THE PLACE
For the kids it doesn’t really matter where you are, as long as the little ones have some cool things to explore. We went to Chile with our first son last winter and it proved to be an epic playground. The dangers in terms of poisonous insects or other animals are fairly small, the same for crime. Walking through the capital Santiago doesn’t feel much different than walking through a big European city. Matanzas is a small and quiet village about 2 hours drive from Santiago, but you have everything you need there to enjoy this peaceful place. A small shop for the basics, a supermarket in the next village Navidad, a campsite with cabins to rent and a nice hotel right on the beach with good food. Both the camping, “Olas de Matanzas”, as well as the Hotel, “Surazo”, are owned and run by local windsurfers. On the good days you might have to wait a little longer for your dinner, as Delio, the chef, is still out on the water, but once he is back in the kitchen, you’ll be rewarded for your patience with excellent local cuisine. There are three good windsurf spots within 5 minutes drive and the top spot Topocalma is less than an hour away. The downside is the travel time from Europe. There are two direct flights from Europe to Santiago (through Paris with Air France or via Madrid with Iberia). With the drive it adds up to a full day of travelling. I always thought flying with my windsurfing equipment was a mission, but after this last trip to Chile it feels easy checking in alone with my windsurf bags. Altogether we carried 16 pieces to the other side of the world. A checked bag each, a carry-on each, 3 Windsurf bags, a child seat for Nr 1, a Maxi-Cosi for Nr 2, a stroller and two small extra bags with food and toys for the flight – crazy!
Once in Matanzas, life just slows down. You don’t even need three days and you’re 100% chilled out. It’s something you only experience when you are there. The welcoming Chileans and the beauty of the place just makes you get into this peaceful rhythm. Not even my experience with one of the most terrifying earthquakes of recorded history (8.8 on 27th Feb 2010), followed by a massive tsunami, scared me off enough to let go of this wavesailing paradise – I came back every year after my first visit about 10 years ago. The places to stay range from medium to pricy, but many of them are within walking distance to the beach. The water isn’t warm (usually somewhere between 12 – 17 °C), but the beach is as the sand is dark. The Hotel Surazo is the hang-out for many local windsurfers. On the windy days the area around the terrace is full of toys and little kids while the parents take turns on the water. At low tide the shallow entry into the ocean offers a perfect playground for them. Once they’re able to paddle around themselves they can learn surfing right on the inside with all the other little grommets around. Alongside the beach and watersports there is horse riding, a tennis court, downhill bike trails and pine and eucalyptus forests to explore.