Awasi Atacama

Rooms

There are 12 cabanas in total - 10 Superior Round Suites and two Round Rooms. Each of them is a luxurious oasis in itself. Furnished with dark wood and wicker, and decorated with twig sconces and handmade dolls, interiors have a quirky but comfy elegance. Adobe walls, wood floors and thatched roofs keep you appropriately warm or cool, depending on the season.

We loved the Superior Round Suites. Some of them share a patio, complete with umbrellas, a cushioned wrought-iron couch, wicker chairs and a bistro-style table. Our spacious bedroom had a kingsize bed, a cushioned chaise longue with a reading lamp, a wicker easy chair and an executive-style writing table with stationary, postcards, even a sharpened pencil. Other thoughtful touches include a bedside torch and a pair of walking sticks.

As for our bathroom, we could have hosted a party in its marbled and tiled grandeur. In addition to twin sinks, there’s a nook for a partially sunken tub (with bath salts and a loofah), a shower (with rain head) behind a beaded curtain, and a separate toilet room. You get a makeup mirror, a hairdryer and a tray of amenities including a natural pumice stone, a hand-carved wooden comb and Awasi Atacama’s own line of lip balm, shampoo, conditioner, body lotion and milled soap - a deliciously piquant blend of mint and lemon derived from the thumbnail-size limón de pica.

At night, step outside to marvel at the starriest night sky you may ever see, then slip between crisp white sheets topped with a down comforter and an alpaca blanket. The evening turn-down service brings an Awasi chocolate in a cactus box and a woven mat to your bedside.

Features include:

• Hairdryer
• Safe box
• WiFi

Eating

Wake to the songs of desert finches and have breakfast delivered to your room or semi-private patio table. Or amble down a flagstone path lined with golden pampas grass and river stones to the main patio, where breakfast is served from 8-10am - but you can get it served later if you want. Fresh fruit, still-warm breads, pitchers of hand-squeezed orange and chirimoya juices, yoghurt, cereals and cold cuts are arranged buffet-style on the counter, where a cook is ready to fix you eggs, omelette, French toast - whatever you like. It's a luxurious start to the day that would be a treat at a 5-star city hotel, let alone 8000ft up in the Chilean desert.

Lunch (1-3pm) and dinner (8-10pm) are served daily, on request - again the hotel can adapt to your schedule. The emphasis is on light fare, easy to digest at this high altitude. Our first dinner included pumpkin soup tinged with ginger, handmade fettuccine flavoured with rica rica (a local herb similar to rosemary) and a creamy dessert parfait made with a local fruit called lúcuma.

Daily menus - featuring fish, meat and vegetarian options - have footnotes defining the local ingredients. Dishes are a unique fusion of traditional Chilean specialties and international favourites, with local produce supplied by subsidised farming communities called ayllus. Feast on fish such as Chilean reineta or steak topped with a sauce blending the local Carménère varietal with a syrup from the plum-like fruit of the chañar tree.

If you don't like the look of the daily specials, choose a salad and spinach fettuccine (a good option for vegetarians) and ice cream for dessert. Guests are welcome to take recipes home or learn new cooking tips, perched on a stool at the open kitchen.

The bar stocks premium liquors, including the popular pisco, and a good selection of wines from all regions of Chile, as well as a premium wine list. Settle into a cushioned sculpted adobe booth and enjoy the music (energetic Latin beats in the morning; smooth jazz vocals after dark). If the night air is crisp, pull an alpaca blanket over you, or settle by an open brazier or fireplace.

Awasi staff are also happy to recommend local restaurants offering everything from omelettes to empanadas, and all within walking distance.

Features include:

• All meals included
• Bar
• Organic produce
• Restaurant
• Restaurants nearby
• Room service
• Vegetarian options

Activities

• At the hotel: Swim, get a massage in a poolside cabana, sip pisco sour by the fire, take a cooking lesson, enjoy a long soak in the tub and stargaze from your private patio
  
  
• Book a day-adventure: there are over 20 choices, customised to your fitness and interests, from an early-morning trip to the boiling El Tatio geysers at 13,780ft, to witnessing the astonishing sunset at Moon Valley (with wine and cheese). All are designed to have minimum environmental impact and maximum visual impact (you'll see places which even the locals don't know about)
  
  
• Shop: San Pedro has a handful of nice galleries and shops on Caracoles and Tocopilla streets. Look for hand-woven alpaca blankets, aguayos (a traditional Andean textile used to carry things), handcrafted Atacama pottery, cactus wood boxes and picture frames, and jewellery made from silver or chañar, algarrobo and pimiento seeds. The Mercado Artesenal, off the main square, is more touristy, with items imported from Peru and Argentina
  
  
• Discover Atacama culture: Padre Le Paige Archaeological Museum is a treasure - a wheel of small galleries displaying the finds of the eponymous Belgian Jesuit priest and documenting the daily life and evolution of the Atacamenean culture. Take a peek into the Church of San Pedro, a national monument since 1952; it’s constructed with leather straps instead of nails, with a ceiling of cactus, mud and straw
  
  
• Stargaze: A thick blanket of stars is a nightly spectacle in this thin, dry atmosphere. The hotel offers personalized astronomy tours that entertain and enlighten lay-observers and amateur enthusiasts alike; view and photograph stars, planets and nebulae through their own telescope
  
  
• Test your limits: Various extreme and adventure sports - from climbing a volcano to sand boarding on the local dunes - are on offer from local agencies like Vulcano
  
  
• Learn local crafts: In San Pedro take a ceramics, stained glass, silk-screening or jewellery-making class

Activities on site or nearby include:

• Art classes
• Birdwatching
• Cooking classes
• Cycling
• Hiking
• Historical sites
• Horse riding
• Mountain biking
• Museums / galleries
• Plantlife / flora
• Private guided tours
• Safaris
• Shopping / markets
• Swimming
• Traditional cultures
• Trekking
• Wildlife

Kids

We reckon Awasi Atacama is best for teens. Child-friendly activities include learning about local crafts, flora and fauna, and astronomy, and there's a lovely pool.

Best for:

Teens (over 12)

Family friendly accommodation:

Families staying in the Superior Round Suites can request extra beds for a supplement.

Extra Beds Available

Distances:

• Airport: 75 minutes
• Hospital: 80 minutes
• Shops: 5 minutes

For more family-friendly places, see our Kids Collection

Location

Awasi Atacama is located in San Pedro de Atacama in the Atacama desert, about 8000ft above sea level and 1,670km north from Santiago.

By Air:
Calama El Loa (98km) is the nearest airport and has regular flights from Santiago. If none of these suit and your budget allows, Awasi Atacama can arrange a private jet (a 6-seater Hawker 400XP) to fly you from Santiago to Calama in a shade under 2 hours; ask for prices.

From the Airport
Your Awasi Atacama guide will meet you at Calama airport and drive you 98km (about an hour) to San Pedro de Atacama. All airport transfers are included in the room rate.

By Road:
Should you prefer to travel overland, it's a 2-day road trip by car (with intermittent petrol stations) or 20 hours on a bus - see TurBus for details. The fastest way is to fly.

Detailed directions will be sent when you book through i-escape.