Atlántida

Posted on July 16, 2007
Filed Under Places, Nature | 11 Comments

Atlántida is a resort town 45 km east of Montevideo with pretty beaches, tall shady trees and a small and charming downtown. In the early half of last century, it was the destination of the jet set, not unlike Punta is today. Nowadays however, it is just one more of many popular summer destinations for Uruguayan vacationers.

Atlántida has a year round population of 4,000 inhabitants but swells to many times that size in January and February. Since it less than an hour away from Montevideo, on weekends it receives bus loads of visitors from the capital and the surrounding areas. However, the balneario has a better infrastructure than might be expected from a small town: good restaurants, bars, several large supermarkets, small shops, cyber houses, telephone company, cable company, bus station, schools, policlinicas, etc.

Atlántida is also home of la Casa del Águila, a beach construction facing the water that resembles the head of an Eagle. From an architectural point of view however, the Iglesia de Lourdes with its wavy walls, built by Eladio Dieste, is far more interesting. It is located on the other side of the highway, away from the town.

Facing the downtown is the Playa Mansa, one of the most picturesque beach settings in the area. The old growth trees and the curved bay lend a post card look to the beach. Due to the geography of the Playa Mansa, you can watch the sun set over the water, like in Punta del Este. Because of that, almost everyday in the summer, you can observe the locals bring their mate, get together on the sidewalk facing the beach to talk with friends and watch the sunset.

The beaches extend towards the west until it becomes Villa Argentina and to the East, where it blends into Pinares de Atlántida, Las Toscas and Parque del Plata. Toward Parque del Plata the beaches have so many trees that make it very appealing for picnics or to tie a hammock. Further to the east, Parque del Plata is limited by the Arroyo Solis Chico. There, the river and ocean blend to produce a scenery that is quite beautiful. However, houses in that area are simple and spartan.

From Villa Argentina to Parque del Plata, the beaches are connected by a Rambla. Like in most places in Uruguay, no houses are allowed between the road and the water. So technically speaking, there are no houses “on the beach”. This may surprise North Americans accustomed to the concept of private beaches, but this is the norm in Uruguay. The result is that virtually every beach in the country is accessible to everyone. Every so often along the rambla, there are places where one can stop, park and have free, unencumbered access to the beaches. The water is much clearer than the beaches in Montevideo, however it is not blue.

Most of the streets in Atlántida are paved with asphalt, however as you go into the neighboring balnearios, only the main roads are paved. This lends a more rustic look to them. As in most balnearios, many house owners have dogs as a way to protect their property. Unfortunately, few of these dogs are chained and most are free to come and go as they please. This means that riding a bicycle or strolling randomly on foot can be challenging. Last summer after several encounters with unfriendly canines, we concluded that meandering aimlessly on a bicycle was a not a good idea.

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11 Responses to “Atlántida”

Futurexpat on July 16th, 2007 10:41 pm

All the beachfront in Chicago is public land as well. A good concept that I am glad to hear exists throughout all of Uruguay. A question: Just how far from the Rio de la Plata do you have to get before the ocean water turns blue?
Brazzie on July 17th, 2007 6:38 am

Hi Fururexpat, technically speaking the Rio de la Plata becomes ocean only east of Punta del Este. So the Rocha department is the only one that can claim to have Atlantic Ocean beaches.

However, depending on the wind the water can be fairly blue all the way to Montevideo.
urufish on July 17th, 2007 10:49 am

Brazzie’s right. Definition or not, the water is always blue around PDE.

The resort before it, Piria, has brown days when there’s a lot of rain up north.

From my house, I can see the currents and colours and the flow of the brown water is visible. It ends somewhere between Piria and Punta.

Past Punta, it’s true Atlantic, all the time.
urufish on July 17th, 2007 10:54 am

Brazzie’s right. It’s so rare to see a house on the beach, you remember every one.

The country is so picky about this, there have been several incidents where the municipality orders someone to tear down or remove something. A few years back, the hotel Argentino put up a very pretty micro restaurant across the road from it, on the rambla. Everyone liked it. But they had to remove it.

This is just one example. We’ve seen many over the years. Even if you build a house between the road and the water, you don’t own the beach. It’s still a public area.
Brazzie on July 17th, 2007 11:09 am

Interestingly, it is the same way in Brazil. Private beaches are illegal. So even if you have a house in front of the water, you cannot prevent other people from using the beach whenever they want.
juan del plata on July 17th, 2007 12:09 pm

that’s the way it should be.
juan
Harry on July 17th, 2007 5:18 pm

An interesting custom in Uruguay that’s enjoyable to join on the beach: As the setting sun starts to disappear below the horizon, everyone applauds.
Urufish on July 18th, 2007 9:05 am

I have 2 best beach memories.
1. The festival (forget the name) where everyone builds little boats in the sand and thousands of people come to the beach and stop by hundreds of groups of people celebrating the occasion.
2. Several hundred people on the beach and in the water at 2-3-4 am on very hot nights, standing around and talking to each other.
Ant on July 18th, 2007 5:52 pm

I have yet to experience an Uruguayan summer. I hope I stay here long enough for that.
urufish on July 18th, 2007 10:25 pm

You seriously dont want to miss summers here. It’s a totally different life. Uruguayans live outdoors… most days in the summer are clear blue skies, pleasant temperatures and very, very comfortable. It’s funny, but from memory, I recall that December and March are the months that bring the overly hot weather.. odd, but that’s what I remember. If you love lightning, you’ll love Uruguay. Lots of thunderstorm activity.
hugo on July 21st, 2007 9:41 pm

Urufish: The Celebration you are talking about is called “La Fiesta de Yemanja” ( Yoruba for Mother Godess” (Check this site http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yemanja)
I love it too and if I happen to be in Uruguay on February 2nd, I always go to la rambla and hang around.

Atlántida

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