Elon Musk, Shakira and a Murdoch Jr have owned houses on this tiny peninsula just six blocks wide by six blocks long. But like so many of the beach towns in Uruguay Jose Ignacio started out as a fishing village
Noone knows for sure who the original Jose Ignacio was, but as far back as 1763 there was an estancia by that name in the vicinity. Development came at snail’s pace. In the 1970s electricity still hadn’t reached the village and a square foot of land cost just one dollar.
A haute-hippie hideaway
Today during high season a simple mid-century holiday home in this “haute-hippie hideaway” as one luxury travel writer called it can rent at 70,000 USD a week.
Despite this, we’re still in Uruguay. The streets are sandy and the service is slow and convivial. But there are chi-chi tea rooms, designer boutiques disguised as beach shacks, cube-like art galleries and a ‘Valet Parking’ sign at the beach.
Aerial view of José Ignacio © Jimmy Baikovicius
Permanent population of just three hundred
Jose Ignacio has a permanent population of just three hundred—and just 28 on the peninsula—but on a peak season weekend eight thousand people can flood into town. Where do they all stay?
With such demand on accommodation and street parking, development is creeping west. La Juanita is an adjacent forested barrio where some of the locals who can no longer afford the prices of Jose Ignacio are making their homes amongst the woodlands.
Rentals—a mix of hippie-chic modernist chalets and colourful containers (houses made out of shipping containers are all the rage)—are more accessibly-priced and there are a number of good restaurants attended by their owners next door to locals’ cottages surrounded by their barking dogs.
Strict regulations around building and commerce enforced by moneyed residents mean that Jose Ignacio is likely to extend its current status as the place to be for wealthy Europeans and North Americans into the future.
Cover photo: Jimmy Baikovicius
Related articles
5 amazing beaches in Rocha, Uruguay
Without a doubt, Rocha has some of the very best beaches in Uruguay. And they’re almost totally deserted for virtually ten months of the year.
Big Bang Nature Stays – Bohemian beach domes
A perfect destination for families & people looking to reconnect with nature —with luxury touches— on the ocean and one of Uruguay’s most deserted beaches.
Not just great culture. Montevideo has 10 fine beaches
The capital of Uruguay has beaches with fine white sand, great for paddling or swimming, kitesurfing, with fairgrounds, and wheel-chair access.
José Ignacio: Tiny Uruguay town turned world’s hot beach spot
First Argentina’s rich & beautiful, then the Hearsts and Rockefellers. Just how did a rocky Uruguay peninsula with dirt roads become a jewel of the jetset?
Punta del Diablo – where hippie meets hip
A fishing town with dirt roads is one of Uruguay’s most popular beaches. Is it the brightly-painted cabins, sweeping unspoilt beaches or the hippie-chic?
Atlántida – wide sandy beaches 30 miles from Montevideo
Fine white sands, pines, 2 mysterious structures – an eagle head & a world-reknowned church. The Uruguay beach of Atlantida is just 30 mins from Montevideo.
Cabo Polonio – Lost island in a sea of dunes
Deserted beaches, rocky islands heaving with baying seals & tiny colourful shacks. Cabo Polonio, Uruguay is unforgettable.
Il Tano Suites – 420-friendly Punta del Diablo hotel
Your suite with private deck, close to secluded beaches, next to Pdd’s best restaurant. Probably the best value of all Punta del Diablo hotels.
Where are the best beaches in Uruguay?
A secret for North Americans and Europeans, Uruguay’s beaches have been a favourite with Argentinians for years. So where are the best beaches in Uruguay?
Casa Flor – live the Uruguay coast like a local (VIP)
One of the very best hotels near Punta del Este, whose well-connected owners will give you access to the secrets of Uruguay’s coast most can only dream of.
Posada Lune de Miel – best value Punta del Diablo hotel
These impeccable, colourful cabins are the best value hotel you’ll find in Punta del Diablo. Just minutes from the beach with a lovely central pool.
José Ignacio – a billionaire playground with valet parking signs in the sand
Elon Musk and a Murdoch Jr have owned houses in tiny Jose Ignacio. But we’re still at the beach, in Uruguay. So streets are unpaved and service unhurried.
