Punta del Este en House & Garden

u(ou, N

$$ -\$ \\"

ní7¡w['t

&Letu

A*ü"$¿, Aa¡n

ona pathwell whooncesaid,'lt Andsofromthecityto thecoast, suchasJorgeLuisBorges, twinned writers, Thenaturaf wonders of SouthAmerica, w withitsenchanting Latinbeat,havelongattracted smacksof fictionthat BuenosAireswasever t r o d d e nb y t h e r i c ha n df a m o u s , h os u m m e r butas astheseaand here.Onceit wasPuntadelEsteinUruguay, I judgeherto beaseternal isincreasingly attracting founded. visitors, butthecontinent grew, moved north to José the cognoscenti inthesixteenth it bytheSpanish the higherendof the marketas a newwaveof wind.'lt wasfounded i s a l l c r a shing famously l g n a c i oT.h i sl i t t l ef i s h i n gv i l l a g e l u x u r i o u sa c c o m m o d a t i obne c o m e sm o r e centurvand has,overthe centuries, golden and sands, thatched cottages a Headto the waves and accessible.

TherearenowdirectffightswithBritish becomea meltingpot of cultures. you Aquisolacorreelviento'('Here where, signas enter, of Recoleta tree-lined boulevards A i r w a y st o B u e n o sA i r e s f, o r e x a m p l ew, h i c h elegant hasa Andit certainly provides therearetwo lovely it isonlythewindthatruns'). the stylishshops, the perfectgateway to the restof the between Playa Vik, a luxury sleepyfeel;the recentadditionof is old-fashioned TheAlvearPalace Fromthere,it isa merehopto barefoot hotels. continent.

Uruguay's modernhoteldesigned by in strikingly inBAsinceit opened thebestaddress l u x u r ya l o n gU r u g u a y f' sa m e dA t l a n t i c o a s t personified, out.Themain Carlos Ott,stands architect, butfor a recenttakeon urbanchic, leading flurryof design-ledthe Thirties, wheretherehasbeena recent glass, its interior filled isalltitaniumand hotel, building boutique boutique hotelsopeningor to wheretheAndes checkintothecity'sfirstfive-star Turrell and a James 1912 withart by AnselmKiefer, lt isa gorgeously restored Mansion. hometo new Algodon cradlethe vineyards of Mendoza, just four Thereare benchby ZahaHadid. a restaurant anda sculptural villacomprising 10rooms, wineries. smaller-scale in plunge pool. accommodation here, withtheremaining bathrooms are suites Thehugemarble city:homeof rooftop Buenos Airesisa vibrant, charming glass-walled lt casas. linens sixtwo-andthree-bedroom, thebedrooms filledwithFrette Esquina de sumptuous, thetango,bestseenat therestaurant i n retreatthat i s a b r e a t h t a k i nwg h o l e ,c u l m i n a t i n g a creating thepeaceful of andfreshflowers, Carlos Guardel; of latedinners andlongsiestas; yearn cantilevere bd l a c k - g r a nsi tw e i m m i npgo o tl h a t lers for travel cafes try Tortoni's Cafe,the city'soldest;andof twentv-first-century 1 5 2 H O U S&TG A R D EFNI B R U A 2R0Y] Z

travellArgentina and lJruguay ',

CLOCKWISE FROMTHISPICTURE ThestrikinglymodernplayaVik overlooksthe Uruguayancoast.

Las Piedraswasdesignedto merge intothe surrounding landscape.

The MasterSuiteVikat EstanciaVikhas a wood-linedbathroom.TheAlvear Palace'slobbypersonifiesThirties luxury.Snow-cappedpeaksprovide a scenicbackdropto the RucaMalen v¡neyard.

TheCavasWineLodge nestlesin the foothillsof the Andes

l

iiI

= = = a

= ;

j u t so u t o v e rt h e b e a c hb e l o wI.n f a n di t,ss i s t e r achievement.

Architect lsayWeinfeld hascreated pampas, arethehummingbirds andparakeets that hotel,Estancia Vik,whichopened in2009,offersa a h o t e lt h a t v a n i s h e isn t o t h e m a g i co f t h e gave Uruguay itsname,'river of thepainted birds'. traditional ranch-like atmosphere. lts12roomsare landscape.

Theswimming poolisformedfroma Frommeadows to mountains: prepared nothing steeped in Uruguayan art,andthereareviewsof spring-fed rockpool;boulders andbutterfly-filledm ef o r t h e b e a u t yo f w a k i n gu p t o s e et h e s u n h u g es k i e sa n d o p e nI a n d s c a p ecso,w sa t t h e shrubsf rameitsblue waters.

Theltalianrestaurant r ¡ s eo v e rt h e s n o w - c a p p A e dn d e sM . e n d o zias waterholes andhorses to rideinthefreshdawnair. s e r v e tsh e s a m es u b l i m m e e n ua s i t s B r a z i l i a nravishing: theskyanendless blue, the air sharpand W e l l - k n o wcnh e f F r a n c i M s a l l m a n nl,ast e s t siblings andsitshighona rockypromontory above clear.Verdant vineyards rollintothe foothills of venture, theHotelGarzón, issetinthedustyinland t h e 2 0 s p a c i o ubsu n g a l o wt h s a t m a k eu p t h e t h e A n d e sa n da m i dt h i sb e a u t yl i e s t h e C a v as villageof Garzón. ltsfivesimplebutcomfortablea c c o m m o d a t iA on r o. u n dy o u ,i n t h e u n d u l a t i n qWineLodge. lt has14villas dottedaround the rows rooms,andtheseriously goodrestaurant, willno of grapes, lavendei olivesandbroom.Eachhasa d o u b tp u tt h i sf a r - f l u nvgi l l a g o e n t h em a p l.t i s plungepool,rooftopterracewithlogfire,stoneworththe drivefor Mallmann,s courgette salad floored bedroom, androck-walled bathroom. alonebutdon'tmisshisslow-cooked lambeither; MaryLussiana travelled asa guestof Aswesatat theneighbouring Ruca Malen, one andsit,if youcan,intheprettycourtyard. t : ) ' ! , ' l ) , t , ii|t x i xü i r : i r i l ia n d [ ¡ : t ; t , t ; ( O Z O - 7 3 3 7 of the new-wave wineries that hasso redefined W i t h i ns i g h to f t h e b r i g h lt i g h t so f p u n t ad e l 9010;www.exsus.com), whichcanorganise t h ef u l l - b o d i eMda l b e cw, i t ha g l a s so f i t i n our Esteis anothernew,ruralparadise.

Laspiedras a similar tripto Buenos Aires,Mendoza hands, baking inthesunshine thatmadethetops i s t h e f i r s tv e n t u r eo u t s i d et h e i ro w nb o r d e r s andUruguay, fromf3,760perperson, of the Andesglisten, I felt I hadreached a litfle f o r B r a z i l i a nh o t e l i e r sF a s a n oa,n d w h a t a n including flightsandtransfers. cornerof paradise !

I T B R U A 2RO Y ] 2H O U S&EG A R D E N 153