PINAMAR , 80km south of San Clemente, takes its name from the surrounding pine forests, planted amongst dunes, by the town's founder, Jorge Bunge, in the 1930s. This attractive setting is somewhat overwhelmed, however, by the town's mix of high-rise buildings and ostentatious chalet-style constructions. Long the favourite resort of the Porteño elite, in the 1990s the town became almost synonymous with the high-living lifestyle of the Menem era and the exploits of the politicians and celebrities who holidayed here became a staple of gossip magazines such as Caras and Gente . In 1997, however, photo-journalist José Luis Cabezas was found assassinated on the outskirts of town after covering a society party. Though the major ramifications of the Cabezas case have been political, a side-effect has been to tarnish Pinamar's image and through the late 1990s the town struggled to recoup its lost cachet.

Despite all this, Pinamar remains a resort for Argentina's privileged. The spending power of its habitués is pretty evident along its main street, Avenida Bunge . A wide avenue flanked by glamorous boutiques and small shopping malls, Bunge runs east to west through the town centre, ending at the beachfront Avenida del Mar. Though the town itself has little to detain you, the beach is more attractive than San Clemente's, its pale sands littered with delicate shells and, to the north and south of the centre, bordered by high dunes. To the north of the centre lies an exclusive residential district set amongst pine forests where you can go horseriding ; enquire at Palenque La Tradición, Av. Enrique Shaw and Juncal (tel 0660/428035; $10 per hour). There are also various companies offering excursions by jeep to the most dramatic section of dunes, where you can try sandboarding . Try Werner Excursiones at Bunge 486 (tel 02254/487951) or enquire at the Liverpool bar, Bunge 369.

To the south, Pinamar merges seamlessly with neighbouring OSTENDE , a much quieter resort, which in turn segues into down-to-earth VALERIA DEL MAR , which has been running a popular carnival for the last few years, with visiting carnival groups from Guayleguaychú and nationally famous bands such as Memphis La Blusera. The final resort on this stretch is CARILÓ , the most exclusive of resorts with bijou shopping malls and luxury holiday homes set amongst pine forests: accommodation here is predominantly timeshare or private rentals. The local Montemar bus from the corner of Bunge and Libertador in Pinamar connects all four resorts or you could simply stroll along the beach, which runs for some 10km without interruptions past all of them.