Planeta Atacama Lodge

There are 5 very clean basic rooms at the hotel. No air conditioning but there was a fan which helped at night. On a hot day, it is a bit stuffy in the rooms but they cool down nicely at night. The back of the property overlooks the mountain range which allows for fantastic views during breakfast and when relaxing off the back of the dining area. Unfortunately, I was there when it was actually quite cloudy over the 3 days so I could not appreciate this fully. It is located slightly out of town and it is very dark at night so the star gazing should be outstanding....but due to the unusual cloud coverage, I could not see any stars. I liked the location of the property which is slightly out of town and very quiet. You should definitely have a car to get around. It is away from the dust and congestion of the center of town. Franklin is the manager of the property. He speaks excellent English and was very helpful. Since there is not front desk and for the most part after breakfast, there is no one at the property but the guests, you should talk to Franklin and the other guests in detail about the different activities you plan as purchasing the tickets to see some of the sights is not obvious - especially if you go see the mountain lakes. If you decide to take the many tours, then the tour operator would take care of this. If you have a car however, you easily see all of the sights yourself.

Franklin was a very helpful host with tips for activities. Free breakfast was included.