La Barra / José Ignacio

La Barra y Faro José Ignacio - Photos : Pablo Etchevers

he ideal phrase to describe La Barra and José Ignacio would be "almost twins". Even though they present different characteristics, at the same time these two small districts are reminiscent of the same nearby place: well-known Punta del Este.

La Barra stands out due to its fashionable style and the wide range of services available for visitors, especially during the summer season. It lies just 20 kilometers away from the Peninsula of Punta del Este and it emerged as a fishermen village with some summer houses owned by aristocratic families who preferred to stay away from the bustle.

The easiest way to reach La Barra is on a private vehicle and setting out from Punta del Este. There are also local buses which take tourists down to this destination and even reach José Ignacio.

Peaceful and exclusive at the same time, La Barra is joined to the City of Punta del Este through a famous undulated suspension bridge. Crossing it means going down to a variety of beautiful beaches and fashionable rest areas, each of them with their own codes and habitués.

In the evenings, youngsters have fun at the many pubs and discos which serve their best drinks and beers on the crowded main street. As soon as the moon is out and the stars can be seen, the moment comes for the center of La Barra to become a place where celebrities from the show business and the fashion world gather.

The bathing resort known as José Ignacio is located 40 kilometers away from the Peninsula of Punta del Este, at the 182nd kilometer marker on National Route 10. This paradisiacal spot is famous for its lighthouse, which invites tourists to get cut off from the outer world through a slogan that has made these beaches very popular: “Only the wind runs here”.

Silent and quiet, the beaches in José Ignacio gain tranquility ad harmony and, just like in Punta del Este, there is one beach known as Brava (Rough) and another one called Mansa (Quiet). Even though both of them display sunsets that could be described as simply magical, they are the perfect scenery featuring fishermen boats.