Awasi Atacama - Relais & Chateaux

We just returned from a 5 night stay at Awasi Atacama. We loved our stay here! Our guide, Manuel, was great and so knowledgeable. The excursions were fun and interesting. We saw so many different landscapes. It is a very unique area. We liked the location of the hotel. We really enjoyed being able to walk around the town. The hotel is beautiful. Our room was always very clean and we really liked having the patio area. The common areas are so cozy with the fireplaces and were a great place to have a cocktail and play a game. The restaurant staff (Gustav, Eros, Mia, Sam, Bryan, Catalina) was excellent and so friendly. The food was the best! We have stayed at another Awasi property, and our meals here (all of them, breakfast, lunch, dinner, picnics) were all better. And it is not just what we ate each day, but trying to choose what to order was hard because everything sounded so good. I have dietary restrictions and everything was as delicious and as creative as my husband's choices with no restrictions. Truly grateful that we were able to visit this part of the world and stay at this lovely hotel.

This was our third Awasi on our trip and like the others it was fabulous. From the minute you are picked up by your guide, to the second you are dropped off you are completely looked after.||Cris was our guide on this trip and once again he worked with us to organise an itinerary that met our wishes.||The hotel was beautiful, designed for the area. The rooms very spacious and private.||As always the team were very personal, friendly and again every need looked after.||We love the thought that is put into designing a menu every evening especially for you and the food here was exceptional, as were the wine pairings. I highly recommend you try a Reekah, Reekah pisco sour. The barbecue night was excellent as was the secret menu on our last evening.||There are many activities to choose from. San Pedro is a beautiful town and certainly worth a wander. The night sky activity is wonderful, I have never had the pleasure of viewing the moon in that way. The moon valley is stunning to see, and the salt lakes are fun. Try to choose one that is not as crowded, your guide will let you know.||We had a fabulous day at the hot springs, followed by a lovely walk and a beautiful lunch with a stunning view. Our guide suggested we went a little later and we were certainly pleased we did. We experienced every activity on our own rather than with the hundreds that went for sunrise. A personal choice. You see a lot more wildlife up and personal if you go later.||The cacti valley and visits to the salt lakes and flamingo reserves were certainly fabulous. ||So much to say. We simply love Awasi, personal guiding and the care that is taken to ensure a wonderful stay.

We spent 4 fabulous nights here where our high expectations were exceeded in every way. It being our second Awasi property, we knew we’d be in great hands. Our guide Osvaldo was incredible—very knowledgeable, friendly, and adept at structuring our daily hikes (going gradually higher) so that we never had altitude issues. Each day I thought he’d never top the previous day’s experience, and yet he did. The restaurant is superb—don’t miss the octopus!—and all the staff, especially Bryan and Mila, were attentive and professional. Now we’re on a mission to stay at other Awasi properties!

My wife and I stayed 4 nights at Awasi Atacama in late March. We also stayed at Awasi Patagonia which is under a separate review. After flying from Patagonia to Santiago and staying a night at the excellent Le Reve hotel, we flew to Calama which is about a 2 hour plane ride. The bags came out relatively quickly and we were met by our guide Tata. The ride to the resort took about one hour and 30 minutes. Different from Patagonia, this resort is located in the the town of Atacama. You would never know if was there as it is located behind large private gates. Once you enter Awasi, you see that there are areas of couches, an open dining pavilion, and even a small pool with loungers. What makes Awasi great is the individual attention you receive from the staff and especially the guide. Tata was amazing. He listened to what our interests were and we made plans for each day. As we are still pretty active, we decided not to hang around the resort during the day and to see as much as we could physically fit in. Tata has an amazing memory of places, geology, history, and great places to stop. Each day we went a little higher in altitude without ever feeling any sickness. Tata made sure that we always had plenty of water and food. Highlights of the trip were the hike thru the cactus canyon and going to the geiser to see the sunrise at 14,000 ft. The homemade breakfast that was prepared afterward in a quiet scenic area was also amazing. Tata always had our safety and well being looked after. He was kind, patient, and always seemed interested in what we had to say or ask. The staff back at the lodge was equally great. Each person seemed to know us and great us warmly. The room itself was nicely done to fit into the desert theme. Large indoor and outdoor showers, tub, and always plenty of water provided. As I mentioned in the Patagonia post, the food is a little "foo-foo" in how it is served but that doesn't have anything to do with how it tastes. Everything was delicious. If you are looking for burgers and pizza, this is not the place for you. However, you can get that type of food in the town if so desired. We spent a brief amount of time walking thru the small town but it was mostly filled with things for tourists to buy. We did get two Andean alpaca scarves for friends. The whole trip, including both Awasi destinations were really fabulous, and both my wife and I, couldn't have asked for more. Expensive, yes, but definitely, worth every cent due to the staff and guides.

The Awasi lodges have a reputation for being the best lodges in South America, and Awasi Atacama certainly lived up to our high expectations. |It has only a small number of casitas, and we had a smaller and a larger one connected by a covered lobby.|The main Lodge, as well as the casitas, are beautifully decorated and come with every service imaginable, down to the cleaning of shoes after the excursions. The casitas have a beautiful large separate bathroom, all with floor heating, and a private enclosed terrace. |Each room comes with a private 4x4 car plus guide, which allowed our group of 4 to mix and match activities daily. All excursions are individually tailored at arrival to align with expectations and abilities, and can be adjusted as needed. The guides are incredibly friendly and highly competent.|The restaurant service is equally individual and on a very high level, with matched menus and wine pairings to individual preferences. At all levels and departments, the team goes out of their way to exceed guest expectations.|The Awasi Atacama lodge was a highlight of our trip through South America, and we will certainly come back to this, and other Awasi lodges, in the future.

The Awasi Atacama is one of the best hotels in the world! Food, wine and service is impeccable. Attention to every detail. No need goes unanswered. The daily excursions are amazing, all guides are super friendly, and very knowledgeable, speak fluent English, Highly recommend the Awasi. Small hotel with 12 cottages that reflect the culture of Atacama.

Awasi Atacama was the second stop in our "Golden Triangle" tour. Getting from Awasi Patagonia to Awasi Atacama required an overnight stay in Santiago, but we stayed in a boutique hotel called Le Reve, which was comfortable and ideally located in a fun neighborhood of shops and restaurants. Awasi Atacama is a beautiful property, situated at an altitude of 8,000 ft. I was initially concerned about the altitude because a lot of the attractions were at an altitude of between 10,000 - 15,000 feet. Our guide was careful to schedule our excursions so that, over time, we increased the altitude slowly. As a result, I never experienced altitude sickness and never had to take any meds. All I did was hydrate. The landscape of the Atacama Desert was spectacular - active volcanos, geysers, canyons, and wetlands. There was also more wildlife than I expected. One of the main reasons I wanted to go to Awasi Atacama was to experience the night sky. Unfortunately, we did not time our visit to coincide with a new moon, so the stargazing, although still spectacular, was not optimal. The weather during our stay was consistent - warm, sunny days and clear, cool nights, so pack accordingly. The lodge was beautiful, and like all the Awasi properties, fits perfectly into local environment. The town of San Pedro de Atacama seems to be very popular with young eco-tourists, but I never found a reason to leave the lodge to explore the town. The experience within the lodge was exceptional. As with all the Awasi properties, the attention to detail is beyond compare. Our every need was met. Great food, great staff, great comfortable villa. One final comment - as with Awasi Patagonia, I would not recommend staying any less than 4 nights. This is key to adapting to the altitude and enjoying all there is to see or do.

We went to the Awasi on our Honeymoon and it was a true highlight of the trip that exceeded our expectations. Our stay included many small touches that made it feel very intimate and personal - from the handwritten notes to all of the treats and mementos. The staff were extremely well trained & knowledgeable and always made sure we were having the experience we wanted. The food was incredible -- breakfast, lunch, dinner along with the cocktails and wine -- all of it was well thought out and executed wonderfully. And the guided trips out to the surrounding areas were well-organized and focused on our interests. The atmosphere always felt calm and comfortable. We couldn't recommend more highly and would love to go to all the other Awasi hotels soon!