ARGENTINA'S RIVIERA: MAR DEL PLATA & BEACHES FROM PINAMAR TO NECOCHEA

MAR DEL PLATA'S CENTER IN BACKGROUND


THE NEW SHERATON HOTEL-MY LAST STAY



AT THE SPA:

Mar del Plata - Argentina's Princess of the Sea/Princesa do Mar

OS COMENTÁRIOS APARECEM SÓ EM INGLÊS, MAS VEJA AS FOTOS. SE NÃO ABRIREM, CLIQUEM NO "REFRESH/ATUALIZAR" OU CLIQUEM 2X NA AREA DA FOTO NÃO EXIBIDA.

Mar del Plata was Argentina's first seaside resort, originally for the wealthy only. The Central Square with its elegant "Belle Époque" style Hotel and the Casino next to it in similar architecture attest to Mar del Plata's origins. In the early 20th Century -the time the resort was envisioned and built as a planned city, Argentina was one of the world's 4th or 5th richest countries.

As the Peronists came to power, Mar del Plata gained middle class and working class areas. Since the economy was so good, the middle class could afford elaborate summer apartments and beautiful beach chalets there, while the unions and syndicates built resorts for their workers' summer holidays there. At that time, actually up to the 1970s, the working class had a full month paid vacation with a beach apartment in Mar del Plata either in January or February also thrown in.

To the south, more middle class seaside towns like Necochea sprang up, and to the north, very exclusive "Hamptons" style communities were built, like Pinamar - still THE place for the richest Argentinians. Pinamar boasts summer palaces as sumptious as any place in the world. And it remains the premier spot for "Beverly Hills" type villas, unless the Argentinian family opts for Punta del Este- which is Uruguay, but practically part of Argentina.

Nevertheless, Mar del Plata remained in the middle of this resort area and is Argentina's Princess of the Sea. Many families that no longer would have the means of having the luxury of a beach home or apartment for two months out of the year, still have apartments and homes there.

After a period of decline, accompanying Argentina's decline as a country, Mar del Plata came back strong in the 1990s during the eleven year parity of the Peso to the US Dollar. Beautiful new villas, hotels, like the stunning SHERATON (above) with its wonderful golf course, were built, and infrastructure improved greatly - though the airport had already been redone for the 1978 Soccer World Cup held in Argentina, with Mar del Plata as one of the host cities. I recommend it for the European character of the place - a resort which resembles a North Sea Beach Resort with cool if not right ouit cold temperatures even in summer. January and February - the only two months of beach activity enjoy high temperatures rarely above 26C or 78F, and evenings average 12c or 48-50 Fahrenheit.

So, it's a cold summer beach resort in "usually tropical" South America. A very interesting place any time of year now, as non-beach activities have been added, a new Congress and Convention Center too; in fact, it has hosted important international summits lately. MDP is 400km (248 miles) South of Buenos Aires, and remains Argentina's most popular beach resort. It is a sleepy coastal town until mid-December when Porteños flock here (see above shot) through March for their summer vacation

Although not as luxurious as Uruguay's Punta del Este -- the beach favorite of many jet-setting Argentines -- Mar del Plata is closer to Buenos Aires and far cheaper to stay in. Its long, windy coastline offers crowded, tan-bodied beaches and quieter seaside coves as well as beautiful landscapes farther inland leading to the edge of the grassy Pampas. Within Mar del Plata, a number of high-rise developments, products of the Perón era, have sadly replaced much of the city's earlier charm.

However, some of the magnificent Frenchstyle residences, which housed Argentina's summer elites in the early 20th century, have been meticulously preserved as museums. Mar del Plata offers excellent nightlife in summer, when independent theater companies from Buenos Aires travel to this seaside resort and nightclubs open their doors to passionate Latin partygoers.

The months of December, January, and February are the most crowded, wild, and expensive for visiting. In March families with children and retired couples on vacation make up the bulk of visitors, taking advantage of a more relaxed atmosphere as well as a slight reduction in prices.

Many hotels and restaurants remain open year-round and though the weather is chillier, you will find people vacationing here on weekends and especially all through - since all sort of activities are planned for Argentina's Winter Vacation month of July, including children's activities, adult club parties, and fre shows as the one featuring Gloria Gaynor & top Argentine bands presented by soccer-star Maradona my last time in Mar del Plata.

BELOW ARE THE SHERATON'S RESTAURANTS

POPULAR WITH FAMILIES EVEN IN WINTER