Tierra Atacama, Chile, Resort Evaluate

May you see your self driving a motorcycle 11 miles to a salt-crusted turquoise lagoon, the place you’ll be able to wade in and float? Would a five-hour horseback journey to the Salt Mountains sate your yearning for journey, or do you like a extra contemplative pursuit, equivalent to a high-altitude stroll with a view of a rainbow-colored valley?

These are the sorts of questions my information, Paola Silva, requested me once I checked in to the newly reopened Tierra Atacama, a 28-room lodge in northern Chile’s Atacama Desert. The property simply obtained a year-long, $20-million refresh, which revamped the spa and restaurant and added a lounge and wine cellar. The renovation additionally introduced 4 new suites, every created by combining two smaller rooms, with luxurious options like hanging indoor gasoline fireplaces and personal out of doors plunge swimming pools. Friends staying in these suites are additionally arrange with a devoted information.

Silva walked me by all of the choices earlier than gently steering me towards actions that will excite me with out giving me a coronary heart assault. No to scrambling up the slippery rocks of Las Cornices path; sure to a scenic stroll at 11,400 toes to soak in eight hot-spring swimming pools, some with waterfalls. I additionally walked on lunar-like land formations at Valle de la Luna and ascended to a staggering 14,170 toes to see El Tatio, one of many highest and largest geysers on the earth.

Tierra Atacama—a part of the Baillie Lodge assortment, which incorporates Clayoquot Wilderness Lodge, in British Columbia, and Southern Ocean Lodge, on Kangaroo Island, Australia—works with native communities, whereas limiting visitor influence on the individuals and the ecosystem.

This identical ethos comes by when eating on the resort, as govt chef Andrés Donoso Cancino works virtually solely with Chilean producers and grows fruits within the lodge’s backyard, together with pomegranates and figs. After a lunch of creamy pea soup and yellowtail—caught on Chile’s west coast about 60 miles from the resort and pan-fried with parsley, beet greens, and quinoa—I loved a refreshing cactus ice cream.

Although I spent my days adventuring off web site, I returned every night to creature comforts like a humidifier in my room that eased the dryness from the desert air and tea made with rica rica, a Chilean medicinal herb that may assist fight altitude illness. 

Each night time at turndown, I additionally discovered a do-it-yourself present on my mattress—a handcrafted doll, smooth hand-knit slippers—all made by Indigenous Chilean craftspeople. I discovered that, after sky-high experiences, it was the little issues like these that saved me grounded. 

Right here, my full assessment of Tierra Atacama.

The Rooms

Tierra Atacama has 28 rooms, together with 22 customary rooms in two configurations, Oriente Rooms with personal terraces overlooking the Licancabur Volcano and the Andes mountain vary, and barely bigger Poniente Rooms with Cordillera de la Sal (Salt Mountains) views. There are additionally 4 suites (in the course of the lodge renovations, two standard-size visitor rooms have been mixed to kind every suite); and bi-level residences with three beds and three baths. I stayed in one of many brand-new 753-square-foot suites, with a king-size mattress, a big lounge with a gray metallic suspended gasoline hearth, modular couch, and multipurpose desk/facet board, plus an outsized rest room with a double sink, soaking tub, and indoor-outdoor rain showers. I may activate underfloor heating all through the room, with a wall-mounted thermostat (which I did, to remain cozy at night time).

The colours of my room, and the opposite rooms all through the lodge, mirrored the Atacama Desert, with the mattress body and desk paying homage to the blue-black Atacama night time sky and tile flooring evoking desert sands. All of the furnishings was created by Chilean artisans, and among the paintings has a really becoming constellations theme. The tub merchandise have been created by a neighborhood firm, Vera Cosmetica, and use elements from across the area, together with rica rica.

Absolutely the promoting level of all of the suites, and among the customary rooms, are the floor-to-ceiling home windows with views instantly onto Licancabur Volcano and Cerro Toco within the Andes. Not one of the rooms have TVs; they’re pointless with all the character and night time stars on show. My suite additionally had a big out of doors patio with unheated plunge pool—a bit too chilly for me to partake in—plus a day mattress and chairs to take pleasure in that gorgeous volcano view in the course of the daylight, when the roof protecting retracts, or at night time, once I began up the gasoline hearth to remain snug within the chilly desert air.

Meals and Drink

There’s just one restaurant at Tierra Atacama, the place I dined day by day for breakfast, lunch in the course of the two-hour break between half-day excursions, and dinner. Breakfast is a fairly fundamental buffet (plus the prospect to order sizzling dishes), however the kitchen actually shines with the multicourse lunches and dinners, when chef Donoso Cancino and his crew whip up new three-course menus every day with meat, seafood/fish, and vegetarian choices. Although the menu repeats every week (and is fully revamped twice a 12 months), most friends—together with myself—keep a mean of 4 nights, so that you’ll by no means see the identical dish twice. Cancino additionally swaps out gadgets on a second’s discover if, say, the rockfish is more energizing that day than the ocean bass.

My favorites included the creamy soup duo of avocado and corn served with flowers of the season and the marinated northern oysters with seaweed, a spicy, citrusy acevichada sauce, and yellow pepper. I particularly beloved that native herbs and crops seem in desserts at the least as soon as a day; my high choose was chañar ice cream, created from the fruit of the deciduous chañar tree, with an addictive caramel taste. And although most days I got here again to the lodge for lunch in between my morning and afternoon excursions, I obtained a particular deal with throughout my full-day tour to the geysers: a picnic lunch unfold, full with Chilean wine, arrange by my information at a distant, scenic spot alongside the route full of grazing, enjoying vicuñas, the cute cousins to alpacas.

I additionally obtained to strive a Hearth Evening, held twice every week, the place the kitchen employees put together meats outside on the big grill. I extremely suggest the lamb, sourced from the encircling space, served together with scrumptious domestically cultivated couscous.

There’s a bar off the foyer space, the place I’d extremely suggest sampling the aforementioned rica rica bitter. Whereas it stays open late, chances are you’ll be the one one consuming, as a result of that is an early-to-bed, early-to-rise type of place. The sturdy wine checklist leans towards primarily Chilean with a contact of Argentinian and Uruguayan, with quite a few selections out there by the glass; many nights I opted for Chile’s sweetheart wine, Carménère.

Actions and Experiences

Every tour is rated by the lodge as simple, medium, or troublesome. Most final for a half-day and a few, just like the Tatio Geysers and Piedras Rojas (Crimson Stones), for a full day. And you may select your mode of transport—strolling, biking, or horseback driving—relying on the exercise and your consolation degree.

I beloved every of my excursions as a result of they confirmed off the various surroundings of the Atacama, and gave me glimpses of the three mountain ranges that encompass it: the Andes, the Salt, and the Domeyko. The guides do an exceptional job of matching you up with the actions that meet your pursuits and health degree. In addition they program the excursions that can assist you higher acclimate to the altitude over the times of your go to, which is why I began with the 7,556-foot salt flats and ended with the 14,000-plus-foot geysers.

In case your go to coincides with clear sufficient skies for the stargazing tour (i.e., no full moon), it’s really a can’t-miss occasion. You drive about quarter-hour out into the desert at 9 p.m. and gaze on the sky for about two hours utilizing high-powered telescopes. The lodge plans to open an on-site observatory this summer time to make it even simpler to see the attractive constellations with out leaving the property.

Since most friends head out early on excursions, normally at 8 or 9 a.m., and go to mattress proper after dinner (or stargazing), there aren’t many different actions provided on-site. However I did strive a yoga class, held day by day at 6:30 p.m., which centered on light stretching and was totally stress-free after my go-go-go day.

The Spa

The 5,380-square-foot Uma Spa makes for a stunning place to calm down after an energetic day of adventuring. I began with a signature Ckapín Therapeutic massage in one of many three remedy rooms (two for people and one for {couples}), a mix deep therapeutic massage/leisure remedy that soothed my sore muscle tissue and stimulated my senses with an aromatherapy combination of almond, lavender, and orange oils. Then I moved on to the heated indoor pool earlier than a spell within the sauna and steam room and, lastly, the out of doors sizzling tub. (I skipped the out of doors pool, because it’s not heated and is best suited to hotter daytime temperatures.) I had the place to myself, since many individuals have been consuming dinner, however I’d additionally suggest visiting within the daytime, when you might have wondrous views onto the volcano.

The spa additionally features a newly constructed gymnasium with all of the bells and whistles: treadmills, bikes, and ellipticals, plus free weights and weight machines. It’s a stunning area, and I’m a little bit of a gymhound, however it was exhausting to suit it in across the different considerable actions, until you’ll be able to handle to awaken your self at an early hour.

Household-friendly Choices

Tierra Atacama solely permits youngsters 10 and over, and through my go to, there have been a handful of households with youngsters within the tween and teenage age vary. Actually, the excursions might both be too boring or overly difficult for youthful youngsters, and on the lodge itself, there isn’t any youngsters’ membership, child-focused actions, or giant swimming pool. That mentioned, the guides beneficial some actions that may be extra attention-grabbing but nonetheless appropriate for energetic youngsters, together with strolling the Rainbow Valley, biking the Satan’s Gorge, or happening the sand dunes at Las Cornices.

For essentially the most snug keep, the 2 residences are greatest suited to vacationers with youngsters; along with the first bed room, there are two bedrooms every with two single beds, together with a number of bogs and further area for a household to unfold out with out getting in every others’ manner. Suites may additionally work with cots added to the room.

Accessibility and Sustainability

A photo voltaic panel/battery hybrid system provides 60 p.c of Tierra Atacama’s power wants. In addition they have their very own water system with a reverse osmosis plant to deal with it, in order that they don’t want to make use of water from San Pedro de Atacama’s provide. The lodge doesn’t use single-use plastics in visitor rooms, and each visitor will get a Tierra-branded water bottle within the room—an amazing present to take house with you—with refillable water stations by the bar close to the foyer. Filtered water in glass canisters is positioned by the mattress throughout turndown every night time.

Tierra Atacama complies with the Chilean legislation concerning ease of use for wheelchair customers. They’ve a room tailored for wheelchair customers that has wider doorways, each to enter the room and the toilet; a decrease sink, for simpler entry; seize bars and a pulldown chair within the bathe; and an adjustable mirror that may be moved to adapt the angle for wheelchair customers. There are ramps in every single place inside the primary constructing, and the Oriente rooms are on floor degree for simpler entry. There may be additionally a specifically tailored rest room close to the foyer with a large door and seize bars.

That mentioned, Tierra Atacama doesn’t have autos which might be tailored for wheelchair customers (no raise on the again, for instance), nor a raise to assist individuals out and in of the swimming pools or jacuzzi, so friends do have to be considerably cellular or journey with individuals who will help them. I personally wouldn’t suggest the lodge and even the vacation spot itself for individuals with mobility points, until they need to spend a big period of time on the lodge, since a lot of the excursions—that are the meat-and-potatoes of an Atacama go to—usually are not accessible.

Location

To get to the Atacama Desert, friends can fly into El Loa Airport (CJC) in Calama, Chile. Two-hour direct flights from Arturo Merino Benitez Airport (SCL) in Santiago go away many occasions a day on LATAM Airways, Sky Airline, and JetSMART. From Calama, it’s a couple of 90-minute drive on barren stretches of highway (punctuated by lunar landscapes and luxurious rock formations because the highway progresses) to San Pedro de Atacama; the lodge gives free transfers. As soon as on the lodge, friends have entry to guides and transport to see all of the sights.

Tierra Atacama is situated on the outskirts of San Pedro de Atacama, an historical city with dusty streets and adobe buildings. It makes a high quality cease to buy jewellery, particularly items created with native lapis lazuli stone, and to strive a refreshing ice cream at Heladería Babalú created from native elements like chañar and ayrampo.

Easy methods to Get the Most Worth Out of Your Keep

Tierra Atacama is a part of Priceless by Mastercard, which gives unique advantages to Mastercard cardholders. Nightly charges at Tierra Atacama, together with all meals, drinks, and excursions, begin from $1,870 within the off-season.