Project of the Week: Cipriani Ocean Resort and Club Residences Punta del Este

Historic hotel conversion

The 186,200 gross sq m development is taking shape on the site of the traditional Tudor style San Rafael Hotel, creating a faithful reconstruction of the iconic building which launched the beachside community into the destination it is today.

Initial plans when the project was first announced in 2018 called for 99 hotel keys, but the number has changed several times throughout the last few years, with the current reckoning being 80 guestrooms.

Residential records

Alongside the hotel there will also be a residential element to the resort, contained in three spectacular residential towers, ranging from 30 to 60 floors.

The tallest tower will be the highest in South America, rising to a height of around 320 m, with the skyscraping trio boasting more than 280 housing units.

Resort amenities

Both hotel guests and resort residents will have access to a wide range of luxury amenities onsite. These are headed by two own-brand Cipriani restaurants, offering an authentic Italian cuisine menu with a modern twist and the highest quality ingredients.

Furthermore, located directly on the beach, a beach house will offer the most exclusive services in Punta del Este to the resort’s guests and owners.

Entertainment and wellness

For entertainment, a casino will occupy the space of the former hotel’s basement area, while guests and owners can also enjoy themselves at a 1,000-seat theatre, a screening room with cutting-edge audio/visual equipment, covered paddle courts, a bowling lane, a bouldering wall, a skate bowl, the Cipriani Surf Club, a surf school and shop, and a golf simulator.

Wellness facilities will include indoor and outdoor swimming pools, a state-of-the-art gym with meditation and yoga rooms, a holistic spa with sauna and treatment rooms and a private salon available to be reserved for personal beauty services.

Meeting and shopping

Events provision will encompass a conference centre, a ballroom and a luxurious lounge for special events and intimate gatherings exclusive to residents.

Meanwhile the onsite offerings are rounded out with a luxury retail area, a children’s playroom and kids club, more than 260 underground parking spaces, charging stations for electric vehicles, and high speed internet access in all public areas.

Project partners

The entire project, combining history with timeless luxury and service, has been designed by renowned Uruguayan architect Rafael Viñoly, and features unique interior details by Florentine architect Michele Bönan.

The residences are the vision of designer Hassen Balut, with kitchens designed especially for Cipriani and marble floors imported from Italy. All residences have ocean views of Playa Brava or Playa Mansa, spacious 3.6-m-high ceilings, and private terraces for half-floor, full-floor and duplex units.

Local construction firm Norte Construcciones has already begun the reconstruction of the hotel and the casino, which is scheduled for completion in Q4 2025, and then the build will move onto the residential towers.