NotoriousMEG

My husband and I are going to Buenos Aires for the first time next month and will be flying back through Montevideo. We'd like to spend a few days at the beach, but everything in Punta del Este is really expensive and overbooked. Any recommendations for a nice beach town in Uruguay other than Punta? Is it easy to go to the beach from Colonia? Should we spend a night in Montevideo (our flight leaves at 10pm, so we could just spend the day there)? Thanks in advance!

Graziella5b

The beaches in Colonia are on the River Plate and the water although clean is brownish. The water in Punta is blue, or green. A totally different story.
There are many smaller resorts East of Montevideo all the way to Punta and East of Punta too all the way to the Coronilla near Brazil.
If you are looking for a very laid down experience of only a beach, and a restaurant it will be ok, but in all frakness I believe it is better to go to Punta. Is like being near New York and settle for a town in NEw Jersey ( no ofence for NJ), Montevideo is built on the seashore, the beach is so, so, but locals go swimming there. The water is a toss up depending of the winds it could look brownish or deep green.
Carrasco in the East part of the city, has serveral nice hotels walking distance from the beach a couple of good rest. One nice one is Cafe Misterio.
I would stay there is Punta is out of your plans.

NotoriousMEG

Thanks for your reply. What do you think about Piriapolis?

Graziella5b

The beach is very nice. The town is not nice. Why?
Because it has down in status and many t shirt shops, restaurants not so good etc. Having said this, there is an old Hotel, EL Hotel Piriapolis, which MIGHT, I am familiar with it, do. IT has its own casino. Think of something old, like a begining of the centry place, remodeled sometime ago.
I know that for dinner there are a couple of charming places on the ocean, literaly on the ocean. There are rocks in a certain are, like going East, and on those rocks they have built a couple of charming places to eat sea food. You have to ask.
The ambiance is not Punta, this is a less expensive place, and the people is not the same.
Piriapolis is some 100+ kms east of Montevideo, while punta is 140 kms east of Montevideo. The beach is nice because all beaches as you go East are closer to the Atlantic Ocean and are nicer.

Graziella5b

If you like to be in a very quiet place, more country side that beaches, some old wineyards and life like it was years back the area around Colonia, and even Colonia will do. This is an old Colonial city with some old buildings, a main sq. , lots of rest and hotels most of them are quaint ( bur some could be horrible ) have to know exactly were you are getting into. There you can rent bicicles, or horses, or go for a deap in the river, as I said it is brownish but clean, and locals do go. Good luck.