Rain in Gesell: Let’s Go to Cariló

When it rains in Villa Geselll, visitors have not much left to do. They have already seen all the corners of town. That is why we did not hesitate to go and visit Cariló when the opportunity arose. We got lost in its small commercial heart, grabbed a cup of coffee at its golf club and enjoyed its paths and delightful architecture.

Barely 20 kilometers separate it from Villa Gesell. These two cities share the same sea but very different scenes.

Cariló is a Mapuche word that stands for “green sand hill”. Ever since its foundation, it has welcomed tourists who came in search of an unusual beach and it has aimed to be one of the top beaches on the Atlantic Coast.
When it rains, Cariló becomes the city it used to be. The sand streets get wet,

though that is no impediment for cars to circulate. Visitors just enjoy the usual views in a different way. Watching the architecture of local houses is one of the divine pleasures visitors to Cariló relish from their car windows, regardless of the raindrops.

The architecture of Cariló is essentially made of wood and stone. However, in more recent times, modern constructions have boasted aluminum and glass, which perfectly mingle with the beauty of the woods. All houses look good in Cariló. Grunewald House, which used to lodge sheep grazing on its roof, was an icon of Cariló for a very long time. Today, that emblematic place has been completely rebuilt and together with the small commercial center that has all the necessary supplies tourists need, they may be enjoyed both during the day and at night.

We left the commercial center behind and continued watching houses hidden amid the trees. Such respect for nature has made Cariló a unique and respectable destination where visitors know in advance what they can find.

We set ourselves the goal of reaching Hemingway Beach Bar, another symbolic point in the village. From that point, we would watch the storm on the sea while we had dinner or just a drink. The ritual goes that whoever reaches this place must order some rabas and a good white wine. Then, everything will start to change. Another classical dish is “Hemingway Salad”: a delicious combination of corn, mushrooms, French beans, saffron rice, palm hearts and Parmesan, accompanied with icy champagne. In this case, the designated driver was someone else. Therefore, the twenty-minute drive back to Villa Gesell was a real pleasure.

It had already stopped raining and the stars began to appear on the dark sky.
But that was just a detail. Even on a rainy day, Cariló continues to be one of the best getaways to do something different while spending the summer in Villa Gesell.