Tranquil coastal towns, chic beach getaways, lazy lunches and cutting-edge wineries

The smallest country in South America and the only one entirely outside of the tropics, Uruguay is one versatile jewel, whether you seek unspoiled coastline or scenester beach clubs, eccentric hotels designed like giant sculptures or saddling up for a horse ride with a gaucho. It’s the perfect destination both for a lover’s jaunt or a relaxed family holiday.

One of the most liberal and progressive countries in the world, it has an even more laid-back culture than its popular neighbours. Its beaches are idyllic, its wineries sleeker and more under-the-radar, and its crumbly colonial towns quieter and more understated.

Whether your aim is to work on your tan on Uruguay’s cobalt coasts, take a road trip to hippy villages and surfing hotspots, ride horses across the pampas plains or simply settle in to a rustic estancia for a lengthy asado lunch, wherever you go, we can assure you it will be “muy tranquilo.”