Pros and Cons of Living in Punta del Este

What are the pros and cons of living in Punta del Este?

Expats, digital nomads and retirees living in Punta del Este responded:

"In Uruguay, the natural environment remains relatively very clean and intact with diverse wildlife everywhere: I love it! World class beaches, water sports, and infrastructure--especially restaurants--as well as top notch housing and fiber-optic internet round out my lifestyle here. Fresh organic food is easily and cheaply available, along with clean drinking water. Some grocery stores are as good as any I had in San Francisco, although certain brands may not always be available, while other European brands seem more widely available here. Known for their easy-going, chill-nature, Uruguayaos are mostly very well educated but prioritize just-living life and having fun, rather than always working--which some expats from high-stress center countries may well have a hard time getting used to, especially if you bring high expectations or feel entitled to being treated like royalty, as you hire people to do things you want done for you. The attitude towards time among most locals is, well...flexible: few wear watches and when they say they'll come at a specific time, they often mean they'll be leaving wherever they are at to 'come' to meet you when they get there...so if you don't get too fixated on deadlines in general, you'll see them, unless it's raining...in which case they will just assume you already know you won't be seeing them, since it's raining...so communicating that to you is, well...redundant. I find that the locals will work hard when they work, but the day starts relatively late, there's a lot of talking--part of living well, amicably--ends early, and oh yeah, there's a two hour lunch break in the middle of the day..so, en la tarde means sometime after 2pm. Yes, life IS very chill here...if you come, I advise you to leave your high-pressure, high-stress tendencies behind and take your time to learn how lucky you are to be where you are. Expect ready welcoming smiles, patient help with your Spanish, lots of laughter, and more just-living-well than always doing or working. Yes, the localsDO love to laugh, at everything...including at themselves...as well as my Spanish-language travails--Espanol de Rio Platanese is pretty different than West Coast Spanish. All the smiles and laughter is routine and completely fine, unless one takes ones-self too seriously--I just laugh along with them! They also really love dogs, cats, and animals in general and they will oooh and aww at my little dog everywhere I take her. The locals are ALL about family, friends, big gatherings of all ages at home or at the beach, playing games, living the good life, not being in a hurry, yes also doing what's really necessary but not too carefully or quickly...finding the easiest path to get it done--with a band-aid, a rubberband, and bubblegum sometimes--especially during vacation holiday's like Carnival, where the whole country comes to the beach and parties off and on for two months! Generally, the roads and other infrastructure are excellent and work as well as anywhere. So, if easy, safe, natural, wholesome, interesting, fun LIVING is what you're looking for, you'll love this country," said one expat in living in Punta del Este, Uruguay.

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