Algarrobo, Chile

As a break from the frenzied pace of travel we decided to take a day trip to the Pacific coast and the resort town of Aglarrobo. It is also home to the world’s largest outdoor pool stretching over a kilometre in length, which made the town equally interesting to visit. Only 1 1/2 hours from Santiago by bus the trip was enjoyable as we passed through Chilean vineyards and mountainous terrain. At two points along the way we entered the longest mountain tunnels that we have ever seen, which was a nice change from the countless switchback roads that we have encountered on the trip so far.

In Algarrobo we immediately headed downhill to the ocean and sandy beach. The tide was out leaving large boulders exposed where the pelicans preened themselves while the beach was littered with shells and beach glass amongst the soft white sand. We were joined by a group of friendly stray dogs along the way until they decided to chase after an unassuming flock of pigeons. After hiking Volcan Villarrica in sub-zero temperatures and under a blanket of snow and ice it was refreshing to be in the sand and surf basking in the sun. We walked the length of the beach until we reached the San Alfonso del Mar resort and the world’s largest pool a couple of kilometres away.

When we first read about the world’s largest pool online before leaving for South America it sounded very interesting and excitedly we packed our bathing suits and towels for the day trip. Our muscles were still extremely sore from the volcano hike and the idea of a soothing dip into one of their outdoor hot tubs sounded too good to be true. Unfortunately it was too good to be true. To our surprise the world’s largest outdoor pool and other attractions were part of an exclusive gated resort community only accessible to those who owned units in one of the dozen large ship-like multi-storey buildings. Even worse, no visitors were permitted on the premises and photos of the pool were strictly forbidden. Somewhat dismayed we convinced a security guard and administration staffer to let us walk the grounds for a few minutes where we discreetly snapped a few photos when no one was looking.

The pool was indeed the world’s largest as it stretched the length of the kilometre long beach and could even accommodate sailing activities. After talking with administration and walking the beach it became obvious that the strong rip tide and large waves necessitated the separate swimming area for the resort.  It was definitely interesting to see but we left somewhat dismayed by the resorts strict security policies and the fact that this massive seawater pool didn’t have a single swimmer in its waters when we visited nor did it even offer day passes to the curious; talk about a missed opportunity. Regardless of the circumstances however, we really enjoyed our day in Algarrobo strolling hand-in-hand along the beach as the waves crashed along the shoreline. It was a beautiful scene and a welcomed break from the winter-like conditions we have been encountering for the last few weeks. All that was missing was some of Ontario’s record heat. J