Summer in Punta del Este

This is taken from a story in Uruguay’s La Nacion

A regular visitor of Punta del Este compared the summer high season at the spa with a play that lasts only 20 days.

Everyone works to make sure that the city is spotless in late December, with its trendy restaurants, its hotels from $500 a night and all the sophistication. Thus begins the season.

By mid-January the curtain closes the first act and after the first 20 days it is still not clear whether or not the play sold enough tickets to be profitable.

For this season, punta del este real estate firms consulted by ‘la nacion’ are expecting solid occupancy levels and rents in the first month of 2010, with values that are very similar to last year. However, some also agree that the in the less desirable areas and in the price ranges of between 3000 and 6000 half-dollars and more expensive homes are still vacant.

“The crisis in Argentina and internationally affected us less than we thought, and rents are heading at this point better than December 2008,” said Louis and Florence see Sader, of the eponymous real estate company.

According to Juan Irala and Hernandez, Terramar, one effect of the recession was to postpone the immediate purchase and rental advance. That is, if the Argentine a few years ago traveled to Punta weekend of October to book the apartment that was to occupy in January, today’s habits are greatly modified.

“Last summer, many came in the last minute and got discounts, this year could be a bad idea because the owners do that in mid-December that have not rented their houses will eventually give up trying to rent the house for the season and will just occupy it themselves,” says the manager of Earthsea.

I do not doubt that’s going to be a good season and people will come. ”

This view is based on facts: According to a survey of ‘la nacion’ Buquebús is filling up for the second half of December, the flights are almost full from December 25 to January 5, hotels and non-stop work by Punta del Este is in a single car to rent for that period.

The Association of Real Estate of Punta del Este (adipose) warns that the capacity of the spa is completely filled between 26 and 6, and is the busiest week for Brazilians who come for the Reveillon, and occupancy rates for January are similar to those of last year, close to 70 percent.

“The values of the leases are held,” says Sabas Pereira, president of adiposity. February, so far, is a mystery, “they say in the partnership, but warns Irala had many consultations to rent for that month.

Despite the optimism, other industry spokesmen say the 2008 financial crisis only started affecting optimism amongst some in the second half of 2009 in Punta. “There is great fear after the world financial crisis and it is seen mostly in people aged 30 to 40 who came with their families and rented in La Barra and Jose Ignacio in 2008. Today these houses are empty,” says Nana Lavagna, the estate that bears his name.

According to experts, two well defined bands have not yet had major success in Punta del Este: the lowest, which rents apartments between 3000 and 6000 dollars during the first fortnight of January and the highest, which cost over 15,000 homes in the same period. The extremes are still the unknown.

“In my case the demand was very strong in the middle segment, from 6000 and $ 15,000 during the first half of January,” says Lavagna, adding that the most requested were: beaches at (Mansa and Brava), San Rafael and La Barra.

Hotels and restaurants

From Downtown Hotels in Punta del Este, its president, Fernando Massa noted that occupancy rates for January and February are around 90% and 80% respectively. “Dollar rates did not touch” reports.

In Punta del Este there is a curious trend in hospitality: Unlike other tourist destinations in the world, facilities that are harder to fill are the most economical, two and three stars, with rates 70 to 120 dollars a night ( double occupancy). “There is growing public class looking for upscale hotels,” said Massa.

In that sense both the Mantra and the Conrad, as two of the leaders in Punta, reported that for January estimated occupancy will be 95% of their rooms, with prices ranging between 400 and 550 dollars a night.

“Almost three months ago I had no room in the hotel at the end of the year, after the international financial crisis, the Europeans returned to pick us again,” says Claudia Coelho, manager of Hotel & Spa Mantra.

With respect to restaurants, although prices are high for the Argentine-pocket — it is difficult to eat in a good place for less than $ 30 per person — Graciela Ferreres, president of the Corporation Gastronomic, states that prices are only up 10% over last season. “The expectation is really good for this summer,” says the director.

New projects

In terms of property sales and new projects for farms and gated communities in Punta del Este, real estate firms surveyed agreed that 2009 was an exceptional year. “The sale of houses and land did not stop at any time and we continued to build buildings,” says Lavagna, while Irala ensures that the number of operations increased sharply compared to 2008.

The trend in Punta del Este is exclusivity.

Of the nearly half a dozen super-luxury buildings that will be operational this summer (including, Le Parc and Tiburon on La Brava), all sport high prices, with apartments that can cost up to five million.

As for the new in sea farms, fashionable product in the East, here’s the list of projects being built this summer
the complex coronillas in Jose Ignacio, and Brittany, 11 km La Barra.
Redevelopment of the Altos de La Barra, with its two neighborhoods: WYE and green bars.
The businessman Eduardo Constantini will relaunch the Herons.
Combines the Rocks (near La Barra), whose original initiative to build 110 houses was reduced to 37 homes on land of 5000 square meters, and incorporated farms of 3 to 5 acres each.
He started the work of the Setai hotel in Jose Ignacio, who is opening date for 2011.

In addition to those plans are a dozen complex and sea farms developments under way in Punta del Este and surrounding areas, as Villalago (on the way to Jose Ignacio), Swan Lake (4 km from the airport), Holiday Sea (Bikini Beach) and Barraverde (in the hotel casino Mantra).

Thus, increasingly sophisticated and exclusive, the resort is preparing to welcome a new season. Expectations are good, although some claim that the lowest and highest ends of the market haven’t made reservations yet, the fact is that the play will end up running at full house, as almost always happens. Because, at least for 20 days, the financial crisis is not invited to this function.

By Joseph Totah
To THE NATION

Useful Data
Dollar values
• Load the gas tank, 65; pay the toll, 2.2
• Rent a car (economic model), 67 to 120 per day
• Coffee, 3.5
• Kilo of ice cream, 21
• Big Mac, 7; gas, 3
• Pie, 1.5
• Manolo Churro, 1.2
• Chivito with fries, 13.3
• Buy the Journal, 2, a novel, 18
• Internet Time, 1
• Inflatable ball, 6
• two-star Hotel (double room / night), 70
• Three star hotel (double room / night), 110/120
• Four star hotel (double room / night), 160/190
• Five Star Hotel (double room / night), from 300
• Youth Hostel (shared room / night), 30

From bars to casinos

For many the season that begins in Punta del Este is one of the most important events for determining the success of the year. The legendary casino Nogaro, in the beginning of the street Gorlero, has ceased to be a games room frozen in time, with its old slot machines and worn carpets covered in spilled whiskey.

The establishment received an investment of $ 18 million company-owned hotel Vidaplan Mantra “and was renamed with the name Nogaró by Mantra. This is an initiative jointly developed by the hotel and the Uruguayan government, through the Directorate General of Uruguay Casinos. Both are partners in the exploitation of the enclosure. The renovated casino will offer, as well as areas for play (there will be a room with 300 slot machines of last generation), a large billboard shows with international artists and a renewed gastronomy. It will create about 350 jobs. Thus, officials say the project, seeks to return to the streets the gloss Gorlero lost when it became fashionable to visit areas such as La Barra and Jose Ignacio, for the last 20 years.

Bistro On the Lake Refuge Anastasio, along with the famous lagoon Garzon in Jose Ignacio, will open 5 en suite rooms in an old country house from 1890 this season on Anastasio Haven Bistro, which belongs to La Posada Anastasio. The chef will present his exclusive Takehiro Ohno kitchen where lake and stream come together as actors. (for Reservations when calling from Uruguay please call 098-52 98 64.)

The bridge over Garzón lagoon is expected to begin next autumn. It is a long-awaited project, announced and postponed: the building of a bridge over the lake, 180 meters, which will link the towns of Rocha and Maldonado.

The construction will be undertaken by the company Jaswik, owned by businessman Eduardo Constantini, who just developed a real estate project (White Heron) between the gaps of Garzon and Rocha.

The Legendary Tabaré cafe and bar, which began in 1919 as a pub and general store in Montevideo (and soon became a haven for artists, intellectuals and executives alike), opens its doors these days in Punta del Este, more exactly in the Las Palmeras Avenue between Calle 12 and 13. It promises to have live entertainment and summer the same letter of the branch in Montevideo, with a proposed top-heavy with seafood.

Villa Roma Inn last year was the official opening, but only now beginning to be known among lovers of concept boutique. This is the Villa Roma Boutique Inn, home of golf in the area, than at other times is rented to people like Prince Rodrigo D’Arenberg or former Brazilian president Fernando Collor de Mello.