Waterfront on Lake San Roque

Comfortable clothes and footwear and a bottle of water got us ready to set out along the lake waterfront. Hundreds of cars would go up and down the street, but we were alert to see what the shore was to show us. First: the San Antonio River and then the huge lake that gives life to Villa Carlos Paz, a city constantly insisting on renovating its activities.

A few years ago, the Port San Roque project made it possible to refurbish the waterfront and turn it into a clean site devoted to lake activities. The encouraged constructions did not thrive and urban development continued to be enjoyed both by citizens and visitors in a high-quality promenade.

We zigzagged along the coastline. Intensely green areas with grass, palm trees and tree groves gave us the strength we needed to walk on and sheltered us in their shade whenever we wished to stop.

Puerto San Antonio is a motley set of sport activities, very nice private residences and neat well-equipped restaurants and steak houses. It is fantastic to sit down in front of a bife de chorizo as we let the lake send us its natural message!

Many sportsmen in different water disciplines find here their place in the world. Kitesurfing, for instance, consists in a sail propelled by the wind while the body slides on a board on the water surface. The most expert surfers manage to jump up in the air.

We resolved to make a stop and we were just in time to see the catamaran passing by. The passengers waved at us as a way of exchanging summer impressions. Where do the motorboats set sail? This is a curious fact: it all depends on the level of the San Antonio River waters.

The fields and courts surrounding the sports center may be used freely, even by those who come from other locations. Many people keep on practicing sports even on vacation.

We continued our way along the waterfront and got past one of the classiest and largest hotels: Portal el Lago. In the meantime, that feeling of being in Brazil or the Caribbean persisted in us due to the presence of the palm trees on the beach.

We began to spot the nautical clubs and the colorful sails of the sailing boats in the water. One of the beach clubs summoning many people in the summer is called Bahía del Gitano.

Already tired, we called it a day. We sat down and watched young passer-byes on all kinds of wheels: roller skates, motorbikes, bicycles, etc. Some people who had parked their cars there were watching the motorboats set sail while sitting on their folding chairs. The viewpoints on the beach are ideal to behold the scene during a summer afternoon, as the sun sets. The presence of street lamps turns this green space into the chosen site for some stroll on fresh summer nights. Some benches invite visitors to sit down and have a break.

The waterfront continues into the so-called “Hundred Bends” and the chance to go on a complete ride around the lake. But we left that experience for another day...