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Jose Ignacio, Uruguay - Playground of the Jet Set

When I told a few friends I was going to Uruguay, some asked “Where is it?” and others asked what language the locals speak there (Spanish). Well, they can be forgiven, as Uruguay is roughly 10,000 miles away in South America and overshadowed by its well-known neighbors, Argentina and Brazil. My destination was a weekend at the Casa Suaya resort in the coastal town of José Ignacio near Punta del Este.

The morning after I arrived, I woke to a balcony view of the Atlantic Ocean and an unspoiled windswept beach. The fragrance of pine trees from the pampa and the muffled sound of crashing waves made the journey to José Ignacio worth the three airplane flights and a few frenzied evenings spent in the intense metropolis of Buenos Aires, en route.

With this trip, I joined the masses of travelers looking southward to sample what South America has to offer — those looking for luxury vacations that can still provide a little bang for their buck. And with the greenback not strengthening much against the Euro any time soon, I’ll be heading back down there more often.

I had read in supermarket tabloids that Punta del Este was the playground of rich and fabulous Latin Americans in skimpy swimsuits and the occasional Hollywood model or celebrity — a “Saint-Tropez South.” But I found the real Punta to resemble Waikiki, Hawaii, and Cancún, Mexico, or any other coastal resort with towering hotel blocks and tacky souvenir shops, while the moguls, soccer stars, topless sunbathers, Shakira, Naomi Campbell and writer Martin Amis head east to José Ignacio.

“Americans and Europeans come to Punta del Este because they heard so much about it — about the girls,” says Adolfo Suaya, an LA-based restaurateur and nightlife entrepreneur and owner of Casa Suaya. “When you come to Punta del Este, you realize it’s a lot of buildings and a lot of concrete. [But] you don’t want a place with a nice beach and high-rises; you want to come to a place with a forest and wild vegetation.”

I came to José Ignacio during the off-season — autumn in the southern hemisphere. During this time, expect to bump into resident retirees rather than bikini-clad beachgoers. Construction crews outnumber residents, as workers ready projects for the next high season, beginning in December. A drive around José Ignacio on a weeknight gave the appearance that even the 200 year-round residents hibernate until Friday, when weekenders come to visit.

“José Ignacio is where rich people come when they want to get away from everything — [it’s] very laid back, kind of like the Hamptons,” Suaya says.
An Argentinean American, Suaya founded the Gaucho Grill restaurants in Los Angeles nearly 20 years ago and was involved in opening some of the hottest restaurants in the city, including the Lodge, Goa, Bella, Dolce Enoteca, La Cantina, L’Scorpion and Geisha House. He has been returning more and more frequently to Argentina and Uruguay because he recently built a modern condominium complex in Buenos Aires and is presiding over the 10-acre resort Casa Suaya, which features its own restaurant, Butia.

Like many porteños (Buenos Aires residents), Suaya used to come to Punta del Este during the December and January holidays with his family and hang out with other teenagers during temporada — the southern hemisphere’s summer. At that time, José Ignacio was a tiny fishing village whose only claim to fame was a historic lighthouse. That changed when Argentine celebrity chef Francis Mallmann opened an acclaimed restaurant in the town — Parador La Huella, which attracted beautiful people and foodies to a stretch of near pristine beach. “La Huella is like a dream,” Suaya says. “The seafood — they catch it and put it in the oven and eat it that same day.” The eatery is also known for its sashimi, ice cream and extensive wine cellar. But keep in mind that during high season you probably won’t get a table right on the sand without a reservation.

The Setai hotel also plans to bring a taste of Miami’s South Beach to a stretch of oceanfront property in José Ignacio. Until then, the hotelier has erected a huge orange tent for hosting parties during the high season for the vacationing tycoons and models. “If you want to launch a company, you do a big party here,” Suaya says. “[During the high season,] every night there would be three to four private events for 2,000 people. It’s a great window to expose yourself if you want to tell people you have money — the advertising is priceless.”

Suaya bought the property for Casa Suaya almost three years ago when the land was sand dunes and pampa. He built his own modern stone-covered private residence and a neighboring structure with six guest suites, a swimming pool and Butia, where diners have the option of dining alfresco. Casa Suaya’s expansive modern suites are minimally furnished with amenities such as working stone fireplaces, chandeliers and kitchenettes and, of course, ocean views. Suaya’s currently adding on to Casa Suaya for the next high season — a spa, ten additional rooms, two bungalows, a tajamar (a small nature preserve) and another bar-resto called El Brasero for those who want to cap off a day spent at the beach dining on steaks washed down with caipirinhas on sand floors .

Suaya says that La Huella’s owner, Mallmann, is considered the mayor of José Ignacio, and to secure good will, he asked Mallmann if he could suggest a chef and partner for the opening of Butia. Mallmann recommended Clo Dimet, who runs her own successful restaurant in São Paulo called La Table, but who also wanted to open a restaurant in her native Uruguay.

Butia is the chicest hut you’ll ever encounter, with a thatched roof, fireplace, candelabras and furnishings collected from antique shops in La Barra. The night I landed in José Ignacio, I had a quiet dinner there, made by chef Dimet and served by her brother, Camilo, who is the restaurant’s maître d’. With only two other diners — an American and a Uruguayan neighbor — the conversation was mainly about politics over glasses of local wine made from the Tannat grape.

Dinner was a three-course meal consisting of an appetizer of pate on toast with arugula, followed by a main course of wood-oven roasted rosemary chicken, followed by baked coconut flan for dessert. We also sampled a local beer named Patricia. The previous night’s dinner consisted of grilled chicken pintxos with prunes on skewers and pumpkin ravioli. During the high season, Butia serves up local specialties, such as corvina fish and shrimp cooked in the wood oven. Everyone was tired from a day of horseback riding on the beach, so it was an early night. Horses are available for rental through a local stable for a run on the beach or a scenic ride to an inland lake.

There’s not a whole lot to do in José Ignacio, but that’s the point. You’ll see an occasional surfer hitchhiking on the road into town. And kite boarders and wind surfers hit the lagoon at La Barra. You can also drive into Punta or neighboring Maldonado, an old fishing village, for some sightseeing and dining. The crew from Butia took me to an authentic Uruguayan parilla (a grill) at a restaurant in Maldonado. Meats offered at a parilla traditionally include mainly cuts of beef and sausages. I tried chorizo, morcilla — blood sausage, which came in sweet and savory — and cuts of flank steak and filet mignon. But I couldn’t wait to head back to Casa Suaya for some R&R and to do nothing but gazing out the window with a glass of local wine.

Getting There
I flew American Airlines from Los Angeles to Buenos Aires, connecting through Dallas/Ft. Worth, Texas. There are also connecting flights from Miami. I flew Uruguay’s PLUNA airlines from Aeroparque Jorge Newbery to Punta del Este — a 40-minute flight for about $240 round-trip. José Ignacio is 24 miles east from Punta del Este by car or taxi.

Where to Eat
Parador La Huella — Playa Brava, José Ignacio +59.842.486.2279 Marismo — Ruta 10, km 185, José Ignacio
+59.8.42.486 227
La Balanza — Santa Teresa y 25 de Mayo, Maldonado

Where to Stay
Casa Suaya — Ruta 10, km 186,5, José Ignacio. Reservations made from the U.S.: 323-468-0200; reservations made in Uruguay: +59.84.86.2750. Rooms include continental breakfast, Wi-Fi, international telephone, cable TV with DVD player, beach service and bicycles. Call or e-mail for prices and availability: info@casasuaya.com | www.casasuaya.com

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