Awasi lodge in Chile

[bonniejoy03]

Just returned from Awasi in the Atacama desert of Chile. The lodge is on Luxury Link. The lodge is fantastic! The setting is beautiful and peaceful. There are only 8 adobe casitas. Each casita is designated a guide for your entire stay. Our guide, Gonzalo, was the best! His background provided us with the most treasured experience. Each day was mapped out so appropriately. We were fortunate to be staying at the lodge with a VIP and family. It didn't change our experience at all!!! The desert trips were mind-blowing. We drove up to 16500 feet and hiked. We visited geysers. We dug for artifacts from hundreds of years ago...Absolutely a trip of a life time! The price is definitely worth it considering your food, drink, private tours, and personal attention were all included. What an experience!!!

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Good info - I had been looking at this place and Chile & the Atacama are on my list of places to visit!

[omegaet]

Good info - I had been looking at this place and Chile & the Atacama are on my list of places to visit!

Denise.....here is a link to a site that might increase your interest in moving Chile toward the top of your travel list:

Sitio oficial de Turismo de Chile

[thepiranha]

Thanks for the link, O. I'll be in Chile in December and I'm figuring out where I'm going to go and what I'm going to do. Any advice would be appreciated.

[bonniejoy03]

Hi P...I can assist with any ideas also if you would like. We have been there twice and will be heading back in January. Stayed in Valparaiso, (San Pedro de Atacama), Santiago, Puerto Montt, and Northern Patagonia. Lovely! I think this time we will add Santa Cruz and then go into Mendoza, Argentina.

[omegaet]

Wow, this is unusual for this area of Chile.....so much snow...big problems for many of the indigenous communities just across the border in Bolivia....so isolated and no government support to aid them!

Number of visitors has dropped by 80 percent because of limited access to San Pedro de Atacama’s most popular tourist sites
Sunday, July 10, 2011

Uncharacteristic rain, wind and snow across northern Chile blocked access to El Tatío — the area surrounding the San Pedro geysers — last week and tourism companies say visitor rates have already drop by 80 percent as a result.


“It is not the same with El Tatío,” Leonor Salinas, who travels to San Pedro every two years, told El Mercurio.

The geysers are one of the most popular attractions for the average 120,000 tourists that travel to San Pedro every year. Tour companies say visitors have already cancelled reservations because of the weather, which also limited access to other major tourist sites like the highland lagoons, and are opting to travel to Iquique and Valparaíso instead.

The threat of losing profits has caused officials to search for alternative routes to the area — a task complicated by the areas delicate nature.

“This weekend we are working on finding alternative routes and evaluating the archeological impact,” Ana María Barón, president of San Pedro Tourist Association, told El Mercurio.

The weather has affected several other towns in the north, officials say and is affecting the tourism industry in the entire area.

In San Pedro, over 40 tourism and tour companies are collaborating to alternative means of bringing tourists to the area’s most popular sites.

By Adeline Bash ([email protected])
Copyright 2011 - The Santiago Times

[bonniejoy03]

Oh my goodness. Had not read this information. We loved the region. It really is dependent on tourism. Though...this is their winter and it is known to be a little cooler....

[omegaet]

bonniejoy03....did you notice Hotel Awasi at San Pedro de Atacama has been incorporated as a member of the prestigious Relais & Châteaux.

To date there are only two properties in Chile that are part of this organization (Residences Lapostolle in the Colchagua Valley and Awasi), total of fourteen in South America.

Nice to know you have stayed at such a nice place (but you already knew that after you arrived).

[bonniejoy03]

Hi O...no I didn't see this. I LOVED the place. Actually, we have considered returning next March 2013. The price isn't bad at all especially considering the value. Where else can you vacation with a rock star and family!

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BJ and O - what do you actually get for value considering the price? I thought it was a bit high for what 4 days? If I am going to Chile or Argentina, I need a package that is a bit longer - usually we go for 10 days or so and I don't want to have to string together a bunch of different packages and then have to use local flights to get around - I would imagine it is expensive to get around locally down there?