Fasano Punta del Este

Brazilian hotelier Rogerio Fasano took a gamble when he built Fasano Punta del Este 12 miles inland from Uruguay’s popular beaches. When guests enter the gates to the 1,200-acre property, they see cattle and horses grazing on expanses of pastureland. For the reception area, modernist architect Isay Weinfeld reinterpreted a Uruguayan chacra (ranch). Scattered throughout the property are 32 concrete bunker-style bungalows. The gaucho-meets-Mad Men interiors are furnished with vintage leather chairs and sheepskin area rugs. At day’s end, the infinity pool at the spa is the best place to take in the otherworldly sunsets. Doubles from $600. 598/(0) 4-267-0000. This appeared in the October 2013 issue.

Uruguay’s Punta del Este is legendary as the South American playground of the world’s jet set, who descend when winter has taken hold in the northern hemisphere. At Hotel Fasano Punta del Este, however, guests experience the pampas illuminated by starry skies and not the flashbulbs of paparazzi. The hotel sits on over 1,000 acres of land—the guests in the 20 bungalows have an area larger than New York’s Central Park to themselves. When the sun sets, guests can start their evenings in the hotel’s lounge, seen here, located in a building that dates from when the property was a private home. Like the newer bungalows, the building was designed by the acclaimed Brazilian architect Isay Weinfeld. Understated and contemporary, it defers to the dramatic rock landscape and the constellations of the southern night sky—the true stars of this evening show here. To experience Hotel Fasano Punta del Este, visit http://bit.ly/1DSFqXH