Punta del Este is a very fancy place, its high season is only the first 15 days of January, its packed and full of VIP from Argentina and Brazil mainly. Nightlife, great DJs....but too fake for my taste. The rest of the summer is less packed and more relaxing. The good thing about it is that you can find the nightlife or look for a quiet beach. Its the Atlantic ocean...so the water can be a bit cold for those used to the Caribbean ;) On winter is empty, but very nice! Jose Ignacio is like 30km from Punta del Este, very relaxing...no stress, nice beaches.