Punta del Este is one of the most important destinations in Uruguay. Its wonderful beaches offer a calm place to relax. I went to Uruguay in June 2019. It was winter so the activity in the city was very reduced and not so many things were open. I went due to a study trip to Uruguay, the idea was not to rest, but it was very interesting to have the opportunity to visit this beautiful port at least for a day. I would totally recommend visiting this city in the summer, around December, January, or August. But even though I went during winter, it was possible for me to visit some of the most important sites.
The most interesting place is Casa Pueblo. This is a house constructed by the famous Uruguayan artist, Carlos Vilaró. It´s located in the coast, with a beautiful view of the point where the Atlantic Ocean converts into the Rio de la Plata. After the artist passing, this place was turned into a beautiful museum (see the picture). It has a lot of the artists most important pieces, all organized in order to tell visitors the life story of the artist. The house is also filled with cats, they are very friendly to visitors.
Another place to visit is the Playa Brava. During summer I guess this is the perfect place to take a bath and enjoy the sun. We went there even though it was winter because we wanted to see the Mano de Punta del Este. This is a monument in form of a hand. The fingers are placed like if they were coming out from the sand. Since it was winter, it was very cold and windy, but it was a beautiful place to visit.
When talking about food, you can go to one of the restaurants in the peer in order to taste the delicious meat served in the region. It is served in different presentations, all delicious. I would recommend to taste the Tanat wine, typical of Uruguay. It has a strong flavor that goes perfect with the meat of the region.
The day we visited Punta del Este we took a bus from Montevideo. There are easy to take from the Tres Cruces Station. The first floor is a mall but if you go the basement, you will find the buses and different booths where you can buy your ticket. From there, it is possible to take a bus also to Colon. This is also a very beautiful town that you can get to know in just one day. From Colon it´s also possible to take a boat to Buenos Aires.