Valparaiso is a region in Chile. In its western part, washed by the Pacific Ocean, is the resort town of Algarrobo. This is one of the most popular and favorite places on the Pacific coast of Latin America. The coast of this town attracts like a magnet for lovers of beach tourism. But the beach is not the object of attention for vacationers. The reason lies in the tourist complex of San Alfonso, or to be more precise in its pool - San Alfonso del Mar.
The San Alfonso del Mar pool is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the largest pool in the world. He received such a status in 2006, and so far no one has outstripped his stunning size. Its surface area is 8 hectares! The pool stretches along the coast for 1013 meters!
For Chile, San Alfonso del Mar has become a significant landmark and heritage of the nation. Now people come to the country not only for the Atacama or Chilean wine. The pool opened the doors to a large flow of tourists.
Well, probably, you immediately had a question: “Why build a pool if you can swim nearby, in the Pacific Ocean?”. This can be answered by the parent of the San Alfonso del Mar project, Fernando Fishman, a businessman and part-time biochemist. Prior to the implementation of this project, Algarrobo was a town where only a few people came to rest, who heard about the local beaches. It wasn't the best the best place for swimming. The ocean waters here are not warm, due to the cold Humboldt Current. And in order to somehow try to open the town to the world, Fernando decided to make a lagoon with crystal clear and warm water.
Since 1997, the scientist has plunged into the world of searching for the necessary technology that could help realize his dream. After weighing all the pros and cons, Fernando Fishman found only one way out - the construction of a swimming pool.
San Alfonso del Mar cost Fishman a hefty $3.2 million. 250 million liters of water is taken from the ocean, filtered and raised by 9 degrees Celsius. Fishman's brainchild has this technology. Monthly maintenance of such a pool takes 6.5 thousand US dollars.
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Located in Chile, the resort of San Alfonso del Mar is a unique complex with the world's largest swimming pool with a capacity of 250,000 cubic meters of water. The kilometer pool was built on the Pacific coast in 2006, and a year later it was listed in the Guinness Book of Records. The area of the giant pool with sea water is 8 hectares; depth - 35 meters. The water temperature is maintained at a comfortable +26°C, which is nine degrees warmer than in the ocean. The pool is so big that hotel guests can rent small boats, sailboats and inflatable water slides.
Indoor pool in San Alfonso del Mar // San Alfonso del Mar Resort
View of the resort of San Alfonso del Mar // San Alfonso del Mar Resort
Accommodation cost
The resort of San Alfonso del Mar has nine hotels. The cost of living depends on the season: from November to the end of March, the cost of a double room starts from 150,000 CLP (~ $ 0.0) per day. In other months, accommodation is slightly cheaper. It is also possible to stay in a rented apartment, however, in this case, the use of the pool, sauna and aquarium will be available for an additional fee.
Swim in the pool can not only guests living in the resort of San Alfonso del Mar, but also ordinary tourists for a fee.
In the resort area of San Alfonso del Mar, in addition to the pool and related water activities, there is an entertainment center with restaurants, jacuzzi bars, cinemas and fitness rooms. You can visit the nearby giant aquarium, whose height is 25 meters.
For Christmas and New Year holidays, a room in San Alfonso del Mar should be booked 2-3 months in advance. The resort is very popular with both foreign and local tourists: in Chile it is customary to celebrate the New Year on the coast. On Christmas Eve, the pool is decorated with garlands and luminous balls.
How to get there
The resort of San Alfonso del Mar is located on the southern coast of Chile, 110 km west of Santiago, north of the city of Algarrobo. The complex organizes transfers for guests from the airport of the Chilean capital. Flights to Santiago from Moscow
San Alfonso del Mar, Chile is one of the most famous holiday destinations in the world, and is a huge unique complex with the largest swimming pool on the Pacific Ocean in the form of a lagoon with mirror-clear water.
Due to its unique size, the pool was included in the Guinness Book of Records in 2007:
Capacity - 250 thousand cubic meters of water;
area - 8 ha;
length 1 kilometer and 13 meters;
maximum depth -35 m.
The pool is so huge that you can swim in it like in a large lake. Guests of the hotel can rent small boats, sailboats, and swim in the expanses of an artificial reservoir. Of course, local views and natural landscapes are boring here, not like in Crimea, which you can read about at www.tourister.ru/world/europe/russia/region/krym, or the coast of Australia, Thailand, but it also has its own zest. In the Crimean latitudes, you will find the warm Black Sea, mountains, forests, lush vegetation, historical sights, and in San Alfonso del Mar, all this will be replaced by one beautiful and huge pool that will delight you throughout your vacation.
The water temperature in the pool is maintained at 26 degrees, which is 8-9 degrees more than the temperature of the water in the ocean. At the same time, the water is salty, and enters the pool directly from the ocean. It would seem, why build such a fable, if the hotel is already located on the ocean. However, there is an important argument for this remark. The thing is that good “shark” fish constantly swim near the coast of the ocean, and the water does not rise above +17 degrees. All these conditions are not entirely comfortable and pleasant for recreation. And in order to somehow attract the attention of vacationers to the resort of San Alfonso Del Mar, the biochemist and businessman Fernando Fishman decided to correct the situation in this way.
Today it is one of the most popular and expensive resorts in the world, which is never empty, although ten years ago few people knew about it.
Where to stay
There are 9 hotels on the territory of the complex, in which the cost of living depends on the season. The most expensive accommodation is from November to the end of March, and in other months it is a little cheaper. On New Year's Eve, rooms are booked 2-3 months in advance. The hotel also offers: restaurants, cafes, a jacuzzi bar, fitness centers, a cinema hall, a sauna and a giant aquarium 25 meters high.
During the Christmas holidays, the pool is completely decorated with garlands and luminous balls: it all looks fabulous, especially when viewed from a bird's eye view. How to get there
Getting to the complex will not be any problem for you. The resort is located 100 km west of Santiago, from where direct transfers are organized for guests from the airport directly to the hotels. By own car it will be possible to drive along the routes Ruta 68 and F-90.
