Uruguay is a virtually unexplored destination for traditional tourism. This small, peaceful country referred to as the “Switzerland of South America” is proud of its 200 years of democracy with the lowest corruption rate, fairest wealth distribution, and highest literacy rate on the continent. Boasting over 400 miles of coastline on the River Plate and the Atlantic, travelers delight in Uruguay’s historical and cultural cities, posh beach resorts, small fishing villages, Winelands, native forests, and horse country. With a mix of strong Spanish and Portuguese, indigenous, and gaucho cultures, Uruguay is a hospitable and fascinating country.
Montevideo, Uruguay
While I would not categorize Montevideo as the most exciting city on the continent, the capital of Uruguay is gracious, walkable, and very safe. We got under the city’s skin with insider access to the incredible contemporary art scene, famous musicians, and top-tier boutique wine producers.
Alma Histórica Boutique Hotel
We stayed at the sweet family-owned Alma Histórica hotel in the historic district.
Water can be seen virtually everywhere in the city. Some of us started our day with a morning run along “La Rambla,” the seaside promenade 25 kilometers from the Old City to Roosevelt Park near the airport.
Los Nadies with Manuel Filgueira
In Uruguay, everything is about family and friends. We found no better way to begin our trip than visiting a winemaker in his home. Just as it happens with art, when you get to know the winemaker behind the wine, you “understand” the wine more profoundly. Much has been said of wines, wineries, and vineyards, but people rarely get to know “the artist behind the art.” Getting to know Manuel Filgueira personally was mind-blowing; he’s an enologist, wine lover, botanist, and owner of “Los Nadies” (AKA The Nobodies) boutique winery. Trained in elite French chateaux and 4th generation winemaker, Manuel makes tiny quantities of exceptional wine from his home in the city’s El Prado suburb.
Manuel told us the tannat grape is king in Uruguay. “The palate of the indigenous people was accustomed to bitter flavors like mate,” Manuel says. Spanish settlers brought sheep and cows to the area and a diet of heavy, meaty stews. Many wine grapes were planted, but given local tastes, it’s not surprising that Tannat, a sturdy, rustic red varietal, would become the dominant player.
Uruguay is not an easy place to make wine. While the country’s intense sunshine helps bring out the fruit flavors of its star grape, Tannat’s tannins need special care to achieve high-quality results. We were enthralled with Manuel and his family’s stories of triumph and adversity in so many ways other than wine-making. Manuel, his wife, and one of his sons hosted us, and we tasted some absolutely delicious wines, too!
Montevideo Cultural Tour
We started in the historic city enter and ended at independence square….
…with stops at two spectacular mesuems – The Gurvich and Torres Garcia Museums.
Cabaña Verónica
Lunch was in the heart of “Mercado del Puerto” (Montevideo’s Port Market), at one of the port markets most tradtional restaurants, Restaurante Cabaña Verónica.
Uruguay’s Contemporary Art Scene
We got to visit the FAC (Contemporary Art Foundation) with local curator Pia Susaeta, and we saw the ateliers of local contemporary emerging artists, such as Fernando Lopez Lage.
The Studio of Fernando “Lobo” Nuñez
Finally, we visited the studio of Fernando “Lobo” Nuñez, an Afro-Uruguayan luthier and drum percussionist considered a “legend” within the Uruguayan Candombe music genre.
lu·thi·er
/ˈlo͞odēər/
noun
a maker of stringed instruments such as violins or guitars.
Here, we learned about the first traces of Carnival in Uruguay dating back to 1760, when slaves were only allowed to celebrate once a year when they would get up at dawn to beat their drums and call the rest to come to celebrate. This is nowadays recreated in the Uruguayan Carnival Parade known as “Las Llamadas” (The Callings) when the “comparsas” (bands of candome) call the audience to celebrate with them. Fernando “Lobo” Nuñez and his legacy represent the soul of Uruguayan Candombe; in this experience, he opened the doors of his studio to share valuable legends and anecdotes about his family and tradition. This memorable cultural encounter gave our group of friends privileged access to the secret world of Uruguayan drums. It allowed us to discover why Uruguay was the first country in the whole of the Americas to abolish slavery.
Heading toward Punta del Este
Leaving Montevideo behind, we headed toward the region of Punta del Este, one of South America’s most glamorous resort towns. The area, though famous, looks a bit like Miami Beach: beaches, elegant seaside homes, high-rise apartment buildings, luxury hotels, and glitzy restaurants. (This was not our destination but a great overview on the way to what will be our home base in Jose Ignacio.)
Casapueblo
We stopped in Punta Ballena to visit Casapueblo, a unique and quirky building constructed by the famous Uruguayan artist Carlos Páez Vilaró, a profoundly fascinating man.
Atchugarry Foundation
The foundation was started by artist Pablo Atchugarry in 2007 with the intention to bring art to everyone and to promote the art of local and regional artists. Pablo is a well-known Uruguayan artist who lives half the year in Italy, in the Lecco area (near Lake Como) and the other half in Uruguay. His works are in many private and public collections around the world. He has participated in hundreds of individual and collective exhibitions and participates in the most important global art fairs, such as Art Basel. He is an artist, an art collector, and a lovely man who spent a fantastic amount of time with us personally, showing us his work and sculptures.
The Atchugarry Foundation currently has 40 hectares of park where visitors can walk among the installations of sculptures that make up Pablo’s collection.
Pablo’s version of the Pietá is stunning and moving – a mother’s horrific loss of her child is so vivid.
We were treated to a beautiful picnic under the trees on the beautiful foundation grounds…
Olivos de las Animas
This was not your average visit to an olive oil maker. The intense passion and pain-staking hard work that goes into making a superb olive oil with an ingenious sustainability program, plus the energetic character of an owner, made Olivos de las Animas a fabulous visit!
The delicious olive oil’s high quality represents the many beautiful food and wine products made in the country.
JOSÉ IGNACIO
“Chic but Not Famous: A Resort Named José”
I absolutely fell head over heels for this sleepy, chic town filled with sand dunes, beautiful people, and outstanding food. The vibe is so laid-back that no one bats an eye at the models and celebrities who frequent the fun beach shack restaurants. It’s barefoot and blissful, artsy and stylish, luxurious and laid-back. Jose Ignacio is like Montauk in the Hamptons or perhaps Comporta in Portugal, maybe like Trancoso in Bahîa or St. Tropez in the South of France before they were discovered.
ESTANICIA VIK
Estancia Vik is the original Vik Family home before they started their venture into hospitality, covering the family ranch into a sleek, art-filled countryside ranch. The first of the three hotels in Jose Ignacio is the perfect place to ease into “gaucho” life. Occupying 4,000 acres in the rolling countryside of José Ignacio, Uruguay, the Estancia borders the Arroyo and the Laguna José Ignacio, which meet the Southern Atlantic just a mile away as the crow flies.
Estancia Vik is a haven of art, nature, and high design. It was a collaboration between the creators’, Carrie and Alex Vik, and Uruguayan architect Marcelo Daglio as a traditional Spanish style estancia, featuring white adobe walls and red tin roofs with covered walkways linking multiple outdoor courtyards and idyllic gardens. The expansive patios feature outdoor seating areas, sculpture installations, respites from the sun, and a large organic herb garden.
The south side of the Estancia boasts a large grass-covered garden and a 20-meter pool made of Absolute Nero stone. The bottom of the pool is dotted with fiber optic lights, which mirror the constellations above.
Estancia Vik’s private living space is separated into two wings, each containing six luxurious bedroom Suites. Of the six suites in each wing, there are four 500 square-foot Suites on the ground level and two 900 square-foot Master Suites on the second floor. The Suites all feature full bathrooms with separate bathtubs and rain showers, with the Master Suites also including outdoor showers on the patios overlooking the bucolic landscape. Each suite also has private access to the exterior patios surrounding the Estancia. All twelve private suites have a unique design and display, and original art is integrated by leading contemporary Uruguayan artists who were conceived for that particular space.
The Vik family owns one of Chile’s top wineries and has a special hotel on its wine estate. Of course, all Vik hotels serve their famous wines.
Asado Barbecue Dinner at Estancia Vik
No trip to Uruguay would be complete without a typical Uruguayan asado, which consists of lovely meats and vegetables cooked over an open fire. The Asado at Estancia Vik is one of the best in the region, and it’s a fantastic experience.
Culinary Experience with Francis Mallmann’s Team
Francis Mallmann’s beautiful restaurant in the charming town of Garzon, featuing wines from the local winery, Garzon.
Today, we visited the stunning little historic town of Garzon, where we had a highlight experience cooking with the team of celebrity chef Francis Mallman. The fantastic head chef, Stephanie, was our leader for today, and she certainly impressed!
We cooked with Mallmann’s team of chefs for a range of techniques cooking with fire that both inspired and educated us.
The treat was tasting every beautiful bite in a wonderful lunch that spanned the afternoons under the hot Uruguayan sun.
BIKE RIDE TO RURAL JOSE IGNACIO
Today, we enjoyed a bike ride along rural trails and private estancias to a secret entrance to the Anastasio Stream. This lagoon has an outlet to the sea during winter months and constitutes a bird paradise with Flamingos, Swans, Herons, and storks, among others.
A great way to see the area culminating with a picnic lunch on a private estancia.
A little mud splatter was not going to set us back!
BAHÍA VIK
Bahia Vik José Ignacio is located next to the chic beach village of José Ignacio, just 12 miles (20 kilometers) northeast of Punta del Este. The charming locale is renowned for its expansive pristine beaches, rugged landscape, exceptional sunset, and relaxed bohemian style. Bahia Vik spans ten acres (4 hectares) of beach dunes on the Mansa Beach in José Ignacio, facing west with sweeping views across the Southern Atlantic Ocean and Playa Mansa towards Punta del Este.
There are 49 rooms between Bahia Vik’s main building and its collection of beachfront bungalows. Two bungalows house 5-bedroom suites, one three suites, one four suites, and eleven contain two bedrooms plus a living area. Each private beachfront space has a separate bathroom for each suite. Each bungalow features distinct exteriors, art-filled interiors, and a unique design scheme. Tucked into the breezy José Ignacio beach dunes, each bungalow design intentionally blends the interior and exterior to encourage maximum enjoyment of nature. Natural dunes covered in swaying beach grasses and other local flora will divide the bungalows from one another, providing privacy for bungalow guests.
As with all Vik properties, the contemporary art collection by all Uruguay artists is astonishing.
Celebrating the ambiance of its chic locale, Bahia Vik José Ignacio consists of fifteen uniquely designed bungalows tucked into the sandy beach dunes, with one central building around which retreat living will revolve. This main building, built of beautiful Uruguayan grey slate, is defined by open architecture and flowing spaces, encouraging conviviality among Bahia Vik guests. Upon entering the retreat’s main building through garden walls, guests will enjoy views of the Southern Atlantic Ocean through the spacious reception area and the verdant open-air patio around which the structure centers and through the living room. To one side of the entrance, guests will find a game room and a small boutique offering Vik curated items such as Uruguayan art and local crafts. Crossing the sun-filled courtyard, an expansive double living room and dining room look out onto four deep, stunning dark stone reflecting pools set in the beach dunes, surrounded by al fresco lounging and dining areas. The main building will boast ten large unique suites with private terraces and most with broad sweeping views of the dunes, beach, and ocean.
The beach is rugged and natural and beautiful.
With plenty of beach shacks to stop for a caipirinha.
Sea Lion Island
Today, we boarded an old expedition boat. We navigated to Sea Lion Island, a natural reserve located only 6 miles from the Peninsula of Punta del Este, constituting one of South America’s largest populations of sea lions. Some of us bravely enjoyed the unique opportunity to swim and frolic with the friendly seals.
Drinks, lunch, music and a great crew made for a hilarious day!
Fish Barbecue Dinner at Playa Vik
Playa Vik – the third Vik hotel in Jose Ignacio – is a collaboration between the creators, Carrie and Alex Vik, and internationally renowned Uruguayan architect Carlos Ott. The avant-garde beachfront retreat features a central “Sculpture” building, which is the heart of the compound, boasting an important collection of international and contemporary Uruguayan art throughout. The building’s 55-foot inclined façade features a vast sliding wall of glass, allowing guests to enjoy the majestic views of José Ignacio’s vibrant coastline. The entrance to the sculpture building is a two-story curved and inclined glass façade with a monumental sculpted bronze door, created by internationally celebrated Uruguayan artist Pablo Atchugarry as a modern interpretation of Ghiberti’s legendary doors at Florence’s Baptistery. The lateral walls and roof of the building are made of double curved titanium panels, and rich Patagonian ebony floors are found throughout the expansive indoor and outdoor spaces, blurring the line between interior and exterior as they extend from the living room to the pool terrace.
The fish dinner here was one of the most memorable meals of the trip. Stunning food, of course VIk wines, and a great group made for a fabulous night!
Beach Day at “El Chiringuito”
Francis Mallmann, like the Viks, has made a mark on this town! His newest project is El Chiringuito – a top end beach shack restaurant, an oudoor kitchen, and with guest tables housed in their personal pavilion.
On beautiful days, the beach set up is indulgent, and guests enjoy not only lunch but a full beach day! We happend upon a rainy day at El Chiringuito but the lunch was of the most delicious I have had!
Sunset at La Susana
Some call it “Sunset”, I call it afternoon beach party. La Susana, is the fabulous beach restaurant and bar, also owned by the Viks, where everyone boogies at sunset! Super fun and easily party of the daily routine when staying in Jose Ignacio!
Bohemian Chic, indeed! Jose Ignacio is a destination in itself. A place to play and relax, among lively people, fantastic food, and a beautiful natural coastline.
