view of every visitor at first sight.

The first impact with wonderful seaside resort is immediately fantastic also for the peace and serenity  transmitted all around its boundaries highlighted by large spaces and many ideal corners to stop to contemplate the endless horizon of the Atlantic with a coast rich of magnificent natural attractions.

Charming small bays, fascinating groups  of shaped cliffs alternated to long great sandy straights,tiny scenic coves with natural small docks used by local fishermen and inlets very suitable to practise water sports as surfing and sailing which find there a more than appropriate habitat due to the perfect climatic conditions that Oceanic coast offers are some of an endless of attractions scattered all around the boundaries of that extraordinary place.

Punta Ballena started to be famous as a sort prolongation of Punta del Este and for its splendid beaches along a spectacular shoreline next to a chain of many others equally wonderful such as Chihuaua,Villa, Solanas,  Las Delicias-Pinares and close to other striking sites such as La Sonrisa,Villa Delia,Laguna del Diario and Cerro Pelado all corners highly suggested to visit without hesitations if you are planning your holidays to Uruguay.

Many of those places are favourite destinations for photographers, ornithologists thanks to a notable presence of different species of birds, a Mecca for fishing and trekking, a paradise for cycling on road and mountain bikes with a spectacular in-out coast-interior with undulated sections in the inland and wonderful coastal road offering unforgettable panoramic views. 

 The name Punta Ballena means Cape Whale because since many years ago that coast started to be populated  by Austral whales, big cetaceans over 16,0 metres long, species never seen for a long time at that latitude and  today they continue to be present.The Local Institutions since then had an idea to develop a  protected area dedicated to those giant species considering that a notable attraction for the local marine fauna to preserve. In addition immediately after the whales also appeared numerous groups of dolphins and the local Authorities decided the plan a project much more ample focused to the creation of a huge marine nature reserve.

All the most important Organisations linked to the marine world in Uruguay worked hard to  establish a Sanctuary for all those marine mammals which found there a perfect habitat to survive and of reproduction and thanks to that great attraction Touristic Associations and specialised Operators started to plan great excursions sailing some kilometres offshore of the coast of the resort offering many visitors the unique chance to admire something of simply wonderful.

All that has undoubtedly generated notable of incoming flows towards that destination in the last decades capturing furthermore the attention of several International Entities who are studying the movements and the routes of those cetaceans trying to detect the attitudes and their stages coming or leaving Punta Ballena.

Apart that the resort boasts several other attractions and  Casapueblo is definitely one of the most shining highlights .It is a picturesque complex of white charming buildings inspired to the traditional  Greek houses and especially to those stupendous Hellenic constructions you can admire in the islands of Santorini and Mykonos which characterise with their outstanding architectural presence the beauty of the maritime scenery dominating the Aegean Sea.

That superb site is also famous because was the former residence of a famed artist,sculptor and composer Carlos Paez Vilaró who built that great masterpiece using rests of timber and other materials he found along the local coastline.

The former name of that stunning nucleus was La Pionera which means the pioneer,a denomination to express the beginning of a new local architectural era with protagonist the first construction in that kind of style and later with a continuation represented by other similar buildings  erected after the first structure.

 All that was Developed by a deep inspiration of that artist who never saw something similar established in Uruguay deciding to create his masterpiece loyal to that movement called
Mediterranean style born to preserve the local environment without an urban alteration or the addition of architectural elements with bizarre peculiarities which could ruin the local scenery.(If you are interested I wrote a post about Porto Cervo in Sardinia where was established something of similar)


That stunning group of marvellous buildings gave Punta Ballena further charm, a much more captivating image and undoubtedly an appeal unique in its kind.Currently Casapueblo hosts a museum containing some sculptures and an art gallery very interesting, the extremely appreciated Club Hotel Casapueblo,a famous fine restaurant and it is a famed meeting point for locals and tourists to enjoy an aromatic coffee or a cool drink delighted by fabulous views.

 That scenic agglomeration became in a very short time one of the major attractions and more photographed places of the entire coast, admired by several visitors, a site boasting something of extremely bewitching and highly magnetic able to conquer all the lovers of the most refined aesthetic combining architecture and nature in a wonderful setting and both absoluteprotagonists.

The white as distinctive tonality used for the buildings, the green of nature encircling that jewel of fine architecture, striking landscapes with unforgettable images transmit all together an immense desire to immortalise all that in thousands of magnificent pictures or to stay in contemplation hours and hours facing that wonder.

That site is also extremely recommended to admire magic sunsets overlooking the enchanting exotic beaches with that magnificent infinite oceanic horizon able to donate special sensations in a while with a feeling to be in an Eden and all that is the striking image of Casapueblo in all its splendour.

  Some of the great features of those astonishing images are greatly highlighted by  the ample variety of reflections,contrasts of colours, lights and shades characterised by the immaculate white of of the buildings with the sun rays in an early evening illuminating special corners and all that encircled by a stupendous evergreen tropical vegetatio.
  
Abslutely fantastic is looking from that place  the sun when is going down taking a dark orange tonality and just some minutes later an impressive red colour facing you and all that is certainly something of simply magic and also for that it is a favourite destination of many romantic couples.

That unforgettable show continues with the rays reaching the complex as an extended luminous laser crossing the blue waters of the Atlantic giving the impression to see a multitude of shining marine diamonds ending on the clear sand of the beach with a further bewitching contrast.

 One of the best view points to admire all that is from the courtyard where is located the pool and from there you can take a multitude of pictures from different corners and perspectives while a further one pretty spectacular is from the garden over the terrace of the bar.

Another if you want to have a complete selection of unforgettable photos is reaching the top of the low hill adjacent the complex on its left side and from there you will have a wide panoramic of all the local coast with an ample horizon dominating the scene with the Oceanic waters touched as for enchantment by the sun lights admiring the entire longitude of that stunning sandy  golden littoral of 13.000 metres making that view  absolutely amazing.

The local beaches could receive infinite adjectives to depict them, simply fantastic and of an outstanding beauty as long golden carpet of sand simply extraordinary. They undoubtedly represent the exotic essence and the splendour of that wonderful coastal stretch not far from the river Rio de la Plata, a superb geographic point where a visitor can enjoy some of the most fascinating beaches of the entire South American Continent.

Playa las Grutas is undoubtedly one of them,an outstanding sandy marvel and its name translated means beach of the caves, very scenic because it is flanked by picturesque beautiful grottoes giving it a unique charm.

Once there the visitor apart that spectacular attraction  can have the great opportunity to visit the Grutas de la Ballena consisting in extraordinary caves which are another superb highlight of the resort and of the entire coastline. Originally they were used by local fishermen as shelters placing inside them their nets and materials once they came back with the catch operations which endured generation by generation for a long time.

In more recent times due their very suggestive image and an activity which was replaced by the tourism in the first position of the ranking in the local economy, according to a project to offer something of extremely captivating closely related to nightlife and fun in a scenic and environment they were used as space hosting bars and clubs arranging inside chairs and tables creating a very fascinating atmosphere.

They were operations to give a touch of something of unusual, suggestive and appealing and to attract more people who could enjoy apart a vibrant and lively night a beautiful natural attractionoffering the chance of a pleasant walk admiring the miracles of nature  formed by those magnificent masterpieces enjoying a cool cocktail and listening trendy music.

Playa El Chiringo is considered among the best of that corner of Latin America,it is a long beach highlighted by a shining golden sand lining crystalline waters boasting an excellent maintenance and cleanliness.It is very wide open to ample views thanks to its relevant longitude, ideal place to spend hours enjoying sunbaths and practising different kinds of water sports.

Another splendid one is Playa Portezuelo,also called Playa Solanas and that name derives from a fine accommodation called Solana Del Mar erected along that beach. Very appreciated for its impressive length of approximately 5,0 kilometres it is also pretty wide with an average media of 80,0 metres. 

It boasts a fine light sand, thanks to its size is loved by locals and tourists who can enjoy different kinds of activities such beach volley and football, there is space for everyone for sunbaths and to practise different types of water sports.

 That stunning stretch is loved by families with children and appreciated by jogging and footing lovers especially in early mornings when it is very peaceful with the chance to admire marvellous sunrises and starting a beautiful day with that stupendous exotic image.

 Playa Solanas is flanked by some elegant villas and stylish mansions,it is pretty flat there are not dunes and it is a great place to take several pictures towards the stunning cape of Punta Ballena.Considered by many people simply stunning at sunset when the sun is very low there with luminous long rays falling along the sea it is one of the favourite local subjects  by several professional photographers.

Very scenic to admire the conformation of that marvellous  long stretch from a small sharp headland approximately 1,5 kilometres after the promontory of Punta Ballena in direction Punta del Este where you will see its entire shape.

In ther vicinity you can admire another extraordinary view point where on one side very close to the coast you will see the beautiful lake Lago del Diario and facing you  the marvellous opening of the spectacular beach Playa Pinares, another wonderfuk beach of the resort.

Furthermore in that place you can have an unforgettable view towards the island Isla Gorriti and the scenic and unforgettable panoramic sight of the promontory of Punta del Este in all its splendour. If you love photography creating a stunning album, a superb video, or something to collect several unforgettable panoramic pictures those places are certainly for you.

 Punta Ballena apart all those marvels became very famous and increased its popularity also thanks to Antonio Dionisio Lussich Griffo known in Uruguay and abroad simply as Antonio Lussich. 

Son of  Croatian father and Italian mother emigrated to Uruguay as many other people at the end of the 19th century, the history of  that gentleman is pretty captivating. He was a man  with a high cultural level, an eclectic character, writer, sailor, gardener,  also businessman and excellent polyglot fluently speaking Spanish, Italian, Croatian and German.

Very fond of  literature,he admired Borges and other Argentinian writers,a lover of that famous Literatura Gauchesca, a kind of literary movement born in the Rio De la Plata area in Argentina and Uruguay.Lussich was a fan of that  kind of a very genuine works which had as protagonists ordinary people in local stories with the Gaucho, from which derives the denomination of that literary style, a sort of Latin American Cow Boy often at the centre of  narrations depicting the daily life.

That kind of literature is  focused for an immense love and pride to be part of a land transmitting fervent sensations and emotions with ordinary people as main actors next to the celebrated beauty of the local territory. Many narrations in those literary works also have romantic emphasis trasmitting deep inspirations and probably all that helped Lussich to create something of incredible in Punta Ballena.

That very eclectic character was also a lover of nature,flowers,plants,animals and certainly of the sea and the marine world, the latter a passion transmitted him by his father who was a merchant who travelled in all the seas of the globe.

In 1896 during  some explorations along the coastline of Uruguay  that man decided to buy a large land located near Sierra Ballena a hilly territory overlooking the local coast and a lagoon called Laguna del Sauce.

In that place he stared to enjoy one of his passions as arboriculture, a fantastic experience for him because the presence of a  magnificent coast,a beautiful natural environment and a perfect climate were perfect features and the appropriate place to spread all his creativity for all that he wanted and loved to establish.

That great figure detected that the soil of that territory could be a great allied for  his projects although there were many natural obstacles formed by big rocks,stones and dunes and due to that he needed time and a hard work to establish his dream : the creation of an Arboretum.

The imagination,talent and passion of that talented man to change and modelling the surface of that land partially insidious for the presence of barriers which could be an advantage or not Lussich detected that the local climate and the versatile fertile soil were the key of a successful future for his operations.

After several tests and  experiments,working days and nights,the man reached with all his efforts what he wanted transforming that site in an authentic paradise.The long works were focused to increase the local vegetation with new implantation of plants and repopulating the  Sierra de Ballena with trees were the first steps following some further studies and analysis of the subsoil planting seeds in different points coming back days after to check the final results.

Another stage consisted to assemble new natural barriers moving stones, rocks and boulders  studying and analysing the Atlantic breezes and winds. He also created artificial dunes in determined cardinal points which could protect the cultivated area by storms and hurricanes.

Lussich thanks to his popularity and reputation had the support of the Company of Marine Rescue receiving a multitude of other seeds coming from different parts of the world,he bought other plants from different countries of Central and South America and he started to plant them all around all his property.

Including he built little houses for several birds bought from other lands such as Brazil,Peru, Colombia and Ecuador to populate its Eden with that new fauna.

Another relevant operation  when he saw all that large variety of volatiles coming from different latitudes found  there a more than ideal habitat including with a notable reproduction  he continued to insert other species he purchased others from Asia,Africa and Europe with the brilliant idea to create something unique in the country as a multi protected reserve something which day by day gave very positive results.

Lussich intelligently exploited the climatic conditions of Sierra Ballena planting new further trees all around that modelled and mutated hilly  plateau able to protect the sprout of the seeds and later a further work was the transport of the plants in the area where he established the arboretum,an ingenious idea,fruit of a hard but profitable work.

That gentleman planted with success maritime pines, pines,eucalyptus, acacias, tamaryxes and many other species creating a sort of  forest which reaches in Uruguay an extreme popularity becoming a sort of national pride.
 
The department of Maldonado continued the work of that iconic figure adding at the end of the 70's other new plants and the forest was opened to the public giving the opportunity to visit that natural masterpiece.

That forest is called Arboretum Lussich in honour of the founder and today is one of the most important Nature Reserve existing in South America and in its kind unique in the world with rare species nobody could imagine were appropriated to implement in that land far from their natural habitat.

During the visit of that marvellous site you can also enjoy the visit of a Museum,a superb exhibition illustrating the entire history of that stunning forest park and learning more about all the stages performed by that clever with an explanation of his former projects,a complete list of flora and fauna inserted to populate the Arboretum and much more.

All the area and immediate surroundings offer the chance to practise several outdoor activities,water sports are the predominant,the resort is more than a perfect destination to for diving,surfing,sailing and excursions by boat in a place highly appreciated by many people for the large spaces and climatic conditions.

Furthermore Punta Ballena is an excellent place for all  those who love of jogging,cycling, horse riding relaxing walks along Paseo de la Laguna a long hallway offering fantastic views of the Laguna del Sauce, a lagoon where is  possible to practise rowing,kayak and canoeing.

The local cuisine is in addition something you will appreciate very much linking the typical local gastronomy mainly highlighted by excellent grilled and baked fish with superb seafood to the traditional cuisine of the Rio de la Plata mainly based on meat.

Exquisite mussels,prawns and clams are great to prepare sauces, cocktails, sopas de mariscos, delectable seafood soups adding spices and aromatic herbs or the delicious Arroz de Marisco a soupy rice containing those supreme products.

You can enjoy a great lubina a la plancha, grilled seabass seasoned with salt and lemon or  another delicious plate is the Corvina a la Parrilla in which that  kind of fish is grilled and seasoned with a big quantity of  garlic,parsley, pepper and salt.

 You wil be delighted by many meat plates,the quality of beef in Uruguay is absolutely great .Do not miss to try the traditiona iconicl Asado, a plate consisting in large slice of grilled beef or the famous Parillada a large tray served with ribs,fillets and chops meat completed by sausages, chorizo served with a fresh mixed salad.


Very famous is also the emblematic Churrasco very similar to that prepared in Southern Brazil in the area of Rio Grande Do Sul. It is a very exquisite dish in which chicken,beef or also lamb are prepared in long skewers and grilled. When the meat is ready with a special smoked flavour all that is combined with mustard, garlic, onion or depending of the local traditions it could be accompanied by rice and vegetables. 

The famed Chivito is a popular sandwich steak very common in all the country,it can be eaten as starter or appetiser but also as meal next to a salad or fried potatoes.Of high reputation is a local Morcilla, a kind of sausage made with blood pig, and notable is the Chorizo, similar to that produced in Spain but with a softer taste.

 In Uruguay you can also find  an excellent selection of fine wines. Local Merlot but also Chardonnay and Cabernet-Sauvignon are very appreciated just like a sweet and delightful Moscatel ideal to accompany several desserts and cakes but  the great product and national pride in the Tannat.

That sublime and superb wine boasts a notable historic tradition when French immigrants introduced in the country and in the nearest Argentina that kind of grape.That selected product is created by a kind of very robust grapes which found at that latitude a perfect climate and a very suitable subsoil rich in compounds very similar to that of Southern France.

For tradition,culture and extremely rooted in Uruguay the most popular beverage is the famous and emblematic Mate. It is a herbs infusion also popular in the nearest Argentina and the locals consume it during the day anytime. It is a  social drink but also considered digestive,diuretic and relaxing flavoured in many cases depending of the local traditions with fruit, sugar, other ingredients and some aromatic spices.

All Uruguay from Montevideo to Punta del Este,from Maldonado to Canelones,from Paysandu to Colonia and Rivera is a paradise.Despite its limited size the country is all to explore discovering marvellous surprises.

Another highlight worth a mention is the local people very friendly and welcoming, always ready to suggest you places to visit with tips very useful  to discover something of extremely attractive in a country showing the visitor a stunning beauty all around its territory.

Green plain,hilly corners, including several historic places reminding the times of the navigators when they discovered the Rio de la Plata and the access to the Atlantic,the architecture transmitted by the former colonists and the generations of immigrants who left important marks in culinary art,costumes and traditions are also symbol of a country absolutely unique in its kind which despite is reduced territory is very cosmopolitan for the roots of the locals who kept many things from the ancestors.

The resort is located approximately at one hour and half driving from the International Airport Carrasco of Montevideo and about 15 minutes from the small Airport of Laguna del Cauce.Very suggested in a Fly & Drive to combine Punta Ballena as stage with a stay of a couple of days or combined with the nearest Punta del Este in the case you choose that destination as main base for radial excursions.(If you are interested I wrote  posts about the capital and Punta del Este too)


If you are planning to visit the Latin American Continent ,that wonderful country called Uruguay will embrace you with its multitude of great sites and that little shining pearl called Punta Ballena along a beautiful coast where you will be delighted by unforgettable magic sunsets at Casapueblo overlooking sandy exotic beaches, a place you will never forget.

Francesco Mari

Recommended Accommodations In Punta Ballena

Hotel Casapueblo

Hotel Terraza del Mar

Hotel Art Las Cumbres (at Laguna del Sauce)

Recommended Restaurants in Punta Ballena

Restaurante Las Terrazzas

Restaurante Oliva & Sal

Useful links

www.turismodeluruguay.com

 www.puntaballena.com.uy

www.clubhotelcasapueblo.com

www.hotelterrazadelmar.com
www.cumbres.com.uy