It might not have a Machu Picchu or an Iguazu Falls, but Uruguay is my favourite South American country, said Julia Buckley in The Times.
A place where it's exceptionally easy for visitors to find "cat- in-the-Sun contentment", a trip here is less about "bucket-list sightseeing" and more about enjoying "bucket-list bliss". Uruguay has gentle, green landscapes and huge Atlantic beaches. Montevideo, its capital, is "simpler, daintier, less highly strung" than its giant neighbour, Buenos Aires. And it has beautiful resort towns, excellent restaurants, and – the focus of my latest visit – remarkable wineries. These are not as famous as Argentina's or Chile's, but they are quite as good, and several have attractive hotels, allowing for a "heavenly" wine-lovers' tour of the country.
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Further along the Atlantic coast lies José Ignacio, an "upmarket" beach resort that is a "foodie heaven" (don't miss the tapas bar Solera; its owner has created a map of the country's wineries – see mapadelvinouruguay on Instagram). In the hills to the north, there's another "top-notch" winery restaurant, Viña Edén, and a great vineyard hotel, the Luz Culinary Wine Lodge – a "dreamy" place with eight rooms and a "baguette-slim" infinity pool.
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