Excursion to Concon

Concon is one of a handful of small fishing ports close to Santiago that have maintained a certain degree of authenticity and charm. The rest of the coast in the Santiago and Valparaiso areas has been devastated by property developers and mass tourism. The lone exception is the fashionable resort of Zapallar, considered by Chileans as their answer to France's Saint Tropez. Concon had been relatively spared. The seafront is dotted by modern apartment buildings but some old villas are still there. By European standards, the sea is ice-cold (14 degrees at the height of summer) but the heavily iodised air is invigorating.

For lunch or dinner the choice is simple: The place is La Gatita where seafood and fish are delicious. Other eating places serve defrosted and poorly prepared fish.

There was a time when small seaside restaurants served excellent fried or grilled conger eel and corvina. It's no longer true and there is no point in asking for "pescado fresco". The answer will always be an honest yes since "fresco" applies to hastily defrosted fish that is lobbed into the pan when still hard as ice.

Concon is an ideal starting point for a visit to Valparaiso whose multicoloured shantytowns and aerial tramway still attract many tourists. Others, less fascinated by this legendary city that served for decades as port of call to big sailing ships, will not want to overstay, thus skipping the diners and small cafés of the Caleta Portales area reeking of rotting fish.

Where to stay in Concon

The Radisson hotel is ideally located on the seaside. All the rooms have huge picture windows overlooking the ocean and offering a spectacular view of hundreds of seagulls and cormorans flying overhead. The interior design is in good taste: contemporary with fair-faced concrete and slate and hints of colour.