Beach Retreat: Escaping to Zapallar Chile

The beachfront in Zapallar Chile

Zapallar Chile has been one of my favorite discoveries in our three years here. Something like sushi, I wish I had tried it way sooner -- we've been missing out not having visited! Just a couple of hours driving from Santiago, Zapallar is a beach town perfectly positioned along the Chilean coast with a beautiful sandy beach and exquisite views of the sunset.

Sunsets in Zapallar are breathtaking.

We planned a trip here with our family friends the Chacons, or as we commonly refer to them as "the twins," aka Santi and Kiki, and their parents Leanne and Christian. We rented an amazing home on AirBNB, and set out on a Friday afternoon to celebrate four birthdays -- mine, Santi and Kiki's, and Trip's.

Little Trip having fun with his best friends Santi and Kiki

Known as a beach retreat for the elite of Chile, Zapallar features mountains spilling into the sea, a peaceful beach cove and amazing architectural feats. Truly, many an architecture or home design magazine could be filled with the opulent homes that dot the mountains of Zapallar.

Both days of the weekend, we enjoyed the beach -- that of Zapallar and nearby beach town Colchagua. We also soaked up the sunsets from our mountaintop terrace, and Patrick cooked amazing meals on the parrilla (barbecue). The children had tons of fun playing at the beach and running around the yard, and the parents stayed up late star-gazing and giggling.

The women keeping watch on the ocean (see Chilean artist here)

Christian preparing to go boogie boarding in Colchagua

Even though it's quite small, Zapallar hosts plenty of restaurants serving up fresh seafood, and cute little shops to duck into and find a piece of art to take home.

All in all, I highly recommend this sleepy beach town. There are plenty of options for renting homes, although all choices are pretty pricey, further supporting the town's reputation for being only for the wealthy. Nonetheless, it is fun to see how the other half lives -- and I can't wait to go back!

Happy birthday!