I visited the mysterious Easter Island and stayed at a hotel that sets you up to have a once-in-a-lifetime experience — and it didn't disappoint by David Slotnick on Sep 21, 2018, 12:13 PM The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase. 
- Easter Island, or Rapa Nui, is an incredible place to visit — and not just to see the legendary stone heads.
- From hiking to scuba diving, beautiful landscapes and cultural festivals, plus the chance to disconnect and visit one of the most far-flung places on earth, it's worth the long flight.
- I visited this summer and had an amazing time and wonderful stay at Explora Rapa Nui, the island's main luxury hotel.
- Read on to see what Explora was like, and to check out other options for where to stay and how to experience Easter Island, including Airbnbs and smaller hotels.
Remote and picturesque, isolated and beautiful, Easter Island is a special destination for travelers and explorers. A unique speck of land strewn in the far-flung reaches of the Pacific ocean, the island is the kind of place almost built for off-the-beaten-path tourism, offering equal parts beauty, culture, intrigue, adventure, and relaxation. The island's tiny size — just over 63 square miles — means that it's possible to see most of the highlights in a single trip. However, despite the small size, there's a surprising range of accommodations available for travelers. With a booming tourism industry that makes up the majority of the island's economy, the island has actually seen a population boom over recent years as people have moved in, nearing 8,000 people — more than double what it was in the mid-1990s. The island's history is fascinating and shrouded in mystery, a hub of Polynesian culture with archeological treasures from the ancient (and still present) Rapa Nui people everywhere you look. While the most famous attraction may be the moai statues, the giant stone heads littered around, the island offers much more than that. The volcanic island offers incredibly scenic hiking that, while not advanced, can be both challenging and accessible for any reasonably fit explorer. Snorkeling and scuba diving are options, particularly in the warmer months, while the Tapati Festival in late-January and early-February is a world-class attraction. Biking and horseback riding are also popular, as is simply relaxing and touring. 
One of the questions for those visiting Easter Island is where to stay. While the island offers a range of accommodations, it's less traditional than many similar destinations — unlike other Polynesian destinations like Tahiti or Hawaii, you won't find a Four Seasons beach resort on Easter Island. My wife and I visited in July for a few days of exploration, relaxation, and disconnection — cell service is extremely limited on the island. We decided to stay at the island's primary luxury all-inclusive, Explora Rapa Nui. It's extraordinarily pricey compared to alternatives on the island — often in the $3,000 range for a fairly short stay — but it ultimately made sense for us for a few reasons — including several rave personal recommendations. First, the "all-inclusive" descriptor didn't just apply to things like food and drinks. Explora has a huge staff of guides who help you plan each day, and take you through the sites. When visiting Easter Island, it's absolutely essential to hire a guide. Many of our expeditions were not on marked paths, and we would have had no idea where we were going otherwise. We also would have had absolutely no idea of the significance of many of the things we saw — guides shared the significance behind certain places, rock formations, or paths. We also didn't have to rent a car, which we might have otherwise needed. Admission to national parks and museums is also included. Second, because we've been married for less than a year, we were eligible for a significant honeymooners discount. However, I think Explora would have been worth the cost even at full price. Easter Island is a destination I'd recommend whole-heartedly — and it might be advantageous to go soon. Despite the island's tourism-based economy, there was been backlash in recent years as tourism has grown beyond what may be sustainable. The Chilean government responded last month with a new 30-day restriction for tourist stays, and it's unclear if future restrictions may be placed. If you're interested in visiting, here's what you need to know — and here's why I recommend looking into Explora, despite it's high price point. Getting there Getting to Easter Island is a bit tricky, because it's almost impossible to fly direct. There are up to three flights to Easter Island's Mataveri International Airport (IPC) each day: One to two daily flights from Santiago, and a weekly flight from Tahiti. The only airline that operates to Easter Island is LATAM Chile — booking is easy through either the US version of its website, the Chilean homepage, or an online travel agency like Expedia or CheapOair. 
To get to Santiago, you can book with any number of airlines from the US, including Delta, American, LATAM, and Aero Mexico (with a stop in Mexico City). Because you'll need to stop in Santiago anyway, you may want to build in a few days there (that's what we did). It's possible to book a single itinerary from the US to Easter Island when you book on LATAM, or its alliance partner American, but you won't be able to build in a stopover. You may prefer to book separate itineraries to Santiago and to Easter Island. Where to stay There's no Four Seasons, but chances are if you're heading to Easter Island, you're not looking for that kind of on-resort experience. Here are the different types of places to stay. Airbnb If you're looking for an easy-to-book rental, Airbnb has listings for homes and home shares on Easter Island. Most of the available Airbnbs are in or near Hanga Roa, the island's only town, although there are a few farther-flung locations, like this incredible-looking farm house. 
Search Airbnb for available properties, though keep in mind you'll want to hire a guide — and likely rent a car — separately. Hotels, cabins, and lodges There are also a handful of bed and breakfasts and regular hotels available, as well as cabins and lodges. They vary in levels of service, but some feature pools, breakfast, and even spas. Keep in mind that many of these won't be like a traditional hotel with a restaurant, so you'll want to plan to head into town for meals, or, if the property offers kitchen facilities, to pick up groceries when you arrive. Most are located in Hanga Roa, but, like with Airbnbs, there are a few farther flung ones. Check Booking.com for an up-to-date list on your dates. Like with Airbnbs, you'll want to hire a guide, and chances are you'll want to rent a car. Chances are the hotel will be able to help you make arrangements. Explora Rapa Nui 
This is the luxury option among the various lodgings on Easter Island. It's pricey, for sure, but you really get what you pay for. Less traditional luxury — no white tablecloth breakfasts served on your private balcony overlooking the ocean — Explora offers the luxury of being able to let go of planning and logistics without sacrificing choice or personalization. When you land on Easter Island, someone from Explora meets you at the airport and drives you to the lodge. We had no trouble finding her, and she walked us to a waiting van which drove the 10-15 minutes to Explora — about half of that on dirt roads. We arrived at the lodge and were met by one of the directors, who gave us a quick tour, and let us know that we had an afternoon expedition scheduled after lunch. The Explora activity model is fairly straightforward. There are two expeditions, or excursions, each day: morning, and afternoon. Each evening, after you return from your afternoon expedition, you'll meet with a member of the guide staff who will help you plan the following day's activities. They'll discuss options, ask about what you're interested in, and suggest priorities based on what you've seen, and how long you'll be there. We stayed for four days, three nights, and the guide staff did a fantastic job of helping us optimize that time. They picked an easy and fun first activity for when we arrived — a hike with just the two of us, plus our guide, on scenic but relatively level ground, since they didn't know how comfortable we were hiking. We ended up exploring a massive cave, and stopped at a restored moai statue. 
The guide staff, along with the expeditions they led, were phenomenal. Each of the guides we worked with was Rapa Nui, with families who went back to the original Rapa Nui tribes, or clans. Consequently they had an intimate knowledge of the island and everything we saw. They were also incredibly accommodating and proactive. For example, I enjoy photography when I travel, and took a bunch of pictures on our first excursion. Our guide told all of the other guides, and for the rest of our stay, guides went out of their way to point things out to me, offer suggestions for photos, and even offer to build in some extra time in case I wanted to slow down to set up a shot. 
One of the highlights was the "birdman" hike — a hike along the southern coast of the island and up the Rano Kau volcanic crater. The landscapes and views were breathtaking, and our guide was incredibly knowledgeable about the history of the area. The Explora property itself is a great space, located generally on the south-eastern side of the island, but more towards the middle of it. The lodge is consequently fairly isolated, since it's a couple of miles away from Hanga Roa where most of the hotels and residents are. There are 30 rooms total, split into two main sections, and joined by a building with a common lounge area, bar, and dining room, as well as the guides' station. There's Wi-Fi available in the main common areas, but otherwise, there's no cell service or internet — fantastic for disconnecting. 
There are two types of room — room, and suite. We stayed in a room, which was very comfortable. The bed was comfortable, and panoramic ocean views were stunning — not that we spent much time in the room during the day. 
The hotel is LEED-certified, and features a spa and a pool. Each meal was delicious — there is a range of times for each meal, and a menu featuring a few different options. Breakfast was buffet-style with hot options available, and lunch and dinner came with your choice of drinks, including a solid range of Chilean wines. 
Another highlight was the bar area, where we relaxed each night either before or after dinner. The bartenders were friendly, and made a mean Pisco sour — although I was a fan of their beers from the only brewery on the island. Overall, the stay was phenomenal and could not have been more enjoyable. Bottom line Easter Island is one of the most stunning places I've traveled to, and it's a trip I'd recommend to anyone looking to enjoy some time relatively off the grid. Between hiking, beautiful landscapes, archeological treasures scattered everywhere, and an element of mystique, it's an incredible — and fairly accessible — place. Explora, which opened on the island in 2007, was flawless in my experience, other than the price. While my wife and I were able to get a substantial "honeymoon" discount because we've been married for less than a year — we had to send a copy of our marriage certificate to prove it — I'd argue that even at full price, it's worth the expense for a once-in-a-lifetime trip. However, if you're less interested in the all-inclusive, fully managed experience, or if you're looking for more budget-friendly options, Airbnb has a great presence on the island, and a number of smaller hotels, lodges, and home shares are available. The biggest thing I would recommend if you stay somewhere other than Explora is to make sure to hire a local guide. We simply couldn't have had the same rich, meaningful experience otherwise, and from looking around at other sites, we could see that people without guides were missing out. People would hop in cars and travel from site to site, checking things off a list. Our guides and drivers would take us to those sites, but then we'd see other spaces in between, and leave the marked tourists paths to see what else there was. SEE ALSO: Amex Platinum vs Chase Sapphire Reserve: Which card offers superior airport lounge access, according to a frequent flyer
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