By Rafael Leick
After Montevideo, which celebrates sexual diversity even in a square, I used the rest of my vacation to explore other destinations in Uruguay.
I discovered experiences for those who like to get naked and even an LGBTQIA+ hostel in a secluded area worth visiting, all this on the east side of Uruguay, between Montevideo and Chuí, the Uruguayan connection with Brazil.
Before I go on this trip, I would like to recommend a visit to Colonia del Sacramento, which is on the west side of the country, about two hours from the capital.
It is a beautiful little town with Portuguese and Spanish influences that breathes charm. It is possible to make a round trip, but I chose to stay there for the night and did not regret it.
On the country’s eastern side, the focus of this column, the main destination, is Punta del Este. There is a lot of activity during the high season, which starts at the end of the year and reaches its peak in January and February.
It is a destination worth visiting by car because beyond the peninsula, where the main tourist attractions are located, everything is a bit far away, and public transportation will not always help you.
For example, to visit the Casapueblo museum, one of Punta’s main postcards located in the Punta Ballena region, you must rent a car or use an app.
But it is a beautiful visit, special to get to know the history, the work, and the house of the artist Carlos Páez Vilaró. It is worth visiting in the late afternoon to enjoy the sunset.
Integrated into the museum is the Casapueblo Hotel Club, where I stayed for one night. It is an incredible experience, and I recommend it.
Guests have a discount on the entrance to the museum.
After having a hearty breakfast at the hotel, it is a short drive to Chihuahua naturist beach, about 15 minutes away, closer than leaving the Punta del Este peninsula.
I will tell you more about the beach itself, but first, I want to tell you that this is where a naturist hotel exclusively for gay men is located and where I also stayed for two nights.
The Undarius Hotel was opened in 2013 by gay couple Mario and Francisco after a season in Barcelona and has the proposal to receive gay travelers – from Uruguay and abroad – in a cozy space with a boutique hotel face.
In almost all areas of the hotel, except for the restaurant and the reception, clothing is optional.
A garden with a lot of greenery gives some privacy to those in the pool area, which is heated to about 26º C.
The jacuzzi, next to the pool, has little plastic curtains that protect from the wind – it is worth mentioning that in Uruguay, the wind is always present – and gives even more privacy to those who want to enjoy their stay in other ways.
But it is an experience with a very libertarian proposal. All accommodations, arranged on an upper deck and the first floor, face the pool and the garden.
So whoever wants privacy has it, but whoever doesn’t, just don’t close the curtain and the door, if you know what I mean.
There are three types of rooms: the double, for a couple, is the most common. The double superior, the one I stayed in at the hotel’s invitation, has a second single bed in addition to the king-size bed and a workbench with a kettle, fridge, and kitchen utensils.
The third type of room is the shared hostel-style room. It is a double room; on one side are four beds and on the other are large individual lockers, a sitting area, the bathroom, and a double shower.
It is an ideal choice in the summer for those looking to party because the fun extends to the beach.
Chihuahua is a naturist beach, with nudity mandatory. Now, in October, when it is very cold, there are people dressed too, but because there is no way, it is too windy.
The beach has a wide strip of sand, as we are used to in Brazil.
On the right side, at least at this time, is where naturists found refuge among some vegetation to protect themselves from the wind and to be able to take off their clothes.
This Chihuahua resort has another naturist hotel not focused only on the gay public – El Refúgio. And from what I have been told, it is a very interesting area for the LGBTQIA+ community and straight-swinging couples.
In the summer, everybody is together on the beach and with a lot of mutual respect.
But this beach is not the only Uruguayan destination with an accommodation focused on the LGBTQIA+ public.
In Barra de Valizas, near Cabo Polonio, further east than Punta del Este is the Valizas Hostel, run by the super friendly couple Leonardo and Ruben.
Although I have been near there, I could not visit on this trip for purely logistical reasons in my itinerary.
But I want to return to the Rocha region, where both Barra de Valizas and Cabo Polonio are located, in the summer.
Then I will certainly visit this hostel, which is 100 meters from the sea and has a very fun and welcoming vibe, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, and a very mixed public of gay, trans, lesbian, bisexual, and, who knows, even straight people.
URUGUAY: A DESTINATION FOR LESBIANS
And do you know what I found most curious in all this? Valizas is a region far from the main tourist bustle of Uruguay, and even so, it has options for our community.
It is something that can be seen and felt everywhere.
Besides being very safe, without the insecurity that we feel with violence here, it is an extremely friendly country. I dare say it is one of the most friendly I have ever visited.
Even in other destinations like Colonia del Sacramento and in the eastern region, like the mystical Piriápolis or the isolated Cabo Polonio, the feeling of insecurity for being a gay man that I have felt in other countries simply did not exist.
Perhaps this is why I saw so many girl couples in all these destinations.
Beyond the LGBTQIA+ issue, lesbians still face insecurity for being a woman in many places.
And, being such a safe and welcoming country, the freedom to be who you are, and to show it publicly, increases.
With information from UOL