MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Punta del Este is summer dream for Argentine tourists

Punta del Este - Uruguay

Mar del Plata in Argentina is the cheapest summer resort in the Mercosur area while Punta del Este,in Uruguay and Rio do Janeiro, Brazil outstand as the dearest according to a report from Buenos Aires consultants Management & Fit published in the Sunday press.

The report compares average prices for lodging, food and leisure in the most attractive and reference resorts for Argentines for the coming season including Punta del Este, Rio do Janeiro and resorts in several Argentine provinces: Cordoba, Mendoza, Rio Negro and Buenos Aires. According to the poll prices in Mar del Plata are 25 to 35% below other resorts in the three categories. Mar del Plata is the most popular summer resort in Argentina while Curiló is considered the most expensive and exclusive. The report admits that Punta del Este and Rio do Janeiro figure as the most attractive for Argentine tourists, but it's not mass tourism. Lodging, food and leisure costs an average 463 US dollars per capita per day in Punta del Este and in Rio do Janeiro 313 US dollars. Flight fares from Buenos Aires to Mar del Plata average 173 US dollars; to Punta del Este 390 and to Rio do Janeiro 520 US dollars. However the best value for money can be found in Mar del Plata (seaside), Cordoba (central lakes and hiking) and Bariloche (Patagonia lakes and forests). For those planning to spend holidays in Argentina Mar del Plata ranks first with 23% followed by Cordoba, 20%; Bariloche, 18% and Salta, 15%. More specifically comparing three-star hotel rooms and an small flat for a family of four, Mar del Plata comes out as the cheapest with an average hotel fare of 100 US dollars per day; Punta del Este, 182; Rio do Janeiro, 202; Bariloche 119; Carilò, 138; Cordoba, 146; Buenos Aires, 199 and Mendoza, 113. Regarding flats Mar del Plata figures with 31 US dollars; Punta del Este, 200 USD; Rio do Janeiro, 120; Bariloche, 50; Curiló, 66; Córdoba, 44; Buenos Aires, 81 and Mendoza 56 USD. As to food, a simple meal of crumb breaded stake with chips costs 6 US dollars in Mar del Plata; 13 USD in Punta del Este; 37 in Rio do Janeiro; 6 in Mendoza; Bariloche, 7; Cordoba, 8; Cariló, 9 and Buenos Aires 10 US dollars. Punta del Este is Uruguay's top summer resort and probably the most renowned internationally on the continent's Atlantic coast.