Погода: Пунта-дель-Эсте, декабрь

Montevideo-forum regulars describe the summer here as hot and humid rather than Mediterranean - one long-running comparison puts it near a Toronto summer, with humidity into the high 70s - and December is where that season starts. It is also when the city's own beaches come alive: Pocitos is packed from December to early March, and the rambla runs more than 20km along the water, so the walk is as much the point as the sand. Out along the coast the resort towns fill from about 26 December, which is the week to book around rather than through. The record: 25.5C days feeling like 27C, 17.3C nights, 7.7 precipitation days, 11.9 hours of sun, a 23.9C river-sea and a 23 kph breeze.

Punta del Este's own forum is blunt about September: it's still cool, early spring weather here, and a good chunk of the restaurants, shops and beach clubs that make the town lively in summer simply haven't reopened yet. Posters describe it as close to a ghost town outside the December-to-February peak. The upside for anyone who does come is a quiet, dry stretch with a brisk coastal wind rather than a beach-holiday one - fine for a walk along the point or a day trip, just don't expect swimmable water or summer buzz.

Forum posters name March, alongside November-December, as one of the nicest windows here - still genuinely good beach weather without the crowded intensity of the January-February peak. Posters describe conditions as pleasant rather than 'crazy hot' like midsummer, cooling somewhat by the end of the month but still comfortable for beach days through most of it. The clear upside of visiting in March specifically: hotel prices drop noticeably from peak-season rates, and while some purely seasonal restaurants close for the year, posters say plenty of dining options remain open, especially around the peninsula, making it a favored shoulder-season choice for value-conscious visitors who still want real beach weather.