Explora Rapa Nui, Easter Island
A contemporary escape in the Easter Islands.
Remote and intriguing Easter Island is home to explora Rapa Nui, an unobtrusive residence built almost entirely from the island’s wood and volcanic rock. Your guest room is home base in this mystical land, and a massage salon and open-air Jacuzzis are readily available. Each day brings excursions, from easy to difficult, along with picnics on the shore or rocky outcroppings. These expert-led, small-group activities include exploring on foot, bicycle, or by boat. Explora programs take care of your experience from beginning to end. Included are all explorations, lodging, meals, drinks, and airport transportation on fixed schedules.
Essential Info:
Property Size: 30 rooms
Room Style: Luxury Wilderness
Vibe: Global Nomads
Dress Code: Expedition Chic
Key Features: Moai Monuments, Spirituality, Wellness,
Key Amenities: Pool, Spa, Guided Explorations
Restaurant Style: International Comfort
Best time to Go: Dec to Mar
Location: Easter Island, Chile
Price point: Remote luxury premium ($$$$)
Perfect For: People who have been everywhere and done everything
HV Verdict: One of the most spiritually powerful places in the world
What Works:
The Lodge is the only luxury option on the island, and its organic, indigenous style of modern design somehow fits the beautiful remote landscape. The Explora group pioneered a style of rustic expedition luxury in their lodges, but their greatest innovation was in the quality of their expeditions and calibre of their guides- the lodge is really just a launch pad for incredible explorations of the island, both up to the trim of extinct volcanos and down under the surrounding clear and teeming waters.
What Doesn’t:
The remote location means that’s its hard (and expensive) to get here - most flights go through Chile, and there aren’t a lot of them, so plan carefully. As with other super remote locations, finding good local staff and good local ingredients is tough, and while the staff try hard, the food is pretty average and the service is charmingly inept.
Insiders tip:
Jump on a bike at sunrise and explore the quiet roads along the cast when you have the haunting monumental Maoi all to yourself. Explora also has lodges in Patagonia, Atacama, and the Sacred Valley of Peru; choose the explora passport program to save up to 15 percent when you combine three lodges, plus other extras.
HV Travel VIP Benefits
Upgrade on arrival, subject to availability
Complimentary Continental breakfast for two guests per bedroom daily, served in restaurant
A complimentary 50 minute therapeutic massage for up to two people, once during stay (you are encouraged to book as far in advance as possible)
Early check-in/Late check-out, subject to availability
Complimentary Wi-Fi
The Basics
The Terrain
Overview
With its location in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and home to a culture whose origins and evolution are still largely unknown, Easter Island is an attractive and mysterious destination. A mild year-round climate allows for walking the island’s geography and traveling along the coast of numerous ahus that are home to the gigantic sculptures called moai.
Who, when and why were these sculptures created? It is a mystery. It is presumed that the island has been inhabited since the earliest centuries of our times, and the moai are hundreds of years old.
It is also known that numerous tribes have lived on the island and have fought amongst themselves, razing much of the territory in the process. It is not known why they destroyed the majority of the moai.
Today visitors can share with the descendents of this ancient culture and who preserve their ancestral customs in the face of the advancement of Western civilization.There are five miles separating the property from the island’s only town, offering a striking setting to appreciate the vast dimensions of the water, land and wonder that surround it.
Lodging:- Guests are greeted at Posada de Mike Rapu by a welcoming patio and gracious staff.Inside, each of 30 guest rooms, including 4 suites, is designed for subtle comfort with a sitting area, ultra comfortable beds and a hydro-massage bathtub.Design accents are created from indigenous materials such as furniture of local Rauli wood, bathroom flooring and walls of Piedra Pizarra stone, and interior Lenga wood paneling. Each room faces the Pacific, assuring drop-dead sunrise views and fresh ocean breezes throughout the day.
The lodge is also highlighted by excellent service, a magnificent restaurant with a glassed-in kitchen, a bar, inside/outside dining, and Casa de Baños Hare Val, an inviting outdoor area with pool, massage salon and open-air Jacuzzis for unwinding after long days of exploration. A library and a meeting space for up to 30 people are available for business and pleasure, while a satellite dish provides permanent communication with Chile and the rest of the world. Of course, Internet access is available, too.
Exploring Rapa Nui:- Visitors to explora en Rapa Nui may participate in one of our diverse explorations that are organized according to group size and guest preference.
Every day, we offer easy to more difficult walks that, one by one, unveil the secrets and beauty of the island. These walks are combined with picnics on rocky outcrops or along the shore, always in mesmerizing sites.
Each day guests may choose between 5 or more different explorations that are selected according to climatic conditions, guests’ preferences, length and difficulty.
The group size maximum is 8 people, along with a bilingual guide who brings along all necessary equipment.
