José Ignacio

José Ignacio needs 2 days: the lighthouse and the original fishing village on one, and its Brava and Mansa beaches, with upscale beachfront restaurants, on the other. December-February is absolute peak season. It's very expensive, among South America's most exclusive beach destinations, with demand among wealthier travelers that has far outpaced neighboring Punta del Este. It went from a fishing hamlet to a fashionable destination for international high society in barely two decades, without losing its small-town scale or building high-rises, a deliberate point of contrast with Punta del Este.