Surf & Adventure Retreat at Punta de Lobos, Chile

The lodge is made up of two independent modules joined by bridges, designed so that the building sits inside the landscape rather than on top of it. The first module holds the dining area and bar downstairs with a stone fireplace, and the living room upstairs, walled in glass so you get a panoramic view of the Punta de Lobos headland from wherever you sit. The second module has the eight guest rooms, for two, three or four people, each with central heating and a private bathroom. Decor is deliberately plain — the point is the view out the window, not the furniture.

If you want more privacy or you're travelling as a group, there are eight houses (A through H) on a separate 40,000-square-metre lot within the property, sleeping from two up to ten people. They range from a 32-square-metre one-bedroom with a terrace and fireplace up to a 133-square-metre two-storey house with multiple en-suite bedrooms and big bathtubs. All of them have kitchens, wood or gas heating, and access to the lodge's restaurant, spa and common areas. The larger ones have barbecue areas and outdoor fireplaces.

Surf coaching is the core activity and it's run properly. Lessons happen on Punta de Lobos beach at a sandbank with safe currents and shallow water — a good spot to learn. The instructor goes in with you and stays beside you, giving feedback on technique, foot position and timing for an hour and a half. For intermediate and advanced surfers the coaching is tailored instead: the staff will take you to the right break for the conditions and work on what you actually need. Because the coast picks up swell year-round, flat days are rare, and the breaks are uncrowded by international standards — you're more likely to run out of time than out of waves.

When the surf is done or the wind is wrong, the property runs windsurf and kitesurf courses on Cahuil Lake, about 10 minutes away. Windsurf courses are two hours and include all gear. Kitesurf courses are split into three levels of two to three hours each, starting with piloting and safety on land, moving to launching, landing and body dragging in the water, then first glides. There's also horse riding (one or two-hour tours through hills, forest and beach), trekking along the coastal paths toward Topocalma, and the Colchagua wine valley about an hour inland if you want a day off the water.

The spa is a real part of the offer rather than an afterthought: an outdoor heated pool, open-air salt baths, a Jacuzzi and a sauna. The room rate includes a salt bath every second night and 50 minutes of sauna daily. The restaurant serves Chilean seafood, meat and filled pasta, with a terrace upstairs hung with chairs facing the point. Breakfast is a buffet, and lunches and dinners are priced individually if you're not on a package — starters around USD 2.50, mains USD 5.50–7.50, wine USD 6–8 a bottle.

What separates this from a standard Chilean surf camp is the combination of the wave and the building. Punta de Lobos itself is the draw — a genuinely world-class left with a big-wave reputation — and the lodge sits 1,500 metres above it with a view of the whole point. Most places on this coast are functional; this one was designed. That, plus the spa and the restaurant, means non-surfing partners or family have something to do while you're in the water.

What's included

- Breakfast buffet daily - One salt bath every two nights of reservation - Sauna access 50 minutes daily - Access to the swimming pools - Surf coaching with a qualified instructor - Surf guiding to local breaks - Equipment rental available on site - Airport transfers can be arranged - Use of the spa facilities - Access to the restaurant, bar and common areas

What's not included

- International and domestic flights - Travel insurance (including cancellation cover) - Restaurant meals beyond breakfast buffet - Bar and cocktail purchases - Massages and spa treatments beyond sauna and included salt baths - Hot tub for rooms (additional charge, approximately 15,000 CLP) - Bicycle rental - Surf lessons as an add-on if not in your package - Windsurf, kitesurf and yoga classes - Horse riding tours - Trekking guides - Wine route excursions - Personal expenses - Visa and travel document costs - Bank transfer fees