Chile Guide
Chiloé
Chonchi
Lined around the most sheltered harbour on the island are the beautiful old buildings of CHONCHI, structures that have hardly changed since the eighteenth century. In those days, the town thrived on timber exports and was home to the wood baron Ciriaco Alvarez, who earned the name El Rey de Ciprés (The Cypress King) by stripping the archipelago of almost all of its native forest. Despite being Chiloé's first millionaire, he dressed in rags and would sweat alongside his workers as they loaded his ships with pit props for Europe and railway sleepers for Peru. There have been some changes in Chonchi since Alvarez's day – the palafitos that once lined the seafront were all destroyed by the 1960 earthquake – but Chonchi's steeply curving main street, Calle Centenario, still retains its beauty and the majority of Chonchi's splendid timber buildings have survived human and natural disasters.
A couple of doors along from the museum at Centenario 102 is one of Chonchi's best places to stay, Hotel Huildín ( 
65/671388; Price: CH$15000-25000), quite a museum piece in itself. As is typical in large old Chilote houses, the upstairs bedrooms are large and high-ceilinged and face onto an enclosed veranda which runs around two sides of the building. Slightly tucked away on the eastern end of the seafront, Esmeralda by the Sea
( & 
65/671328, 
esmeraldachonchi@hotmail.com; Price: CH$5000–15000) is a small hospedaje with a helpful English-speaking owner who organizes land and sea tours; it offers a book exchange, email facilities, a laundry and evening meals. Camping in the sheltered garden costs CH$2000 per person, and they even rent out equipment. You could also try PosadaEl Antiguo Chalet, on the western edge of town, just uphill from the harbour ( 65/671221; Price: CH$25000-35000); it's a beautiful, natural-wood house built in 1934 by one of the timber kings and set in large, well-kept grounds.
Eating well in Chonchi can be tricky – for some reason, restaurants here come and go as quickly as the tides – but El Trebol, Irarrázaval 187, at the southern end of the waterfront above the local market, and La Quilla, Andrade 183, both of which serve decent enough seafood dishes, seem to be standing the test of time.