Villa Gesell

Villa Gesell needs 2 days: the pedestrian Avenida 3, with craft fairs and nightlife until dawn, on one end, the quieter beaches of Mar de las Pampas or Mar Azul, 10 minutes away, on the other. December-March is high season, with a mostly young crowd. It's cheaper than its immediate neighbors Pinamar or Cariló. It was founded in 1931 by Carlos Idaho Gesell, who planted over 100,000 trees to fix the dunes in a method later replicated along the rest of the coast, and today it's one of young Argentines' favorite summer destinations.