Lying 85km east from Bahía Blanca, MONTE HERMOSO is the major resort for the far south of Buenos Aires Province. The beach here runs east to west and - consequently it and nearby Pehuén-Có are the only resorts in the province where the sun rises and sets over the sea. This geographical phenomenon and the town's hilly streets aside, there's little to distinguish Monte Hermoso from anywhere else on the coast. It's a passable place to get a taste of Argentinian beach life but has neither the buzz of bigger resorts nor the sleepy charm of quieter places, while its potentially attractive beach is somewhat marred by the dreary urban costanera which sprawls for several kilometres along the front. Monte Hermoso's beaches are washed by currents from Brazil - adding a few welcome degrees of warmth but also bringing tiny but potent jellyfish which can be a real nuisance, especially when they turn up en masse; you'll know when they're around as most bathers keep out of the sea. Those keen on archeology may be interested to know that three archeological sites have been discovered in the vicinity of the town: they consist of human footprints dating from around 5000BC that have been embedded in the sediment of the beach, formerly the site of a lake, some 6km along the beach to the west. More information on the sites can be obtained from the staff at the local Museo de Ciencias Naturales on the Avenida Costanera between Avenidas Patagonia and Dufaur (Dec-Feb daily 5pm-9pm; March-Nov Sat & Sun only, same hours); the museum itself consists of a pretty unremarkable collection of locally found dinosaur bones. The town's unusual lighthouse, the Faro Recalado , is an openwork structure towering seventy metres above the resort: beyond it lies the quiet, predominantly residential resort of SAUCE GRANDE - where there is a municipal campsite and less developed beaches, though little else. About five buses a day run to Sauce Grande from Avenida Faro Recalado, one block east of the bus terminal.