Chile Accommodation Central Pacific Coast
Introduction
The Central Pacific coast of Chile is around a 2hr drive west, northwest, or southwest from Santiago, the capital. During the hot, summer months literally half of the Santiago population relocates to the coast and this, combined with tourists from Argentina and those from further afield can make the beaches crowded.
Where to Go Along the Central Pacific Coast
The key to enjoying what the Pacific Coast of Chile has to offer during the summer months of December, January and February, is to know where to go and where to stay. Therefore, we aim to direct you to the right place.
Northwest of Santiago
Here we have the upmarket village of Zapallar with the adjacent villages of Cachagua slightly to the south, and Papudo to the north. A drive from Papudo down to Cachagua offers a stunning view of the Pacific Ocean on the right. It should be noted that this short drive is akin to the Great Pacific Highway in California and the spectacular view of the ocean is interspersed by large houses perched on the steep coastal cliffs down to the shore.
There are numerous bed and breakfast and Air BnB accommodation options in this area, however, the only hotel that can be considered of decent level is the small, boutique hotel called Isla Seca.
ExperienceChile.Org can arrange transfer to and back from the hotel as long as we are handling your reservation here.
Please Email Us Request@experiencechile.org
West from Santiago
Heading almost directly west from Santiago will lead to Viña del Mar and Valparaiso. Viña has become a bit of an urban sprawl, but nevertheless it is still by the Pacific Ocean which makes for an excuse to visit.
Here there are a number of small hotels, bed and breakfast options and some newer places that claim to be boutique properties but in reality, are not. Also, many of these places are located in areas where there is a lot of noise, and/or have obstructed views and/or are in not a particularly good state. Therefore, the only hotel that we currently work with in this area is the Sheraton Miramar.
ExperienceChile.Org will arrange transfer to and back from this hotel as long as we are handling your reservations.
Please Email Us Request@experiencechile.org
Adjacent to Viña del Mar is the historic port city of Valparaiso. This is not the place to visit if you seek a beach-side experience, but it is, out of all of Chile’s coastal cities and towns, the “most interesting”.
Most of the hotels here are good level boutique-style hotels that have been converted from historic, large houses. Consequently, the interiors are each unique, offering a “warren” of modernised bedrooms, some facing out to the ocean and others facing to a hillside or inner street. Often, these hotels will have small, exterior terraces and maybe a small swimming pool, but also “creaky floorboards”.
Staying at these properties offers a base from which one can walk the numerous narrow streets of Valparaiso and be entertained by the commercial activity going on in the port below.
There are very many bed and breakfast and small hotel options in Valparaiso, however, as with Viña and other places, many of these properties are very small, in noisy areas and/or do not offer a decent ambience of safety, cleanliness and comfort. For these reasons we currently only work with the following Valparaiso hotel partners (however, as we always say, ExperienceChile.Org will endeavour to include ANY hotel that YOU wish into your itinerary even if your preferred choice is not currently one of our hotel partners).
