Stargazing Holiday, ElquiDomos Hotel, Chile
This has to be one of the most unusual hotels I have heard of. Set high up in the Andes, because of the excellent clear skies and lack of light pollution, lies the ElquiDomos Hotel. It was designed by a famous Chilean architect Nicolas Fones and opened in February 2005.
It is the only astronomic hotel in the southern hemisphere (apparently there are 7 astronomic themed hotels worldwide) and has 7 rooms built as two storey domes with living rooms downstairs and the bedrooms on the upper floor with detachable roofs to enhance the star gazing experience. Each dome is equipped with its own telescope (of course), and large wooden terrace and astronomic literature.
At the time of writing the maximum rate is $99US per night per dome including breakfast. Domes will sleep up to four adults if you request an additional bed and you can pay extra to get a bilingual guide.
Probably the best time to visit Chile is during their spring / summer – so from September through to March. There’s a huge amount to do in Chile besides star gazing, for example:
• Visit the salt flats to see flamingos and volcanoes in the Atacama Desert
• Visit museums in the bustling city of Santiago
• Visit the vibrant port/town of Valparaiso known as the ‘jewel of the Pacific’
• Take a boat trip to Isla Grande de Chiloe – South America’s second largest island and try sea kayaking in the sheltered Castro Fjord. You may even see penguins and sea lions
• Go skiing at Portillo (between June and September)
• Take a glacier cruise around Cape Horn to go iceberg spotting
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