José Ignacio, Uruguay

Bahia Vik José Ignacio

Price per night from$357.30

Price information

If you haven’t entered any dates, the rate shown is provided directly by the hotel and represents the cheapest double room (inclusive of taxes and fees) available in the next 60 days.

Prices have been converted from the hotel’s local currency (USD357.30), via openexchangerates.org, using today’s exchange rate.

Bahia Vik José Ignacio Photos

Style

Bohemian Rhapsody

Setting

South Atlantic sands

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With its unique, art-filled suites and pools set between the sand dunes, boutique hotel Bahia Vik José Ignacio echoes the free spirit of Uruguay’s hippest beach town. Sidestepping the paint by numbers approach, each room is as individual as the last, featuring striking patterns, bright contemporary design and bold, often oversized artwork by a host of national and international artists. Floor-to-ceiling windows frame the sweeping Atlantic views, but the design of the hotel also draws you out onto the dunes themselves, where you can dine on charcoal-grilled seafood and sip caipirinhas until the sun sets.

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Facilities

Photos Bahia Vik José Ignacio facilities

Need to know

Rooms

Thirty-seven suites.

Check–Out

Noon, but flexible, subject to availability. Earliest check-in, 3pm.

More details

Rates usually include breakfast, a spread of homemade bread and pastries; cereals; fresh fruit; local cheeses and freshly-ground coffee. The kitchen also whip up waffles and eggs to order.

Also

Guests can use all of the facilities at sister properties Playa Vik, a mere 500 metres away, and Estancia Vik, a 15-minute drive inland. Some activities do incur extra charges, but many are free.

Hotel closed

The hotel is closed from 1 August to 30 September.

At the hotel

Beach; gym; boutique; free WiFi throughout. In rooms: flatscreen TV; minibar; iPod dock; free bottled water.

Our favourite rooms

With artwork and furnishings that cycle through a spectrum of styles, each room is as individual as the next, so selecting a favourite is a matter of taste. The important thing is to make sure you’ve got one that makes the most of the dune-framed ocean view.

Poolside

There are four large infinity pools set into the dunes in front of the hotel, all with uninterrupted views of the ocean. Each is lined with dark stone, giving them a mirror-like quality at sunrise and sunset. Sunloungers with parasols are arranged on raised decks overhanging the water, and there are tables for alfresco dining nearby on the lawns.

Packing tips

With a gallery’s worth of local artwork and a beachfront location, this is the place to break out your most bohemian attire.

Also

The common areas are all wheelchair accessible, but there are no specially adapted rooms.

Children

All ages are welcome at the hotel. Babysitting is available for $40 an hour; a day’s notice is required when booking.

Sustainability efforts

The hotel has an eco-friendly outlook, making use of solar power and a water recycling system. The majority of the restaurant's ingredients are locally-sourced, too.

Food and Drink

Photos Bahia Vik José Ignacio food and drink

Top Table

We’re always partial to open-air dining, but at El Zodiaco, you can see the ocean (and dine beneath stars) when you’re sitting inside too.

Dress Code

Opt for an all-white outfit to achieve a striking contrast with your paint-swirled surroundings.

Hotel restaurant

Uruguayan-Mediterranean bistro El Zodiaco has enough windows to ensure you can see the ocean from every table, but you’re as likely to have your eye drawn heavenwards by Carlos Musso’s ceiling mural, which depicts the zodiac signs and various mythological muses against a deep blue background. You can also dine alfresco, taking your pick from the tables on the terrace or those set up by the pools. Executive chef Marcelo Betancourt likes to keep things local, using grass-fed beef from nearby ranches, fish caught just off the coast, and organic fruit and vegetables grown at sister property Estancia Vik. Not content with supplying half their own produce, the Vik group also have their own wine, made at their Chilean property in Millahue. Try a glass with the grilled baby squid with kidney beans or the braised lamb with broccoli, asparagus and gremolata – both are something of a speciality here. Right next door to the hotel is La Susana, another Vik creation. Quickly earning a reputation as the Uruguayan answer to Club 55 in St. Tropez, this cabana-covered restaurant is the place for grilled seafood and cocktails.

Hotel bar

Part of El Zodiaco, the bar serves hand-picked Uruguayan wines (including those from the Vik group’s own vineyards) and cooling classics like caipirinhas and frozen daiquiris.

Last orders

Breakfast is served from 8am to 11am; lunch from 1pm to 4pm; and dinner from 8pm to 11pm. The bar is open until 1am, but you won’t be shooed away if you’re still finishing your last round of drinks.

Room service

The full restaurant menu is available as room service from noon to 1am.

Location

Photos Bahia Vik José Ignacio location
Address
Bahia Vik José Ignacio
Ruta 10, KM 182.5
Jose Ignacio
20402
Uruguay

The hotel sits just outside José Ignacio, a laid-back beach town on Uruguay’s south east coast.

Planes

The closest airport is Punta del Este. International visitors will need to fly into Ministro Pistarini International Airport (EZE) in Buenos Aires, then transfer to the city’s domestic airport, Aeroparque Jorge Newbery (AEP), where you can catch a direct flight to Punta del Este. From there, it’s a 40-minute drive to the hotel. The other option is to fly into Montevideo, a two-and-a-half hour drive from José Ignacio. The Smith24 team can arrange your flights and transfers; call anytime, day or night.

Automobiles

José Ignacio is a compact town, but taxis can be scarce and there’s not much in the way of public transport, so a car will come in handy. The Smith24 team can arrange hire from either Montevideo or Punta del Este.

Worth getting out of bed for

There’s nothing quite like starting a day with a dip in the ocean, and it would seem almost rude not to when it’s made as easy as it is here, where you can roll out of bed, open your terrace door and stroll to water’s edge in under a minute. Beyond swimming, you can also take to the water on a sea kayak, catch your first waves on a surfboard or get airborne during a kiteboarding lesson. Experts in the local area, the concierge can also point you towards the most scenic routes for a bike tour or arrange for a private guide to take you into some of the region’s wilder landscapes, which are teeming with all manner of indigenous wildlife. Haras Godiva offer horse riding tours along the Atlantic coast, giving you the chance to fulfil any film-fueled fantasies of galloping along a pristine strip of beach – for added romance, opt for one of their full moon rides. Those looking to sample the local should pay a visit to Bodega Garzón, a sophisticated winery with a fine-dining restaurant, helicopter landing pad and even their own hot air balloon. A range of tours are available, with some including a full gourmet lunch and a tasting of their own olive oils and cheeses.

Local restaurants

Few restaurants are more in tune with José Ignacio’s boho leanings than Marismo, a beach-shack-style restaurant with simple wooden tables set out on the sand, surrounded by thick greenery and open-pit fires. Many come for the fish and steaks, which are sourced locally and grilled over charcoal or roasted in the wood-fired brick oven. Another beachside favourite is Parador La Huella, who’ve also made a name for themselves with their grilled fish; the sea bass and corvina are in particularly high demand.

Reviews

Photos Bahia Vik José Ignacio reviews

Anonymous review

By Mr & Mrs Smith

Every hotel featured is visited personally by members of our team, given the Smith seal of approval, and then anonymously reviewed. As soon as our reviewers have returned from this boutique stay in Uruguay and unpacked their local crafts bought from the hotel’s chic gift shop, a full account of their beach break will be with you. In the meantime, to whet your wanderlust, here's a quick peek inside Bahia Vik José Ignacio in Uruguay…

When it comes to emerging destinations, the founders of Vik Retreats – Alexander and Carrie Vik – aren’t a pair to miss the boat. Noticing that the in-crowd were beginning to shift their gaze from Uruguay’s coastal party town, Punta Del Este, to the tiny fishing village of José Ignacio 20 kilometers up the coast, they quickly set about creating a fitting home from home. With backgrounds in art and finance, they’re part of a discerning crowd, and this sleek, single-storey property delivers plenty of luxury with its stone-lined swimming pools, suite-only accommodation and a location as close to the ocean as you can get. And yet, they’ve also managed to stay true to the town’s bohemian soul, inviting artists from home and abroad to create vibrant pieces throughout the hotel, giving every suite a unique character and adding a touch of avant garde appeal.

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Price per night from $357.30

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