Piriápolis

Piriápolis is the oldest seaside resort in Uruguay, laid out at the end of the nineteenth century by an eccentric entrepreneur who built a grand hotel, a castle for himself and a promenade before anyone else had thought of the coast as a destination. It has kept a faded belle époque character that the newer resorts never had. Low hills rise directly behind the bay, and a chairlift climbs the Cerro San Antonio for the view along the shore. The beach is sheltered and shallow, which makes it a family town rather than a party one. Out of season the promenade empties.