See the Ocean From Your Porch 
International Living Postcards--your daily escape Friday, Oct. 14, 2005
Piriápolis, Uruguay Dear International Living Reader, If Uruguay has been known for anything during the last 50 years, it would have to be its wide, sandy, world-class beaches on the South Atlantic. The dazzling resort of Punta del Este has been a playground of wealthy Europeans, Argentines, and Brazilians since the 1940s. With its popular beaches, casinos, high-rise hotels and perhaps the highest concentration of fine restaurants in the country, Punta del Este is, for some, hard to resist. If, like me, you love the beach, but can do without all the intensity of places like Punta del Este, the little-known town of Piriápolis could be exactly what you're looking for. It may be "little-known" to us North Americans, but in Uruguay, Piriápolis is renowned as the ideal town for beaches, restaurants, and boardwalk, with an atmosphere that conjures up images of the old New Jersey seashore towns of the 1950s. Plus, it's within an easy half-hour drive of Punta del Este in one direction, and about an hour from Montevideo's theater, restaurants, and big-city conveniences (including the airport) in the other. The property prices are attractive, too--I'm looking for an oceanfront property and I've found a couple in Piriápolis that caught my attention. One was a restored 1,400-square-foot, three-bedroom, two-bath, A-frame house, with spacious servants' quarters. It also has the mandatory Uruguayan parrillada grill out back and a nicely groomed yard. It's located on a small dead-end beachfront road with nothing but sand, water and dunes for a front-porch view. The asking price is $80,000, contact Marcelo of Pedro Gava Realty at info@pedrogava.com, website: http://www.pedrogava.com. The other house was a large, three-bedroom, two-bath colonial-style home, the type you typically find in Montevideo, which somehow found itself out here on San Francisco beach 50 years ago. It's not beachfront, but it does have an unobstructed beach and ocean view, and a nice deck. I felt this house needed about $15,000 put into it, but in the end you'd have a unique 2,700-square-foot home. The asking price is $95,000, but I found out that the owner had previously agreed to accept $63,000 on a deal that fell through, so that's the number for me. The agent for this house is Fernando Kowss, of Kowss Brothers Realty, e-mail kowsshnos@adinet.com.uy. Lee Harrison
For International Living P.S. In case you're wondering, Piriápolis has no Greek connection--the town was founded in 1893 by Argentine Francisco Piria…hence the "town of Piria." Editor's note: Lee Harrison is on a mission, searching for the perfect beach retreat in Latin America. For the story so far, click here. Also see: - Your place in the sun--how to own a gold mine even if you only have a grub stake. - Everything you need to know about relocating to and buying real estate in Uruguay and Argentina. - The good life on the cheap on the Riviera of South America.
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