THE SURF SPOT

La Barra & Manantiales

Where Punta Gets a Little More Bohemian

Cross the iconic undulating bridge from Punta del Este and the atmosphere begins to change. La Barra feels younger, more colorful and a little less polished — in the best possible way. What began as a small fishing community has grown into one of the coast's liveliest summer destinations, with surf beaches, restaurants, galleries, boutiques and nightlife concentrated along and around Ruta 10.

There is an informality here that I have always loved. You can come straight from the beach with sandy feet, stop somewhere for lunch, browse the shops in the afternoon and find yourself staying for dinner and drinks. During the temporada, La Barra becomes particularly animated, while outside the summer months it settles back into a much more relaxed coastal community.

Continue just a few minutes east and La Barra gradually gives way to Manantiales. The transition is almost seamless, but the feeling changes again. Manantiales is smaller and more residential, with beautiful homes tucked into the streets behind the coast and some of the area's most sought-after beaches.

Bikini Beach is at the center of summer life here, bringing together beach clubs, restaurants, music and a distinctly international crowd during the height of the season. Yet only a few streets away, Manantiales can feel remarkably peaceful.

Beach House or Chacra?

What makes this part of the coast particularly interesting to me is how quickly the landscape changes once you leave the ocean behind.

Along the coast, life revolves around the beach: contemporary homes overlooking the Atlantic, traditional summer houses and properties where you can walk to the sand, restaurants and cafés.

Drive inland, however, and within minutes you're surrounded by countryside. The areas behind La Barra and Manantiales are home to some beautiful chacras and larger country estates, offering hectares of land, horses, gardens and privacy while remaining remarkably close to the beach.

It's one of the things I find most appealing about living here. You don't necessarily have to choose between the beach and the countryside. You can have both.

Two Villages, One Stretch of Coast

La Barra and Manantiales are often spoken about together, but they offer slightly different versions of coastal life.

La Barra is the more eclectic of the two — colorful, social and full of movement during summer, with shops, restaurants, galleries and nightlife mixed among residential streets.

Manantiales feels smaller and somewhat more refined, centered around the beach and a collection of beautiful homes, restaurants and boutiques. It is also perfectly positioned between the energy of La Barra and the increasingly open landscape as you continue toward José Ignacio.

Together, they form one of my favorite stretches of the Punta del Este coastline: relaxed enough to live barefoot, sophisticated enough to have some of the best restaurants and homes in the area, and never very far from either the ocean or the countryside.