Punta del Este

Punta del Este is South America's premier beach resort, often called the "Hamptons of South America", a US-dollar-denominated luxury market on Uruguay's Atlantic coast that draws affluent Argentine, Brazilian and international buyers. The peninsula's high-rise skyline gives way to the calm Playa Mansa and the wild Playa Brava, and to exclusive enclaves like La Barra and José Ignacio. The market is pronouncedly seasonal: a permanent population in the low tens of thousands swells past 160,000 from December to March. Prices are quoted in dollars and have grown steadily, with prime, scarce beachfront enclaves outperforming; high headline rental yields reflect peak-season letting rather than year-round income.