marco's travel blog...: Coastal Chile - Part 1: Isla Negra & Viña del Mar

Hanging Out at the Beach in Isla Negra

As we were planning our trip to South America, my parents kept saying that they wanted to visit the coast of Chile and see the city of Valparaíso, which is coincidentally the name of the street they live on in Florida. Initially I wasn't too excited about seeing the coast, but I have to pleasantly admit, this day trip from Santiago was one of the highlights of visiting Chile.

Prior to departing the United States, we had arranged for a private tour to the coast through Latin Destinations, the tour operator we booked our lodgings and transportation from. The day excursion that we chose included visiting three coastal cities: Isla Negra, Viña del Mar, and Valparaíso. During our excursion, we would have an opportunity to visit two of the three Pablo Neruda homes that are open to the public: Casa de Isla Negra and La Sebastiana. (Please be sure to read my separate blog entry on the many houses of Pablo Neruda for more details.)

After a small mix-up in the morning at our hotel (the tour guide showed up on schedule...we thought it started later), we were off to the coast. Our tour guide Patricia was very knowledgeable and as we drove to our first location, Isla Negra, she provided us with a great history lesson on Chile, its people, politics and economy.

Isla Negra Beach

After about an hour's drive west of Santiago, we found ourselves in the sleepy, middle-class beachside resort town of Isla Negra. The tiny village of Isla Negra (which isn't really an island) was put firmly on the map when poet Pablo Neruda moved into a half-built house on the beach in 1939.

Pacific Ocean Waves Crashing

Flowers by the Sea

We spent about an hour or so visiting Neruda's home and paying our respects at his seaside grave. Then it was off to our second coastal city, Viña del Mar, Chile's largest and best-known beachside resort. Viña del Mar literally translates to Vineyard of the Sea. The city is also known as the Garden City, due to its many beautiful trees and flowers. Our first stop in Viña del Mar was to visit the much photographed Flower Clock.

Viña del Mar's Reloj de Flores

As you can tell by the time on the clock above (1:40 p.m.), it was time for lunch. Patricia had made arrangements for us to dine by the Pacific Ocean at the Castillo del Mar. The views of the Pacific from our window-side table were absolutely spectacular.

Castillo del Mar

The Menu

The restaurant's speciality is seafood. We started off with an appetizer of King Crab from Antarctica. It was absolutely delicious!

King Crab Appetizer

For our main course, my dad had the conger eel, my mom ordered the reineta, and I chose to have the Chilean seabass. By the way, I learned that in Chile, Chilean seabass is just called seabass. We also had a very nice bottle of Leyda 2008 Sauvignon Blanc from Leyda Valley, Chile with lunch.

Oceanview Dining

The lunch was quite good, and although it was a little on the pricey side (about US$120), the view was worth a million dollars. In addition to seeing the ocean, from our table we could see the Sheraton Hotel and the neo-Gothic Castillo Wulff, which was built in 1906. After lunch, my parents tried to pretend that they were Chileans by donning ponchos and gaucho hats.

Castillo Wulff and the Sheraton Hotel

The New Chileans

With our stomachs full of fresh and delicious seafood, it was off to see more of Viña del Mar. The city reminded me somewhat of being back in Monte Carlo. And just like that seaside town, Viña del Mar has a Casino, too.

Estero Marga Marga

Casino Municipal

Another surprise in Viña del Mar was that we had a chance to see a moai which was located in front of the Museo Fronck. This giant stone moai is just one of six that exists outside of Easter Island.

Museo Fronck and It's Moai

Moai Profile

Our final stop in Viña del Mar had to be the beach. We took a walk along the boardwalk at Playa El Sol and Playa Acapulco. Along the beach were vendors selling trinkets. Nearby were many high-rise condominiums with stunning ocean views.

Playa El Sol