A balneario (

Portuguese spelling Portuguese orthography is based on the Latin alphabet and makes use of the acute accent, the circumflex accent, the grave accent, the tilde, and the cedilla to denote stress, vowel height, nasalization, and other sound changes. The diaeresis was ...

: balneário) is an

Iberia The Iberian Peninsula (), ** * Aragonese and Occitan: ''Peninsula Iberica'' ** ** * french: Péninsule Ibérique * mwl, Península Eibérica * eu, Iberiar penintsula also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in southwestern Europe, defi ...

n and

Latin America Latin America or * french: Amérique Latine, link=no * ht, Amerik Latin, link=no * pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...

resort town A resort town, often called a resort city or resort destination, is an urban area where tourism or vacationing is the primary component of the local culture and economy. A typical resort town has one or more actual resorts in the surrounding ...

, typically a

seaside resort A seaside resort is a resort town, town, village, or hotel that serves as a Resort, vacation resort and is located on a coast. Sometimes the concept includes an aspect of official accreditation based on the satisfaction of certain requirements, suc ...

, and less commonly along the shores of lakes and rivers or next to

hot spring A hot spring, hydrothermal spring, or geothermal spring is a spring produced by the emergence of geothermally heated groundwater onto the surface of the Earth. The groundwater is heated either by shallow bodies of magma (molten rock) or by circ ...

s. In

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

, balneario typically only refers to

spa town A spa town is a resort town based on a mineral spa (a developed mineral spring). Patrons visit spas to "take the waters" for their purported health benefits. Thomas Guidott set up a medical practice in the English town of Bath in 1668. H ...

resorts. These resorts offer recreation, sports, entertainment, food, hospitality and safety services, retail, and cultural events. These balneario towns are characterized by being flooded by masses of tourists during the summer seasons. Playa Reñaca

History

The word "balneario" comes from

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

"balnearĭus" and initially from Greek "balneae" from Greek βαλανεῖον ''balaneion, - "bath, bathing room". Balnearios may be as simple as a beach or as complex as a

planned city A planned community, planned city, planned town, or planned settlement is any community that was carefully planned from its inception and is typically constructed on previously undeveloped land. This contrasts with settlements that evolve ...

. Mexico's

Acapulco Acapulco de Juárez (), commonly called Acapulco ( , also , nah, Acapolco), is a city and major seaport in the state of Guerrero on the Pacific Coast of Mexico, south of Mexico City. Acapulco is located on a deep, semicircular bay and has bee ...

and

Puerto Vallarta Puerto Vallarta ( or simply Vallarta) is a Mexican beach resort city situated on the Pacific Ocean's Bahía de Banderas in the Mexican state of Jalisco. Puerto Vallarta is the second largest urban agglomeration in the state after the Guadala ...

are balneario city-destinations, for example, while

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

San Alfonso del Mar San Alfonso del Mar, sometimes spelled "San Alphonso del Mar", is a private resort in Algarrobo, Chile, about west of Santiago. Facilities * 1,200 second home units. * Sub-Acqua Café Aquarium, located on the edge of the artificial lagoon. * ...

is a more planned resort community and its

Viña del Mar Viña del Mar (; meaning "Vineyard of the Sea") is a city and commune on central Chile's Pacific coast. Often referred to as ("The Garden City"), Viña del Mar is located within the Valparaíso Region, and it is Chile's fourth largest city w ...

a city that also happens to be a balneario. Balnearios are characterized by having beaches and hot climates, being seasonal destinations, attracting foreign tourists, and having boom periods surrounding festivals. The word comes from Spanish, and the difference between a "''playa'' (beach) and a balneario is the services provided at the balneario.

Playa versus balneario

A beach is simply a stretch of shoreline, usually sandy, while a balneario has amenities.balneario entry
''

Real Academia Española The Royal Spanish Academy ( es, Real Academia Española, generally abbreviated as RAE) is Spain's official royal institution with a mission to ensure the stability of the Spanish language. It is based in Madrid, Spain, and is affiliated with ...

'' playa entry
Real Academia Española It is a specific recreational destination with features such as bathrooms, lifeguards, changing rooms, and picnic tables.
/ref>

Famous balnearios

Angra dos Reis Angra dos Reis (; Portuguese for ''cove'' or ''bay of the Kings'') is a Brazilian municipality located in the southern part of the state of Rio de Janeiro. The city is located by the sea and includes in its territory many offshore islands, the l ...

, Brazil *

Armação dos Búzios Armação dos Búzios (, ), often referred to as just Búzios, is a resort town and a municipality located in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is 173 km east of the city of Rio de Janeiro. By 2020, its population consisted of 34,477 i ...

, Brazil *

Balneário Camboriú Balneário Camboriú () is a coast beach city in the Brazilian southern state of Santa Catarina. The city, with its steep hills dropping down to the sea, is popular amongst South Americans. The main ocean boulevard is called ''Avenida Atlânti ...

, Brazil * Copacabana/

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...

Florianópolis Florianópolis () is the capital and second largest city of the state of Santa Catarina, in the South region of Brazil. The city encompasses Santa Catarina Island and surrounding small islands, as well as part of the mainland. It has a populat ...

, Brazil *

Fortaleza Fortaleza (, locally , Portuguese for ''Fortress'') is the state capital of Ceará, located in Northeastern Brazil. It belongs to the Metropolitan mesoregion of Fortaleza and microregion of Fortaleza. It is Brazil's 5th largest city and the t ...

, Brazil * Guarujá, Brazil * Ilhabela, Brazil * Ilhéus, Brazil *

Itacaré Itacaré is a Municipalities of Brazil, municipality in the Cocoa bean, cocoa zone of the state of Bahia in Brazil, south of Salvador, Brazil, Salvador. Location Itacaré is located 70 km north of Ilhéus where the Rio de Contas, which comes ...

, Brazil *

Jijoca de Jericoacoara Jijoca de Jericoacoara () is the northernmost municipality in the Brazilian state of Ceará, near the city of Cruz. It is known for its eponymous beach and national park. It is served by Jericoacoara airport, which opened in 2017. Name The word ...

, Brazil *

Luís Correia Luís Correia is one of the four coastal cities of Piauí, Brazil. The municipality contains part of the Delta do Parnaíba Environmental Protection Area, created in 1996. The municipality also contains part of the Serra da Ibiapaba Environmenta ...

, Brazil *

Mar del Plata, Argentina Mar del Plata is a city on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. It is the seat of General Pueyrredón district. Mar del Plata is the second largest city in Buenos Aires Province. The name "Mar del Plata" is a sh ...

Maragogi Maragogi is a municipality in the Brazilian state of Alagoas, 125 km north of the capital city of Maceió. It has 33,032 inhabitants, a city situated on the northern coast of Alagoas state, Brazil, being the easternmost city of that state. ...

, Brazil *

Costa do Sauípe Sauipe is a district in the municipality of Mata de São João, on the northern coast of the state of Bahia, in Brazil. There are few permanent residents there, due to the very high cost of residences and the fact that almost the entire area is ...

, Brazil * Natal, Brazil *

Porto de Galinhas Porto de Galinhas is a beach in the municipality of Ipojuca, Pernambuco, Brazil. Porto de Galinhas is a major tourist destination. The beach is famous for its bright-water beaches and the natural pools. It is part of the municipality of Ipojuca ...

, Brazil * Porto Seguro, Brazil * Salinópolis, Brazil * São Sebastião, Brazil * Trancoso, Brazil * Pinamar, Argentina * Central Litoral, Chile ** Algarrobo **

Reñaca Reñaca or ''Reñaca Bajo'', is a seaside neighborhood in the commune of Viña del Mar, Chile. The city is located along the coast in between the city of Viña del Mar and the town of Concón. Since the commune of Concón was created in 1995 Reñ ...

Zapallar The town and commune of Zapallar is in Chile's Petorca Province, which is part of the Valparaíso Region. The community covers 288 km2 (111 square miles) of land. A horseshoe bay protects the beach resort town of Zapallar, which was built alo ...

* La Serena, Chile * Punta Cana, Dominican Republic *

Montañita Montañita is a small coastal town in Ecuador located in the parish of Manglaralto, province of Santa Elena, about 180 kilometers northwest of Guayaquil. Its name means "small mountain." In the mid 20th century it was known as a surfing beach, w ...

, Ecuador * Acapulco, Mexico * Cancún, Mexico *

La Paz La Paz (), officially known as Nuestra Señora de La Paz (Spanish pronunciation: ), is the seat of government of the Bolivia, Plurinational State of Bolivia. With an estimated 816,044 residents as of 2020, La Paz is the List of Bolivian cities ...

Cabo San Lucas, Mexico Cabo San Lucas (, "Saint Luke Cape"), or simply just Cabo, is a resort city at the southern tip of the Baja California Peninsula, in the Mexican state of Baja California Sur. As at the 2020 Census, the population of the city was 202,694 inhabitan ...

* Playa del Cármen/ Cozumel, Mexico * Progreso, Mexico * Puerto Vallarta, Mexico * San Bernardino,

Paraguay Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...

Máncora Máncora is a town and beach resort in the Piura Region, in northwestern Peru. It is located in the Talara Province and is capital of the Máncora District. The town has 10,547 inhabitants (2007). The Pan-American Highway The Pan-Ameri ...

, Peru * Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, U.S. *

Culebra, Puerto Rico Isla Culebra (, ''Snake Island'') is an island, town and municipality of Puerto Rico and geographically part of the Spanish Virgin Islands. It is located approximately east of the Puerto Rican mainland, west of St. Thomas and north of Vieque ...

, U.S. * Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, U.S. *

San Juan, Puerto Rico San Juan (, , ; Spanish for "Saint John") is the capital city and most populous municipality in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2020 census, it is the 57th-largest city under the jur ...

, U.S. * Vieques, Puerto Rico, U.S. *

Cuaró Cuaró is a ''caserío'' (hamlet) in the sparsely populated central Artigas Department of northern Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It sha ...

Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

* Punta del Este, Uruguay * Isla Margarita,

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

References

{{reflist

External links

Chilean balnearios
Latin America Seaside resorts

History

Playa versus balneario

Famous balnearios

See also

References

External links