Fasano Las Piedras Punta Del Este

The Fasano family’s Brazilian hotels are about as fine as luxury boutique hotels can get, and in the Uruguayan out-of-town playground of Punta del Este, they might very well have been tempted to repeat the formula. Instead they’ve opted for something a little more private — rather than a high-rise hotel with all the trappings, the Fasano Punta del Este is a collection of low stone villas, designed by modernist architect Issay Weinfeld to blend somewhat with the waterside landscape, a mile or two inland along the Maldonado.

That location is novel as well; Punta del Este is known as a beach resort, but the Fasano aims to combine easy enough beach access with a sense of pastoral seclusion. Like a lot of other high-end hospitality developments it’s partially a residential project, and it’s no easy matter telling where the owners’ villas end and the hotel’s villas begin. This is a good thing, as the hotel experience, ideally, ought to be as similar as possible to the residential experience.

The look is clean and contemporary, both inside and out, and like all things Fasano, it pretty effortlessly radiates glamour. Particular highlights include a pool cut directly into a rock face, as well as a spa and fitness complex with another indoor pool. A new Fasano is going to get attention no matter what — for putting a new spin on a familiar destination, this one deserves particular mention.

How to get there:
Fasano Punta del Este is a two-hour drive from Carrasco International Airport in Montevideo. Private airport transfers can be arranged by the hotel.