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Some nine blocks to the southeast of Plaza San Martin lies Playa Bristol , Mar del Plata's most famous beach. Together with neighbouring Playa Popular, just to the north, these are the city's busiest beaches and in high season their blanket coverage of beach tents and shades is reminiscent of a strange nomadic settlement. At the centre of the bay formed by these two beaches you will find the Rambla Casino whose monumental red and white buildings, the casino and the former Hotel Provincial , vie with Buenos Aires' Obelisco as Argentina's most recognizable cityscape. Follow the bay round to the southeast and you will come to a promontory, known as Punta Piedras, crowned by another of the city's landmark buildings, the Torreon del Monje . This "monk's tower" is a perfect example of Mar del Plata's peculiar brand of fantasy architecture, which at times makes the city look like a toy village; built as a folly in 1904 by Ernesto Tornquist, the tower looks a little overwhelmed by its neighbours these days, but you can still get a great view of Playa Bristol and the Rambla Casino from its confiteria. Some eight blocks southwest of Playa Bristol, and worth a detour, is the charming art gallery, the Casa de Madera , at Rawson 2250 (Tues-Sun 7-10pm; tel 0223/495-2317; dabain@mdp.edu.ar ). Surrounded by a pretty garden, this white-walled and green-shuttered wooden building was constructed using prefabricated materials brought from Sweden in 1909, much like the better-known Villa Victoria. The gallery has a good selection of paintings, prints and sculptures on display by mostly local artists; the building itself has recently been protected by the municipalidad.
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