Nayara Hangaroa

Perfect resort for us. We are extremely independent travelers and wanted to explore Rapa Nui but still have some creature comforts from home. This hotel was perfect for us. Location in town is a huge plus include walking/driving distance to restaurants, stores, laundromat (if you wish to do your own laundry), etc etc. We considered Explora which was all inclusive (meals and activities) but for us Nayara was the right choice. We drove past Explora and while it’s in a remote part of the island, we felt you get to interact with more locals at Nayara as you have access to town. Explora is more for people who need hand holding the whole time. Nayara is ala carte, you can have as much hand holding or as little as you want. We had a great room. Lots of privacy even though the rooms/huts are relative close to each other. Some reviews say property is a bit run down but it goes with the territory of being on a remote island. Weather can be harsh, things break and sometimes can’t be fixed asap and there are bugs (even in luxury) because you’re in nature!! But it was perfect for us. Only critic is gym could be larger but hey, how many people work out when they come to Easter Island? lol I did… and I saw a woman running through the many Moai sites. Staff were mostly excellent. Very friendly and personable. Mostly foreign workers from Latin America or mainland Chile but very accommodating and really made the stay wonderful. Food/restaurant were excellent. Highly recommend if you’re looking for luxury. Some tips based on our trip - rent a car as the island is very manageable to self drive. You’ll appreciate the independence - buy a local SIM card in Santiago before landing in Rapa Nui. Your US international might include Chile as one of its covered countries for free but roaming on a non-Chilean SIM is non existent. Local SIM card is cheap and great. I had service including data the entire time (due to work commitments) except in some remote parts of the island where there are no cell towers. - we stayed 4 days 3 nights which was plenty for us. Perhaps 1 extra night would make it more relaxing but I think 1 week is too long. - highly recommend you visit during low season. Weather was still fine with plenty of sunshine with only a small amount of daily rain. No crowds. We were completely alone in many of the sites. - You do need a local guide (which I support)to get within the boundaries of the Moais but you can take amazing pictures from outside the boundary. So we only had a guide for 1 day to take us to the Moais you can only access with a guide and the quarry which was amazing. - stop by the tourist office to get a one of a kind Rapa Nui stamp in your passport!!! We’ve been to many remote place around the world and Easter Island/Rapa Nui is a very special place!

The perfect hotel, in the perfect location, on the perfect island in the Pacific with perfect service! The rooms are very comfortable with exceptional views of the Pacific. The WIFI is good and bed comfortable and bath and shower excellent and impeccably clean. But the service makes this one of a kind. From the greeting by Josefina and Silvio and tour arranger Cecelia to one of the best tour guides we've ever had - Tico - we were in great hands 24/7. The dining is equally good and service from Patricio made us feel right at home and well cared for. Easter Island is such a unique and special place it's like being in another world with all (maybe more) the comforts of home! A once in a lifetime experience (that we've enjoyed twice) thanks to a magnificent island and a magnificent hotel and staff!!!!

This was our second stay at a Nayara property during our three-week Chilean vacation, with the first being at Nayara Alto Atacama, which set the bar incredibly high, leaving us wondering if we should manage our expectations for this extremely remote location on such a small island. However, Nayara Hangaroa did not disappoint. It offers unbelievable hospitality, comfort, and gastronomy that would be impressive anywhere in the world—let alone in the middle of the Pacific Ocean! Any pre-arrival communications were answered promptly and professionally. I was so lucky to have caught a 40% off flash sale just over a month before our arrival, which made their “full program” rate a veritable bargain. Airport transfers, daily excursions, snacks and meals, and almost all wines and beverages were included. This made for a very easy, worry-free five-night stay. (And if you have stayed at an all-inclusive resort in Mexico or the Caribbean, this does not remotely compare. It is a whole other level!) Our arrival at the airport with a charming welcome lei was very similar to our experiences in Hawaii and French Polynesia—just missing a local band playing for disembarking passengers. The Nayara representative was easy to locate, and the drive to the hotel took maybe five minutes. At the hotel, we received another warm welcome from Josefina, the guest services manager, and she explained everything about the resort, gave us a little tour, signed us up for the sunset excursion a few hours later, and escorted us to our room. As LHW Leaders Club members, we qualified for a generous pre-arrival upgrade to a Maunga suite, and Josefina gave us the one at the very end of the property, with lots of privacy, an extra set of panoramic doors/windows, oversized patio with seating for 8, and sweeping views out to the ocean. The suite was huge and very bright (a contrast to our much smaller and darker room at Alto Atacama). There was a powder room, wet bar, living room area with built-in seating, and a large bathroom with double sinks, water closet, and shower (no tub). We loved the overarching design aesthetic using local materials to great effect. In fact, the whole hotel is modeled after the housing that can be visited at Orongo on one of the available excursions. Even though the inspiration lies in ancient architecture, the execution is actually strikingly modern. The suite had everything we needed for a very comfortable stay: lots of storage space (we did have to call for extra hangers though), quality bedding, robes and slippers, and locally sourced organic toiletries that we saw in a few different hotels across the country. Everything was in excellent repair and the suite was spotless. The only issue we had was opening the huge sliding glass door, which seemed to have swelled or warped with age and exposure to the elements (it was quite a task!). And unfortunately there are no screens, so it was impossible to leave to door open more than a few inches lest one of

The issues that we had with this hotel that ruined this trip involved our interactions with the Reservations Department as well as the Front Desk. I booked the room about six months in advance via the hotel's website. I was then charged the full cost of the stay 30 days prior to arrival. Approximately 2-3 weeks prior to arrival, I noticed that the advertised room rate had dropped to less than half of what I had prepaid. I thus requested to either receive the current room rate, or receive a food credit for the difference between what I had paid versus the current rate. Reservations entirely refused these requests and basically told me that I was out of luck. When we arrived at the hotel, we found that the air conditioning and hot water in our room didn't work. We were told that there were no other rooms available in our room type, but that the air conditioning and hot water would be fixed promptly. It ended up taking two days for these issues to get fixed, and we were not given any compensation for these issues. I expected a four-star experience, but didn't receive that. If everything were working properly, the facilities would meet that level, but this resort cares too much about money to keep guests happy. If they cared about keeping me happy more than just obtaining money, they would have honored the current room rate and/or given me a credit for the room issues that were experienced the first two nights.

Great oceanside eco friendly lodge with excellent, friendly service. Rooms are spacious. The oceanfront rooms are the best with the sounds of the waves. Restaurants serve fresh, tasty food at reasonable prices for the area. Hotel offers inclusive and non inclusive fares. Tours are available though hotel. Spa on site. Easy walk into town as well.