A colorful little fishing town, Punta del Diablo is known by surfers for its great breaks and by vacationers for its relaxed holiday spirit. Usually a town of some 200 people, Punta del Diablo erupts during the vacation weeks like Semana Santa. Packed cars roll in and the town bursts into life. The usually empty cabiñas become full of vacation renters and smells of ‘asado’ drift down into the crowded streets.

Punta del Diablo lies on the Uruguayan coast: four hours from the capital, Montevideo, and 45 minutes south of the Brazilian border. If you’re looking for a place to get away from the hustle of the city (I left Buenos Aires for a week to stay in Punta), this little seaside town is a lovely place to wake up every morning and see the ocean all around you. The problem is: it’s a SECRET! Truthfully, I feel torn between the special, little known identity of this town and the desire to share its unique Uruguayan feel with other ‘gringos.’ Even when the town was packed full for the few days of Semana Santa, I still think I was one of only 10 (maybe) gringos sharing the beach.

A good website to refer to if planning a trip to Punta is: http://www.portaldeldiablo.com.uy/m...ainFrame.php
The website comes in Spanish, English, and Portuguese.

Predominately, the vacationers are Uruguayans. A lot of the shop owners are also from Uruguay, coming for the vacation to make some money off the tourists and then returning to their homes near Montevideo once the season is over. Because of this, many shops close as soon as the last vacationer cars have left the punta – leaving only one market open and one or two cafés. The place totally transforms without the tourist influence, becoming ‘muy tranquillo.’ My favorite days in Punta del Diablo were the days without a beach full of people and their mate thermoses – on these days you have the whole beach to run on and explore the tide pools without harassment. Those who make Punta del Diablo their home yearlong are still very welcoming and with a little effort (and Spanish) you’ll be able to find what you need. Unless, what you need is cash – Punta del Diablo has no ATM or cash machine and credit cards are not excepted as they have no credit card machines. All seeking cash must take a bus north to the border town of Chuy; Chuy is home to the closest ATM. Knowing this ahead of time would have saved me the annoyance of taking two trips to Chuy for ATM access – it would have left me more time to wander around the wild, and wildly interesting, Punta del Diablo.