Waterfront Living for $40,000 in Uruguay’s Next Boom Town

Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2008

Read more about Uruguay in International Living Postcards—your daily escape

Dear International Living Reader,

Four years ago, Fray Bentos had the charming feel of a waterfront town that was left back in time. But not anymore. It’s still charming…but it’s now at the leading edge of Uruguay’s prosperity.

Fray Bentos is perched on the banks of the four-mile-wide Uruguay River. Tall sycamores shade its nicely maintained plazas, and the large waterfront park is lush, green, and cheerful.

During a recent research trip, as I walked the town’s quiet streets, enjoyed some fine waterfront dining, and spent a lazy afternoon swimming and sunning on the nearby beach at Las Cañas, I found that the town had a whole different feel than it did four years ago, thanks to the giant new paper plant constructed here by Finnish company Metsa-Botnia about a mile outside of town.

I pass many people speaking English, as almost all of the plant’s Finnish employees and their families seem to speak it. I even found an English-Spanish bilingual high school, which is quite rare in Uruguay.

On the property front, I saw a two-bedroom, one-bath house right on the main street (18 de julio) only a block from the river and riverside park. It was offered by Inmobiliaria Buzo, and you can contact the company at +598 (99) 563-473 or by writing to BuzoyCia@gmail.com. The asking price was $55,000.

In the center of town, just a block in from the water, we found a colonial house for sale with four bedrooms, one bath, fireplace, and a nice interior yard. The asking price was just $40,000, and you can contact the owner at lili_1785_07@hotmail.com for more details.

One of Fray Bentos’s signature properties is a large, impressive white two-story home directly on the rambla facing the river and waterfront park. It has three bedrooms, three baths, a two-car garage, and even a separate apartment that could be rented out. The asking price is $270,000, and it’s listed with Buzo (above). This house was in excellent condition.

Near Las Cañas (the beach area mentioned above), we found a two-story, attractive yellow house with a clay tile roof. It turned out to be three apartments in one house, used as rentals for the nearby beach. The asking price is $40,000, also offered by Buzo.

If you’re in the market for a rental, see www.fraybentos.com.uy for loads of beachfront rentals in Las Cañas.

The change in the character of Fray Bentos is amazing. Just about everyone you see has a new, positive air about them and things are improving everywhere. When you come to visit Uruguay, Fray Bentos is certainly a waterfront town that should be on your itinerary.

Lee Harrison
Roving Latin America Editor, International Living

Editor’s Note: Learn more about Fray Bentos and another town that is set to boom in 2009, plus everything you need to live and invest in Uruguay in our new and updated Uruguay: The Owner’s Manual. Go here to order today.

Read related IL Postcards:

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- Ocean-view Homes for Less Than $100,000 in a World-class Beach Resort

- Uruguay: Capital Living for $69,000