Jaunted

Where to Stay:
One of the things people always say they love about PdD is the rambling collection of cabins built along the beach and up the dunes. Luckily, most of them are for rent, but you'd be smart to plan far ahead: Uruguayans don't play when it comes to booking summer vacation. The best resource is Portal del Diablo, where you can determine if your rental comes with linens, maid service, TV or a South American-sized grill. Most home owners won't speak English or roll with email, so if your Spanish is rusty, have a friend call to sort out details.

Alternatives to the rental scene include El Diablo Tranquilo, a hostel that despite the name has a few hotel-caliber suites well worth the price. On the other side of town is La Viuda del Diablo, a swanky apart-hotel with in-room jacuzzis. Our friend loved the room if not the remote location. (See "Lay of the Land" below.)

Where to Eat:
You don't come to a remote beach village for quince paste and saffron remoulade, but the food in PdD is surprisingly good. In March, we covered the low end, with this review of the town's best empanada shack. On the high end, the aforementioned Diablo Tranquilo's restaurant and bar, pictured, is right on the beach, turning out good food before swinging into late night booze- and live music-fueled revelry. Aquarella, a short walk away, has an awfully short menu but the Moroccan-style soup and veggie pastel, a sort of savory pie meets quiche, are seriously top notch. "Downtown," near the artisan market, there are a few snack stands open in high season that make a respectable chivito, Uruguay's rightly famous steak sandwich.

Hitting the Beach:
There are a few beaches skirting PdD, each with its own flavor. Playa de los Pescadores is a tiny sliver dotted with fishing boats that never seem to go out to sea; they make for nice pictures. Playa del Rivero is longer, with some decent surf and lots of sand; it's great for morning walks and afternoon siestas. Playa La Viuda is usually windy enough to draw kiteboarders; bring your bandana to keep the sand out of your sinuses. Playa Grande is a short hike from most of town, leaving its more than two miles frequently deserted. At first, it's a little creepy to be on such a huge beach all alone, but soon you're too busy enjoying your isolation and the crash of the waves to care. Watch out for the beached sea turtles!

A Dash to the National Park:
Just north of PdD is the Parque Nacional Santa Teresa. (Playa Grande is technically part of this preserve.) You can hike there from town if you're covered in sunscreen and you pack a few bottles of water. The highlight for day-trippers is the old Spanish fort, pictured, first built in 1762 by Portuguese and now a museum run by Uruguayans. It's about 12 miles round trip from PdD but totally worth going to see, if only so you can pretend to fight off lazy cattle from the guard towers. Print up a map before setting out or scout your route on Google Earth, which has good imagery of the coastline. And don't forget U$10 (40 cents) per person for the entry fee.

Lay of the Land:
While PdD has a reputation for being a small town, it sprawls quite a way along the coast. Without a bike or car, you won't want to make many trips from one side of town to the other--particularly in the summer sun--so choose carefully when deciding where to stay. The north end sees less street and foot traffic but puts you farther from the wildest beach bars; it's closer to the national park. The south end has more lodging options and gets roaring in high season; you'll be closer to grocery stores, bars and the bus station, but you'll also find bigger crowds at the beach.

Getting There:
From Montevideo, the easiest thing to do is take a Rutas del Sol bus direct to PdD. "Direct" isn't exactly what you're thinking, though: Load up a couple movies on your iPod for the five-hour haul, which leaves the Tres Cruces terminal at 7 am and 2:30 pm daily. You can also try CYNSA, which has morning departures, too. Tickets are about 10 bucks one-way.

Driving will take you along the same highway, and you should be able to get from Montevideo to beach bliss in 3.5 hours. You'll also end up having a car in town, which helps with grocery shopping for your self-catered cabin, touring the national park and generally feeling less cut off from the outside world.

If you're coming from Brazil, you can easily hop off at the border in Chui (spelled Chuy in Spanish) and grab a local bus on the Uruguayan side for a 45-minute ride to PdD.

Related Stories:
· Punta del Diablo Map [Jaunted]
· Uruguay Field Trip [Jaunted]