Playa Grande

When doctor Pedro Olegario Luro and a handful of investors developed Playa Grande in 1912, Argentina’s elite were already seeking quieter stretches of Atlantic coastline away from the increasingly crowded city beaches. By the 1920s, hotels and restaurants began lining the shore. Exclusive social clubs and venues emerged, offering dinner, dancing, and ocean views for the patrician families who vacationed there. Mar del Plata earned the nickname “the Biarritz of South America” for good reason: this wasn’t just a beach, it was a marker of status.

Today, Playa Grande stands as the epicenter of Mar del Plata’s surf scene, an upscale area of chic beach clubs, trendy restaurants, and lively nightlife. The aristocrats got their waves, and everyone else eventually got them too.