It’s not exactly a secret, but when most people think of Chile, incredible beaches and cool coastal towns do not usually pop into their head (despite the fact that the country has about 4,000 miles of Pacific coastline).

As Cathy explains in this Matador article, these towns have inspired poetry (Neruda – Isla Negra), offered summer getaways for the city folk (Santiago – Viña del Mar), and have arguably been home to some of the country’s best views (La Caleta – Pan de Azucar National Park). Be warned though, these are the type of getaways where caution is thrown to the wind and jobs are left never to be returned to.