The 'eternal spring' seaside retort town of Arica lies in the coastal region north of Chile and is the gateway to Bolivia and Peru for the many tourists who visit this beachside paradise. Set right on the far northern tip of the long, thin country, the settlement has incredibly ancient origins going back 10,000 years. Spanish ships docked here in the 16th and later centuries to collect the silver mined in Bolivia's vast Potosi mines, and every well-known pirate during those troubled times attacked and looted Arica. Nowadays, another invasion is taking place with thousands of tourists being made welcome at Arica City Centre hotels, and going on to happily explore the city's charming old buildings and laid-back lifestyle. Fronting the city centre is a long, curving tropical beach, popular with everyone lazing in the mild desert climate or eating at the beachside cafes and watching the spectacular sunsets across the shallow bay.

other spellings: aricahotels, arica hotell, otelin arice, arica hotes, arica chile hote, hotelarica city