U

ntil recently, the only hotel filling the luxury-in-the-Atacama niche was Germán del Sol’s Explora—understandable since most craggy edge-of-the-world desert moonscapes haven’t got even one upscale adventure hotel. Now, though, there’s competition, and some of the finest comes in the form of Awasi, a slightly more modest but hardly less impressive lodging, in the riverside town of San Pedro de Atacama.

In some ways it’s austere, almost ascetic; rather than a modernist architectural statement, it’s a throwback to the past, comprising just eight adobe cottages furnished not with Scandinavian design classics but with rustic custom-built pieces. This restraint is all the more impressive for the fact that Awasi’s owners are an architect and a decorator, Francisco Rencoret and Paula Domínguez.

This was no busman’s holiday, however; from the results it’s apparent that they consciously steered clear of the territory marked out by their professional work, opting instead for maximum authenticity, meticulously researching local traditions and sticking whenever possible to indigenous materials.

In spite of all this, though, Awasi doesn’t exactly lack for luxury. You get a whole cottage to yourself, after all, with a private open-air courtyard, and decadent modern bathrooms, complete with marble baths, towel warmers, indoor and outdoor showers, and a vast selection of herbal soaps, salts, lotions and unguents. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are catered for, with the menu changing daily.

With comforts like these it’s tempting just to stay in—but the central appeal of Awasi is its natural setting. Your all-inclusive rate covers not just meals and transfers, but excursions as well; a small fleet of 4x4's and drivers are on hand to lead an ever-changing array of loosely structured tours and day trips, from hikes and nature walks to culture and archaeology tours, sporting adventures, even astronomer-led nighttime stargazing outings.

Awasi Atacama has a 3 night minimum stay requirement.

How to get there:
Awasi is approximately a 90 minute drive from Calama Airport.