Upscale, glitzy and proudly boasting the best ice cream and bife de chorizo (rump steak) in South America, urban Uruguay is seeing a quiet resurgence.
The capital Montevideo used to be a mighty modern city with the tallest building in South America and one of the busiest ports on the continent. That port's now a cultural centre, and most of the city's attractions like the antique shops and museums of the stately Ciudad Vieja hark back to the past.
The in-crowd's moved east to Punta del Este, a veritable Monte Carlo of a beach resort, complete with casinos, big yachts, real gold, fake tan and the Argentinian jet set. There are over 500kms of Atlantic beaches to choose from if this doesn't suit.
Life's lazier inland in the hilly meadows and glassy rivers. Bird life pulls the crowds in the eastern wetlands and tours for twitching enthusiasts can be arranged through the swamps and lagoons.
But the best of all are the estancias, the grand homes set in enormous working ranches where you'll have a chance to ride with gauchos and see your beef on the hoof.
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