Punta del Este has the reputation for being a Cancun-type location, but with the summer season over it is actually a laid-back, very nice city, although comparatively expensive. The main part of the city is on a narrow peninsula surrounded by ocean, so pretty much anywhere you go you are at the beach, which is very nice. I used Punta del Este twice as a stopping point between other destinations. One of my rooms almost had an ocean view. Well, it did have an ocean view. It was a real hotel room which I considered to be somewhat of a luxury, and for $50 I thought it was a good deal. The hotel's elevator, like many other elevators I have used during this trip, had an old fashioned metal gate which you have to open and close yourself before the elevator will move. Feels a little rickety, but its kind of fun to do it for yourself instead of having one of those elevator operators there.
The night before returning to Buenos Aires, I happened to run into Rocio, Naty, & Gaby, and we would travel back to Argentina together.
Hotel view:
The infamous "Fingers":
I've never seen so many people sunbathing facing away from the ocean:
