Fasano Las Piedras Punta del Este, Uruguay is an exclusive five star luxury resort rated as one of the world’s best new hotels, according to Condé Nast Traveller. Punta del Este is one of the most elegant coastal towns in South America and one of the favourite beach destination of the High Society. Situated about four miles inland from the coastal resort of La Barra, this is third Fasano property and his first venture outside Brazil (after Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro).

Located harmoniously between the green plains and River Maldonado, Fasano Las Piedras offers its guests an exotic, picturesque escape and a style that has widened the meaning of hospitality. The resort has luxurious twenty private bungalows and twelve spacious suites featuring air conditioning, minibars, hair dryers, fax machines and DVD players. Designed by Brazilian architect Isay Weinfeld the clear interior offers a calming, neutral palette of earth tone walls, wood paneling and supple, leather touches. Each spacious room is furnished with luxury Italian furnishings like jute sofas and sheepskin rugs and finished in a farmland Pantone of wood and stone.

The Fasano Hotels have a century old tradition in fine cuisine and the art of serving, which have earned its hotels the reputation to be amongst the most exclusive luxury hotels in Brazil and amongst the world’s best hotels.  It’s the perfect oasis for a chic, active crowd that fancies melding sport with glamour. At Hotel Fasano Las Piedras recreational amenities include a private beach, polo field, private villas, and a golf course. The hotel also features 2 restaurants and a full-service spa. Set inland among a rural landscape dotted with pine trees, grassy dunes and fleeting ocean views, the luxury hotel is a marriage of country and sea.

A truly remarkable private retreat on the beach in the village of Faro Jose Ignacio, Uruguay, Playa Vik Jose Ignacio merges exceptional design, unrivaled lacation, friendly and flawness service, endless activities and an unparalled collection of contemporary Uruguayan and international art. Playa Vik Jose Ignacio is a celebration of its magestic setting perched on the most coveted point on the Uruguayan coastline, facing west with sweeping views across the Southern Atlantic Ocean and Playa Mansa, also known as the ‘calm’ beach with the sunset that has been described as the best on the planet.

The focal building at the heart of this avant-gare beachfront retreat is a central ‘sculpture’, building of double curved titanium and glass. The ‘Sculpture’ with its’ fifty-five foot wide sliding walls of the glass gives the impression of gravity defied. The enterance to the Sculpture features Pablo Atchugarry’s monumental sculpted bronze door ”La Puerta al Paraiso’ or ‘The Door of Paradise’.

Sculpture” offers large and comfortable room, living room, library, four refined suites with unparalleled ocean views and an Italian designer kitchen Strato Cucine. Contemporary art and design are expressed with intensity, handcrafted Japanese parchment, traditional Japanese Shoji doors, living with the majesty of the pool completely done in black granite, framed by the wooden deck lapacho. The pool stands suspended 10 meters above the beach and its background southern hemisphere reflects the optical fiber.

Surrounding “Sculpture” emerge Beach Homes Vik 6. White Earth, Roots, Ebony, Mar and Jose Ignacio are the names of these sophisticated and sober corner of beach. Three of them have three bedrooms, living room and terrace, two have two bedrooms, living room and terraces, and only one house has two bedrooms, each with its own terrace. In each house, a fireplace, interior filled with art and design a unique scheme, are topped by ceilings and floors Macassar ebony hand painted.

The houses are divided by flowery Santa Ritas and the ceilings are covered with wild flowers gardens that create a picturesque and stunning natural environment. Bajo las Casas, Cava, games room, gym and spa are inviting and the perfect haven for intense experiences. A high-ceiling windows overlooking Playa Mansa and rustic floors above the terrace located next to the beach and in which the fire of a traditional hearth is the main character. Fire Corner Vik beach and dining on the deck are the epitome of casual dining Uruguay, and the ideal setting for our guests.

The imposing white edifice of Estancia Vik sits on sprawling 4,000 acres in the rolling countryside of Jose Ignacio – the fashionable seaside town in Uruguay. Built on a rise overlooking a lagoon and the Atlantic, the Spanish colonial-style mancion is designed by Marcelo Daglio. An extraordinary array of engravings, photography, painting, and sculpture are on display throughout the hotel. Features white adobe walls and red tin roofs with covered walkways linking multiple outdoor courtyards and idyllic gardens, this traditional estancia is a showcase for edgy South American artwork and innovative interior design.

Surrounded by 1,500 hectares with stables, a private polo field and 1,400 cattle, but the best assets are the windmill, solar panels, organic garden and locally sourced fish, eggs and organic meat. The estate has just vast 12 suites, all individually designed by different Uruguayan artist. The public spaces showcase a massive white marble sculpture by world renowned sculptor Pablo Atchugarry, standing 3.5 meter or 12 feet tall. The creation rises to meet the 300 sq m ceiling and frieze painted by Clever Lara, another leading Uruguayan contemporary artist. This work is a “satellitescape” view of Jose Ignacio and Uruguay, inspired by Google Earth.

The activities include: horse riding, bicycles, surfing, canoeing and golf. The guests can also take polo lessons and go on nature walks. Outside black granite swimming pool is with fiber-optic stars mirroring the Southern constellations and is a great spot for relaxing.

Cabo Polonio is the hippie ideal! Spanning miles of the rugged coastline for which Uruguay is justly renowned, this protected nature sanctuary is one of the best-kept secrets in South America: a heaven for locals looking for unspoiled beauty and tranquility amid sea lions colonies and rolling sand dunes. Photos by: afarinasso

There are two hotels in the immediate vicinity of the region, furthermore most visitors sleep in the rustic beach posadas (lodges) or rainbow-colored shacks dotting the grassy knolls behind the dunes. There are no cars there (there is also no electricity for that matter), other than the odd four-by-four shepherding visitors between the dunes.

It is the town that time forgot, where the most notable citizens are the sea lions from the colony lying some 30 m into the sea, presided over by the lighthouse guarding the bay. 

Gentle breezes envelop as cares are washed away with the sound of the lapping ocean, hampers are unpacked on the white sand and friendships are forged over campfires. This is the ultimate camp-beached site protected by man and gifted by nature. Being in Cabo Polonio was like being a galaxy far, far away! 

Photos by: afarinasso

Jose Ignacio is a beautiful fishing village on the Uruguay‘s coast recommends to those of you, who prefer bohemian air of dirt roads, fashion stores and hostels. The only sounds are of Atlantic waves and the winds whisper. Loud clubs are forbidden and parties have a 2 a.m. curfew.

Working fishing boats on Brava beach.

Despite of the fact that Jose Ignacio has a small-town character you can find upscale dining, art galleries and boutiques like this one in the picture named El Canuto.

Hand-painted street signs.

Posada del Faro is a spectacular villa which offers Mediterranean-style rooms, surrounding by a small pool that faces beautiful  Jose Ignacio bay. High-season the price is double and starts at $380 a night.

The Restaurant Paradiso.

Uruguay is a country located in southeastern part of South America. The word Uruguay comes from the Guarani language, meaning ”river where the birds live”. The inhabitants of Uruguay before the colonization were various tribes of hunter, best known as the Charrua Indians. The country has impressive literacy traditions. Tango, candombe and murga are the three main styles of music there.