Uruguay’s Jose Ignacio Heating Up

By Sean Ballent

Jose Ignacio was once a secluded fishing village on the southern coast of Uruguay. Now it’s the new South American hot spot. The town is a place of exceptional and delicate natural beauty. It’s a place of sleepy dirt roads, rocky points, and sandy coves. Fittingly designed single-family homes and small businesses are scattered throughout the mixed community. A place where European models in tiny bikinis run playfully up and down the beach, while wealthy Americans try hard not to stare.

The informal atmosphere of Jose Ignacio plays a big part in its attractiveness. Visitors wake up late, enjoy freshly barbecued fish for lunch, and sunbathe on the beach. Midnight dinners are followed by late-night beachside parties.

So far, developers have been careful not to take away from the seclusion, but cloudy skies are ahead. The Setai Club, a 25,000-square-foot beachfront lodge and Adolfo Suaya’s Casa Suay, six rural guess suites with a restaurant to come, will both be completed in the near future and are likely to attract tourists. Enjoy it while you can.

<a href=”http://travel.nytimes.com/2008/11/09/travel/09next.html?8dpc”>Via NY Times</a>