Punta del Este, Uruguay (October, 2016)

We left Montevideo in the afternoon after having had a good carne asada lunch in the city and headed East to Punta del Este, Uruguay. We booked 2 nights at the Conrad Punta del Este Resort and Casino for 50,000 Hilton Hhonors points per night (cash rates for the room were running at $585+ per night). So, for the 2 nights, we paid 100,000 Hilton Hhonors points. We were upgraded to a suite overlooking the ocean for free with Hilton Diamond status and had lounge access and complementary breakfast at the buffet each day.

We redeemed 7,500 British Airways Avios per passenger for the one way flight from Montevideo, Uruguay to Santiago, Chile. The taxes on the award tickets were a bit steep at $82/passenger. The total for our 6 passengers for this one way flight was 45,000 Avios + $492.

We hung out at the pool the first day we arrived then headed down for a stroll on the beach in front of the hotel. The beach is called Playa Mansa (Calm Beach) since the waves are very small. We spent some time just taking in the sun and walking along the beach before we headed back to the hotel and out to get some dinner.

We found a cool little brick oven pizza joint on the other side of the peninsula near Playa Brava called La Fusion Arte Cafe. They had delicious rectangular pizzas served on flat slate plates. It was definitely some of the best pizza we've had in South America.

The next morning we were off to explore and we headed east along Playa Brava all the way to a small little town called Jose Ignacio. We were pretty much the only ones there and there was not much infrastructure, but we spent a couple hours lounging on the beach while the kids found some crabs and played on the rocks and in the sand. When we wanted a change of scenery, we headed back along Playa Brava towards the Punta del Este peninsula and found a cool little diner called Rex Diner to have lunch before stopping on the main beach at Playa Brava to take some obligatory pictures at the famous dedos (fingers) and to take in some more waves and sun.

Family, taking in the scenery at an overlook just before entering Punta del Este, Uruguay.

A view of the Conrad Punta del Este from the pool...we were given a corner suite overlooking the ocean (the room 2 floors up on the left side of the picture above).

View of the beach and boardwalk from the pool at the Conrad Punta del Este.

Nash and Ryder, playing in the pool at the Conrad Punta del Este.

Family dinner at La Fusion Arte Cafe near Playa Brava in Punta del Este, Uruguay.

A view from our balcony at the Conrad Punta del Este.

Kids, sitting on the steps outside the Conrad Punta del Este.

Video of flags flying outside the Conrad Punta del Este (Brazil, Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay).

Zander and Nash, playing on the rocks at the beach in Jose Ignacio near Punta del Este, Uruguay.

Video of kids playing at the beach in Jose Ignacio near Punta del Este, Uruguay.

Family picture at the dedos (fingers) at Playa Brava in Punta del Este, Uruguay.

Nash and Zander playing in the waves at Playa Brava, Punta del Este, Uruguay.

Video of kids playing in the waves at Playa Brava, Punta del Este, Uruguay.