Pichilemu surf casa

Pichilemu is where Chilean surfing was born and, for many people, where it is still at its best. The town sits on the O'Higgins coast three hours south-west of Santiago, on a broad Pacific bay bookended by two of the country's most famous point breaks — Playa Infiernillo in town and, four kilometres south, the world-class left-hand point of Punta de Lobos. This 72 square-metre timber-clad casa sits in a quiet residential barrio a short walk from Playa Principal and an easy bike ride from Lobos itself.

The house is a classic modern Chilean coastal build — treated pine framing under corrugated tin, exterior clad in dark-stained vertical timber, and pine-lined interiors that make the small footprint feel bigger than its numbers suggest. There are two bedrooms, a compact bathroom, and an open-plan kitchen-living room heated by a small wood-burning stove. A covered porch runs along the north face and does double duty as a board room and outdoor lounge. The fenced 300 square-metre lot has room for a bakkie, a couple of bikes and a small vegetable garden.

Chile has one of the most open property markets in Latin America. Foreigners can buy freehold land and buildings on identical terms to citizens, no residency required, and title registration in the Conservador de Bienes Raíces is efficient and secure. Pichilemu itself has a mature market with a healthy mix of Santiaguino weekenders, permanent residents and international surfers, and prices — while rising — remain a fraction of the coast north of Valparaíso.

The town has quietly grown into a proper year-round village. There's a Unimarc supermarket, a small hospital, several banks, a good cluster of surf shops and rental businesses, and a food scene that runs from casual empanada stalls to serious pescado-a-la-parrilla restaurants along the main street. Punta de Lobos itself is the drawcard — a dramatic pair of sea stacks rising from the Pacific, a fast, long, mechanical left-hand point break, and consistent Southern Ocean swell that keeps the town on the international surf map. Bus services from Santiago's Terminal Sur are frequent and cheap; Santiago's international airport is three and a half hours by road.