Casapueblo, this gorgeous handmade cliffside Uruguayan hotel took 36 years to complete

Casapueblo, often regarded as the world’s most eccentric hotel, is a beachside-cliffside architectural marvel that took 36 years to complete. Located in Punta Ballena, nearly 13 km from Punta del Este in Uruguay, the property was home to the Uruguayan artist, also the creator of the building, Carlos Páez Vilaróm, before he passed away. This unusual building is not just a hotel but also serves as a museum, resident of the artist, an art gallery, and a cafeteria.

Unusual hotel, unusual location

The white Casapueblo building is set on Uruguayan beach-city celebrity-haunt of Punta del Este. The whole building was designed and built by hand and it took the renowned Uruguayan artist 36 years to finish this project. The local fishermen also helped him in completion of the property.
About the hotel
A look at the hotel’s setting will remind you of the white houses in Santorini, built around the Mediterranean. The property that took more than three decades to complete, features 13 floors and 72 apartments with staggered terraces offering breathtaking views of sunset on the waters of the Atlantic. The most unconventional thing that sets Casapueblo apart is that it was built completely by hand, without any architectural blueprint or plan. The architecture evolved with a serpentine-like layout which has no straight lines inside. So, you won’t see a single straight line here.

According to the official website of the hotel, the first thing that the artist built was a tin storage shed; after that, he created a wooden art studio. He kept expanding the building and adding rooms to it. He then covered the whole thing with cement, and designed it with his hands, just like a sculpture.

It’s quite interesting to see the hotel from inside as there are numerous bathrooms, kitchens and bars that are scattered and look unplanned. People would notice several nesting sites for birds inside. The website says that the artist who was also an ardent traveller, planned the house as a great sculpture for visitors to discover his work.
During his time, he would encourage performance of recitals, and several cultural events. Páez Vilaró believed that the house is “nourished by the energy of thousands of visitors who had passed and lived unforgettable moments”.

About the artist

Carlos Páez Vilaró lived and worked at Casapueblo till his last breath. He died at the age of 90 in the year 2014. Inside the museum, a sun ceremony (during sunset) takes place every day, and a recording is played, wherein Vilaró can be heard reading one of his poems dedicated to the sun.