Hola amigos y familia, Los Devereauxs are in Sud America! We’ve officially circumnavigated the globe and then some, going longitudinally a few time zones past Seattle to the Chilean Coast for our first stop on the new continent. We have three months planned in South America, visiting multiple areas of Chile, Argentina and Uruguay. We’ve had to brush the cob webs off our high school Spanish to translate for this leg of the trip. Chilean Spanish has immediately challenged me as a dialect that ignores the letter “s”, is spoken at warp speed and has its own local slang. So far there have only been a few hiccups and I’ve quickly learned that saying “si” in the majority of cases works out mostly in my favor.
Where Are We?
From the Cook Islands in the Pacific we actually had to back track to Auckland, NZ before taking the long haul direct from there to Santiago, Chile. We elected to skip over the city of Santiago entirely and bee-line for the coast, staying near Viña del Mar for a week to recover from jetlag and rest up for our soon-to-come Patagonia drives/hikes. What we didn’t realize is that our trip overlapped with the largest music event in all of Latin America happening in the very same city, Viña 2026.
The festival is a mix of musical and comedic acts with the crowed, called “El Mounstruo”, being the judge. Translated to “the monster”, it is famous for being either super supportive or “eating alive” any performers that don’t entertain. The festivities STARTED after 9 PM, so we didn’t attend the actual event but were witness to the wild crowds and traffic associated with it.
We stayed in an area north of the city center called Reñaca, which had a fantastic beach within walking distance and plenty of great food joints to keep us fed. All of the coastal suburbs in the region were connected via a long, coastal boardwalk which was perfect for morning runs. Later in the day, we loved the boardwalk’s churro stands with “rellenos” AKA a churro stuffed with dulce de leche. It was a great home base, and gave me a chance to practice my “life” Spanish vs classroom Spanish such as how to ask for food “to go” or “fill the tank with 95 Unleaded” versus the past/present/future conjugations of the verb for “to clean”(Limpiar).
We did leave our little beach-foodie paradise a few times, traveling the broader coast. First, we went North, stopping in the town of Maitencillo before continuing on to Zapallar. Maitencillo was a highlight, striking that perfect balance between feeling undiscovered while still having enough presence to have great ceviche eateries and Etsy style craft shops. The kids loved watching everyone in the surf school, cheering on the newcomers as they tried to get up on the swells. Zapallar is the Carmel of the Chilean coast, attracting the wealthy elite. The town felt upscale, while the the main beach had a relaxed vibe, set amongst pine trees in an intimate setting.
We had to balance our trip to the North with a drive South, starting in Casablanca Valley at Kingston Family Vineyards for our first taste of Chilean Wine. Well, apparently it was actually a vineyard owned by and shipping exclusively to the USA (so much for trying to stay local), but the reviews were great and flagged as kid friendly. Truthfully, we had a lovely time, with views, charcuterie and patient kids who played relatively quietly at the table. After finishing at the winery we drove to the small port town of Quintay, previously known as a whaling hub and now as a seafood destination. The fish was as good as advertised and we digested while walking along the pier, looking at the nautical themed shops. The kids, finally fed up with adult activities, mutinied on the walk back to the car, refusing to go a step further. We carried them up the steep hill and drove back in silence, with Mae and Emmett both passed out in the back seat.
No trip to the Chilean Coast is complete without a stop in Valparaiso, the bohemian, artsy seaport south of Viña del Mar. It was a main stop for ships going around Cape Horn before the Panama Canal existed and thus, is a huge, chaotic, cultured city. We had low expectations going in, bracing ourselves for the throngs of tourists, but it ended up being an outing we all enjoyed. Valparaiso is built on several hills and if you don’t want to be constantly walking uphill, you can take the “acensores” which are funiculars that take you quickly up the steep elevations.
The streets are filled with colorful houses and street art, where the kids (and Madeline) enjoyed finding every cat painting possible. Little cafes advertising fresh pressed juices, kombucha, handmade chocolates and curated local art were hidden along alleyways. It was a great place to get lost for an afternoon. While walking along the Viewpoints (“miradors” on Google Maps) of Concepción, we were serendipitously treated to an airshow over the water with jets performing stunts trailing smoke. It was a good way to close out our journey to the coast.
Favorite Things
Here were some of our favorite things about Chile and specific places we visited during our travels. If you’re interested in seeing more about the places we went, there is a map with links at the end of the blog.
- Empanadas & Ceviche – All across the coast, the empanadas, stuffed pastries, and ceviche, raw fish partially cooked in a lime sauce, were on point. We have had both before, but the Chilean versions took it to the next level. Empanadas Muaricio in Reñaca was a standout for us, with +30 filling options. Empanadas El Hoyo was also great in Maitencillo with empanadas as big as the plate and many vegetarian options.
- The Boardwalk and Beaches – We really enjoyed our beach time in Chile, not specifically for the water or beach itself, but more the atmosphere. The crowds felt very local and while there were vendors walking around, none of them were pushy. The boardwalks behind the beaches were a treasure trove of treats and sand accessories to meet all your needs.
- Maleza, Valparaiso – A recommendation from a local, the place was our best sit down meal. Enjoyed the lesser known Chilean local dishes (e.g. wheat berries in pesto or pasta sauces) and many vegetarian options for Madeline.
- Casablanca Valley – The wine area was beautiful and only an hour from Viña. It’s a great stopping point between Santiago and the coast.
- Nonni Gelataria, Renaca – Maybe the beset Gelato we’ve had outside of Italy (!), each home made flavor was perfect. You can always tell a good gelataria based on how natural (not bright green) the pistachio flavor is.
- Playa La Boca Concon – A happenin’ black sand beach just north of Reñaca. It had a very laidback feel and shallower, but still cold, water for the kids to wade in.
Family Moments
- Meeting Locals at an Ice Cream Shop– While sitting at an ice cream shop in Reñaca we struck up a conversation with three teenage siblings who enthusiastically wanted to practice the English they learned in school. We enjoyed getting advice about the area and trading differences between our countries. The kids’ uncle and aunt ended up giving us their number “in case we need anything” and sent us amazing recommendations and checked in on us. It was a great reminder of why we love traveling and that universally people are kind.
- Paving Race Tracks on the Beach – Mae and Emmett have gone all in on cars. We made numerous race tracks at the beaches, which including “paving” them. This involves one water runner with the bucket and the paver with the shovel, alternating to make the sand road super smooth. Once complete, there are many epic race days and where each car gets to take a turn winning the Piston Cup.
- Road Side Bread – Madeline and I have a habit of passing road side stands and then 30 seconds later both commenting about how we totally should have stopped there. Well I finally took some evasive steering action and pulled over at a roadside stand to buy marraqueta, a common home made bread in Chile. Mae helped me pick the best ones while Madeline remained in the car with sleeping Emmett.
- Per Mae (5 Yr Old): Favorite moment was “Empanadas” – Empanadas were a hit with Mae and her favorite were the “Choclo y Queso” or Corn and Cheese. Every time Madeline and I were debating what we should do for a meal Mae would chime in with a “empanadas sound good”.
- Per Emmett (2.75 Yr Old): Favorite moment was “Cars” – Emmett was elated that Mae has shifted her play energy to cars. There is still a family element with baby cars, mama cars and various chores, but now Emmett gets to rev his engine and have a race partner.
Tips & Lessons Learned
This is where we put all of the things we learned along the way about traveling in the region as well as traveling with toddlers.
About The Chilean Coast:
- Where to Stay on the Chilean Coast – There were a ton of choices when it came to staying on the coast. Valparaiso, Viña del Mar and the surrounding areas were fairly large cities with primarily apartment accommodations. They were close to major attractions and some well populated beaches. We enjoyed our time, but in retrospect would have preferred being in one of the northern, smaller towns, namely Maitencillo, if we went again.
- Parking – Parking was chaotic on the coast, with traffic jams on the one lane road with people waiting for someone to leave to parallel park. If you’re willing to pay a little, there were several lots, but signage wasn’t the best and in some places you pay by the minute. It never ended up being that expensive (less the $10 USD for the day) but we would recommend always having some cash and patience when finding a spot.
- Dinnertime – Dinners are late in South America! We did well eating out for lunch and in for dinner so that our kids could still have reasonable bedtimes. Honestly, lunches were cheaper with still much of the same delicious food so it was a win-win.
- Tourist Vibe – Nonexistent outside of a small area of Valparaiso! We did not find one other English speaking tourist during our 9 days here. Locals were patient with our struggled Spanish and spoke slowly for us or repeated things when we gave them confused looks. They were also extremely kind once we started chatting with them.
About Traveling with Toddlers:
- I’m sure we still have plenty to learn, but nothing new during this leg. At some point I’ll gather them all in to a super list of everything that has worked for us during our extended travels.
Closing
Thanks for reading! In the next post we are off to Patagonia, both the Chilean and Argentinian side, to see glaciers, mountains and dramatic weather.
