Argentino Hotel
A grand building.
TaLu13 — CC BY 3.0 · Unknown — CC BY 4.0 · Andrés Franchi Ugart… — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Marcelo Campi — CC BY-SA 3.0
A quiet seaside town between hills and sea, founded by Uruguayan businessman Francisco Piria in the 1890s, who dreamt of a European resort in the style of the Riviera and built hotels, a castle and curious buildings, some of which still stand. The promenade runs along a calm bay with a sandy beach and palms, lined with elegant old buildings, the best known being the huge Argentino Hotel, opened in 1930 and once one of South America's largest, and the pink arches of the Paseo de la Pasiva. Behind the town rise green hills, including Cerro San Antonio with its chairlift and Cerro Pan de Azúcar. On the outskirts stands Piria's curious castle, where the founder lived. The town is very quiet outside summer and makes a good day trip from Montevideo or a stop on the way to Punta del Este.
A grand building.
Pink arches.
Behind the town.
Piriápolis seafront, about an hour and a half east of Montevideo
Yes, about an hour and a half by bus, combining the waterfront and Cerro San Antonio in one day.
