The Interbalnearia

Pinamar takes its name from the surrounding pine forests that were planted among dunes by the town’s founder, Jorge Bunge, in the 1930s. This attractive setting is now somewhat overwhelmed, however, by the town’s mix of high-rise buildings and ostentatious chalet-style constructions. Long the favourite resort of the Porteño elite, in the 1990s the town became almost synonymous with the high-living lifestyle of the Menem era, and the exploits of the politicians and celebrities who holidayed here were staples of the gossip mags. Pinamar fell out of popularity for a while following the high-profile murder of a journalist here in 1997 and the economic recession, but it has bounced back with a vengeance, and it remains a hugely popular summer holiday spot, although it’s lost out to some of the smaller satellite resorts in the race to be crowned the most exclusive.

With its burgeoning popularity, Pinamar is no longer quite as exclusive as it once was, although by Argentine standards it remains fairly expensive. Its main street, Avenida Bunge, is a wide avenue flanked by restaurants and branches of the same boutiques that make up most of the capital’s malls. Bunge runs east to west through the town centre, ending at beachfront Avenida del Mar. Though the town itself has little to detain you, the beach is attractive, its pale sands dotted with delicate shells and, to the north and south of the centre, bordered by high dunes. Various companies offer excursions by jeep to the most dramatic section of dunes, where, during the summer, you can try sandboarding.

To the south, Pinamar stretches out along the coast, swallowing up the neighbouring resorts of Ostende and Valeria del Mar, tranquil places that can be easily reached as a day-trip, though they also have their own, interesting accommodation options.

Pinamar merges seamlessly with Ostende, Valeria del Mar and finally CARILÓ, the area’s most exclusive resort. While Ostende and Valeria del Mar effectively act as quieter barrios of Pinamar, Cariló has more of a separate personality, a fact made clear as Calle Bathurst, the paved main street of Valeria del Mar, abruptly turns to a sand track with a sign announcing the entrance to Cariló’s exclusive “parque” on Calle Divisadero. An idyllic pine forest full of luxury hotels, spas and designer shops, this is where Argentina’s rich and powerful come to get pampered, hidden away from the rest of society. While apart hotels and rental homes are a tasteful distance from each other, and development in the village is controlled by tight laws, the amount of new construction has spiralled in recent years – too fast for some locals – and you’re likely to hear the distance noise of building work among the tweeting birds.

Cariló nevertheless remains a tranquil place, albeit one significantly more expensive than other resorts nearby. If you can afford it, and don’t mind the rather snooty attitude of some of its regulars, its varied and thick vegetation, quiet, sandy streets and gourmet restaurants can make it a very agreeable destination. Stressed-out professional Porteños come to Cariló to desenchufarse (literally, unplug themselves), but if you fancy some activity, horseriding and polo lessons are possible at the Estancia Dos Montes (t02254/480045), just west of the village. Alternatively you can organize sandboarding on the plentiful dunes through Turismo Aventura (t02267/15676835) or whizz around the sand on a 4WD buggy with Buggycar (office in Pinamar; t02254/492809).

Separated from Cariló by a strictly off-limits nature reserve, VILLA GESELL is reached by taking the RP-11 a further 10km or so south. The town is named after its founder, Carlos Gesell, a mildly eccentric outsider of German descent. In 1931, Gesell bought a stretch of coastal land, largely dominated by still-moving sand dunes. After some experimentation, Gesell managed to stabilize the dunes by planting a mixture of vegetation including tamarisks, acacias and esparto grass. He sold lots, many of which were bought by Germans and Central Europeans escaping World War II. Gesell has a more laidback feel than some of its smarter neighbours, and it teeters on the edge of being run-down. The resort remains popular with the middle and working classes, plus teenage groups enjoying holidays away from their parents. Now largely developed, something of the bohemian feel that once distinguished it can be discerned in the small but fast-growing double resort of Mar de las Pampas and Mar Azul, 14km down the coast.

Villa Gesell is an amiable resort whose winding streets – many of them unsealed – do their best to defeat the order imposed by a complex system of numbered avenidas (which run parallel to the sea), paseos, calles and alamedas, designed by Gesell to follow the natural course of the land. The town’s main street is Avenida 3, the centre of its lively nightlife. At the northern end of town, and entered from Alameda 202, lies the Reserva Parque Cultural. Also designed by Gesell, the park’s wooded walkways offer welcome shade on hot days, and the dunes that separate it from the beach to the east are particularly good for sunbathing or picnicking. The house used by Gesell has been turned into a small Museo Municipal (summer daily 10am–8pm; winter Wed–Sat 10am–4pm; $1) dedicated to this pioneering family, who also own a famous Argentine chain of baby equipment.

The evocatively named MAR DE LAS PAMPAS, just south of Villa Gesell, is a haven of tranquil pine forests and pampas grass. The beach is not as deserted as you might expect, since it is easily accessible from Gesell, but inland you can lose yourself along sandy tracks that meander around dunes and woody valleys. The pine forest setting is not dissimilar to Cariló, although the resort retains a less snobby, more down-to-earth feel – for now. There is no real gap between it and MAR AZUL, distinguished from its neighbour only by its more regular lanes and lesser development. The two are currently enjoying a reputation for maintaining the bohemian spirit of Villa Gesell, with blues musicians playing at local pub Mr Gone on Mar Azul’s main drag, Avenida Mar del Plata, and Blue Beach, a balneario, cultivating a chilled-out atmosphere, although the resorts are all a bit too VIP to be truly counterculture.