TravelerDallasTX
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Context: We are a gay couple from Dallas, TX 45/47 years old and travel very often and very well. We cannot recommend this property enough!||We flew direct from DFW to Santiago Chile, and overnighted before flying non stop the next day from Santiago to Calama on LATAM and arrived around 1:15pm with our guide, TaTa, waiting for us.||Transfer to the hotel: About 75 minutes. Arrived around 2:30pm. TaTa explained a bit about next steps of our stay and we decided that we’d meet him again in the courtyard at 4:30pm to make a plan for the excursions for our 5 nights.||Arrival: Fantastic. Greeted warmly and shown to our round room.||The Room: We had a regular round room (#4) and found it to be set up nicely. The rooms are cleaned very well and they take care of setting up the humidifier as well as ensuring there is water in the coffee maker. A complimentary mini fridge is stocked with sodas (Coke Zero, Coke, sprite) as well as bottled beer, wine, and bottled water. In room coffee maker and local candies were also available. In addition, each bedside table has a large carafe of filtered water that is replenished constantly. There are multiple filtered water stations around the property for you to use. The room has a usb charger setup for your electronics but does not have a tv if that matters to you. Water pressure was fantastic as was the hot water. All your regular toiletries, including a great lip balm, were provided as well as a plentiful basket of towels. They also give you each a reusable water bottle with your name on it to use. There is an electronic safe also available but no steamer or iron in the room. You can ask housekeeping to press your shirt if needed. WiFi is complimentary and we had great connection speeds at all times.||Housekeeping: Fantastic. Never saw them but they were terrific and that room was spotless and replenished as if it were our first day…twice a day. The first basket of laundry is complimentary here which is nice, however, they do use a strong fragrance when washing your clothes that we could smell when they returned. Despite this, we were so grateful for this amenity and they were able to wash out red dirt and mud from a rainy bike excursion. They were even able to revive and restore my husband’s white ball cap. They also have a basket outside your room to place hiking boots in for them to clean and dry overnight should they get dirty.||Our Guide: We had Tata and Alex split during our 5 nights. Both were great and very very knowledgeable. We felt so taken care of in every way and didn’t have to worry about a thing. We always felt safe traveling and hiking. They provided hiking poles, too. I would recommend bringing your own drawstring backpack or regular back pack to carry water, personal sunscreen, snacks, phone etc on your hikes. When you remove layers you’ll have somewhere to store them.||Excursion Planning: On our first day after we settled in we met up with Tata to talk through the excursions and plan out the week. We didn't really come with a required list of things to do so we were flexible. One lesson we learned after a previous safari trip in Africa was to make sure we had enough time to enjoy the food and beverage and pool at the hotel etc. We do not like doing back to back tours and being consumed by a schedule for an entire day, so we made sure to limit full day excursions and leave time in the afternoon(s) to enjoy the pool and cocktail service. Trust me, once you experience the food/beverage and service here you will want to stay longer.||Important Packing Note: The only area of recommended improvement from us would be the need for Awasi to provide a more detailed and comprehensive packing guide included in the email confirmation from the reservation team. Or, a direct call from the reservationist to gather information and review a little more in depth on clothes needed for some of the excursions. Listing “long pants” on the email confirmation for what to pack does not indicate the need to bring base layers “thermals” to go under the long pants as some of the excursions are at high altitudes where the weather is 20 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer (December). Additionally, gloves are not listed but definitely needed depending on the excursion.||Many guests we chatted with had previously stayed at the Patagonia location and shared how surprised they were that all of the same clothes were needed in the Atacama during the summer months.||Thankfully, the on-site gift shop sold neck gaiters and a knit beanie, and our guide was gracious enough to lend us his thermals, gloves and Patagonia puff jacket/windbreaker. We needed it to visit Tatio geysers, and would have needed it on an early morning bike ride when the temperature was in the 50s, rainy and overcast.||We visited in December (Chile's summer) and you might think it’s hot in the desert which it can be, but please pack like you’re going snow skiing too. We nailed the bathing suits, drivers(shoes), short and long sleeve shirts and nice shorts for dinner but failed to bring thermal underwear/base layers, gloves (like snow skiing or normal winter gloves), a neck gaiter, a beanie/warm fleece toboggan, a windbreaker or puff jacket like Patagonia makes and long wool or cotton mid calf socks for hiking. Any good hiking boot that supports the ankle will be fine. Tennis shoes will not cut it and may restrict you from doing more challenging hiking-based excursions, in my opinion.||During your excursion meeting, I would recommend taking notes in your phone to keep track of what you have planned and what time you need to meet up with your guide. They don't provide any confirmed printed activity schedule or confirmation so I’m glad we took our own notes. For example, breakfast service starts at 7:30am and many of our excursions departed by 8:30am so my point is that it’s your responsibility to make sure you’re on time and know when you need to show up ready. Many excursions are reservation or fee based (which Awasi takes care of for you) and their team does a great job with accommodating you if something needs to be changed.||Favorite excursions of ours were the Rainbow Valley hike and the Mars Valley (aka Valley de Muerte) hike where you can run down a sand dune. It was the most unexpected thrill! And Rainbow Valley and the petroglyphs were beautiful!||We also did the Tatio Geysers which was about an 80 minute one way drive early in the morning (departed at 5:30am), followed by a scenic, easy trek on flatland, to arrive in time for a fresh breakfast overlooking a beautiful view. We did this on our 3rd day and had zero issues with altitude. We were back by lunch time to enjoy the pool and relax. I know the departure time can be adjusted to each traveler's preference. We are early birds.||Stargazing tour: This is weather-dependent and also moon phase dependent. We went on the last night they offered it for that time period because the moon was approaching full moon status which hinders the ability to really see the stars pop. You’re taken to a simple barn-style shed via a 20+ passenger van and a guy leads you through 3 different stages: looking at the sky with the naked eye using his laser pointer, a nighttime picture of you and your companion, and then you get to view the stars using 7 high power telescopes. The tour departs the hotel at 10:45pm and returns around 12:15am.||Altitude: San Pedro is around 8500 ft above sea level (think Colorado ski destinations and Park City Utah). We drank plenty of water and followed the rule of every time you drank alcohol you needed to drink a glass of water. We stayed more hydrated here than we did visiting Colorado.||Food and Beverage: Our favorite! Wow. Wow. Wow. The freshest ingredients; great flavors, perfect cocktails and mocktails at any time, and just consistent smiling and warm service. You will fall in love with the servers as they truly get to know you so quickly and really make Awasi shine. Thank you to Bryan and Monserrat and Mauricio; you guys made our time here so memorable. While we are not foodies, we appreciated the perfect presentations of food and did not find it pretentious or “foo foo”. A perfect croissant! The best bread basket and salsa! The sweetest and ripest fruit plate! Fantastic soups! And the best mushroom pasta!!! If you’re an American adult hoping for chicken fingers and french fries you should consider a Carnival cruise instead.||Service: Impeccable. Warm. They remember and take notes.||Fireplaces: I mention this because it’s a favorite of mine. There are 4 fireplace areas with comfy furniture where you can sit and have a cocktail before dinner. They are magical. We were always greeted after sitting down by an employee asking us if we’d like a cocktail, snacks or water etc.||Pool: Great water temp and 8 loungers. Plentiful towels and sunscreen available by the pool.||Gym: No gym. But if you’re active the hikes will be a nice replacement. We did not miss the gym.||Tipping Guide: American culture is riddled with the expectation to tip every time you interact with a service person, so we came prepared with cash. Thankfully, Awasi has a discreet tipping sheet guide at the front desk (you can ask for it) and guests can designate tips by the day and also by the person at checkout via credit card. No need to bring cash unless you want to. While tipping is not expected here at all, the general guide as of December 2025 was $80 a day for general staff and $50 a day for your guide ($130/day usd). It is our understanding the general staff portion gets split amongst everyone outside of your guide (housekeeping, food and beverage servers etc). You may also designate additional tips for specific staff by name.||Clientele: The people and families we met during our stay were from Texas, Minnesota, Philadelphia, Singapore and London. Many guests had come from the Patagonia location prior to Atacama, and have inspired us to try out that property next.||Enjoy!
