Punta del Este: the demolition of the iconic hotel and casino San Rafael has begun

The dismal facades, the wood of the exposed roofs after the fall of the tiles and the spooky halo that surrounded the
Hotel San Rafael, which was one of the emblems of the explosion of the

East Point,

They began to be demolished to build a replica of the Tudor-style building, inaugurated a little over 70 years ago.

The hotel and casino San Rafael were inaugurated on December 11, 1948 in the ravine Lorenzo Batlle Pacheco, at the height of stop 11 of Brava Beach. It took three years of construction for the imposing central body, which had begun to be demolished and that had been designed by architect Octavio De Los Campos, inspired by European palaces.

The reason for the demolition of the complex, which was closed five years ago, is mega-entrepreneurship
by Giuseppe Cipriani, the Italian entrepreneur originally from the Residences Cipriani Ocean Resort Club.

The venue will become a luxury development with first clbad accommodations, a casino, a theater, fountains, a spa, a convention center, a gazebo and an underground tunnel leading to the sea. The first stage of the work, which has begun in recent days, consisted of demolishing the original construction to make an exact replica, which will be flanked by three buildings, including a 67-storey.

"The beautiful hotel had 150 rooms that communicated with each other to form apartments of two or more rooms, featuring a private bathroom, hot water and telephone, a sumptuous lobby. 360 meters, comfortably landscaped, a solarium, a bar, two dining rooms, a
small golf and a sports center for children. He also had a ballroom and a party that became famous, called The Carrousel, "he recalled.
THE NATION Fernando Cairo, historian and deputy director of culture of Maldonado.

This last room was designed to be one of the jewels of the place, with unique objects and great value. Orchestras, ballets and internationally renowned artists such as George Ulmer, Joe Cocker, Vinicius de Moraes, Rod Stewart, El "Puma" Rodriguez, Carmen Maura and Billy Idol would go through his big stage.

Once rebuilt, the hotel's rooms will give rise to luxurious apartments such as Italian marble, German kitchen appliances and first-clbad services.