If there's any sign that Punta del Diablo is about to become an It spot for backpackers in South America, it's the supremely well-done Diablo Tranquilo Bar, right on the beach. The satellite food and booze spot for the hostel up the road, it's got great service, great design, a great menu and tons of cold beer. If that's not enough, did we mention it's right on the beach?

Though it's only been open for a few months, there really isn't anything bad to report. The place is simply one of the best hostel-affiliated bars we've ever seen--and we've done a lot of boozing at hostels.

Also worth checking out: the panoramic view of PdD from the third floor. Be sure to take your cocktail and that cute surfer chick from across the bar.

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· Uruguay coverage [Jaunted]]]> pbb 2008-03-27T16:30:01-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/3/25/114755/111

After a couple days in vacant-for-Holy-Week Montevideo, we were ready to hit the beach. And while we could've gone the easy route and skipped over to Punta del Este, we decided to get ambitious. So we loaded up the iPod and bought bus tickets for a five-hour haul out to Punta del Diablo, a village not far from the Brazilian border.

It's your standard sleepy fishing town--except people are sleepy because they were at the beachfront disco El Pico until 6 am. Most people visiting rent a cottage--which locals call cabanas--and stay for a week or more, self-catering their trip. We could stay only a couple days, so we shacked up at the Diablo Tranquilo hostel. (It's brand new and nice.)

Besides sitting on the beach and drinking big frosty bottles of Patricia beer, there's not much to do. And that's just fine.

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· Uruguay Field Trip coverage [Jaunted]
· Uruguay coverage [Jaunted]]]> pbb 2008-03-26T12:05:01-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2007/7/16/152545/573

Honky-tonk beach towns like Old Orchard Beach are on travel's endangered list. The nearly extinct American beach towns can be easily identified in the wild -- these towns are located directly on a beach, cook fried dough, employ C-list musicians, offer carnival style rides, give away large stuffed prizes, and are usually ghost towns October - April.

Despite their lack of external charm, these towns have an incredible ability to evoke childhood memories in many people.

No, global warming has nothing to do with wiping out these towns, this is all about money. While some honky-tonk beach towns are cherished by their residents, and have achieved historic status and protection of some sort, many of these towns referred to pejoratively as "white trash towns" are suffering an onslaught of condo developers who are selling residents on "upscaling" their not-always-so-beloved beach towns.

This month, we are taking a look at America's best honky-tonk beach towns and mapping them for you. If you want to visit, you better hurry, many of them may not exist in a couple years.

America's Honky-Tonk Beach Town Map :: Old Orchard Beach Story]]> markj 2007-07-16T15:52:06-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/