This was our second visit to Port San Carlos. We stayed for a long weekend in a comfortable renovated house within the settlement with double glazing, central heating and a gas cooker! Smylies Cottage is certainly a step up from many of the camp houses we have stayed in. Port San Carlos is situated on the West Coast of East Falkland and, since it is a long way from Stanley even with the new road network, it is pretty self sufficient.
The weather during our weekend stay was absolutely stunning. Temperatures probably reached the highest we have seen since our arrival on the Islands. It was therefore appropriate that our major camp trip was to a huge white sand beach called Paloma Beach. The trip from Port San Carlos takes only about 40 minutes but can be tricky in some places if the ground is wet. No problem for us though with temperatures soaring! The pictures below give a flavour of the settlement and the trip overland to the beach.
This following are panoramic views from the cottage and from the high ground above Port San Carlos
Paloma Beach is as stunning as you will find anywhere in the world. Luckily (if not uniquely!) there was not a breath of wind and the temperatures soared into the high 20's. Its not often that you get a chance to sunbathe on a sandy beach so the girls took full advantage! We had the entire 2 mile long beach to ourselves all day (apart from a few hundred penguins and several species of seabirds).
