13 Best Hotels in El Norte Grande, Chile

No other hotel makes you feel quite as part of the Atacama Desert landscape as Alto; set in the middle of the Salt Mountains Range (Cordillera de la Sal), this 42-room luxury retreat is a surprising oasis in a desert that seems to extend endlessly in every direction. Guest rooms are spacious and tastefully decorated with local crafts and linens, large bathrooms, and private patios looking onto the attractively landscaped native gardens. Meals that showcase local cuisine and ingredients are served with Chilean wines in the main dining room or on one of two outdoor patios. Six outdoor pools and a world-class spa help make this a true getaway. The hotel organizes excursions tailored to all skill and fitness levels, from mountain biking and trekking to sightseeing and astronomy tours. Try the less conventional local gastronomy tour or an energetic walk through the cactus gorge. Rates might invoke some sticker shock, but prices do include all meals and drinks, daily excursions, transfers to and from Calama Airport, spa access, and use of mountain bikes. A bed-and-breakfast-only rate is also available. All water is taken from a well and later recycled, making this one of the most environmentally sustainable hotels in the area.

Atacama's largest resort features 60 large and comfortable rooms spread over the vast property, offering peace and privacy, with each room having its own patio looking onto native flora and an indoor/outdoor shower. You won't run out of activities between relaxing in the pools, Jacuzzis, and spa (be sure to experience Chile's first oxygen-therapy room); savoring the tastes of the restaurant-bar; and keeping busy with more than 15 different excursions on offer. The large communal areas have been refurbished with handsome furniture collected from artisanal producers from Chile, Peru, and Bolivia, and there's a specialist shop with beautiful alpaca wool items and local crafts. Excursions include all the classic Atacama experiences with a private guide (for up to nine guests) and VIP lunches, and there are other itineraries that include mountain ascents, trekking, and morning yoga. The Kunza restaurant serves up plentiful Chilean cuisine using native ingredients in a modern way—like llama jerky arrancini and carpaccio of guanaco—and the breakfast buffet is plentiful. This is a popular spot for events and weddings and offers the best conference facilities in San Pedro.

If you need a break from footloose South American travels, this hotel is just the indulgent space, with a sprawling casino, spa, restaurant, and spacious rooms with big, comfortable beds. The modern entrance ramp is built in great contrast to the sprawling 19th-century ruins of the Huanacha Metal Foundry across the road, which, in itself is worth a visit. You tend to get lower prices with online promotions and by booking well in advance. 

This all-inclusive hotel looks more like an estancia or even a stable from the outside, but inside spacious rooms and airy interiors look out onto the volcanoes in the distance and the friendly staff is there to help you plan your excursions in the altiplano and desert. Spend days galloping across the desert on horseback, sliding down sand dunes, hiking through canyons, and lunching at natural hot springs. In the evenings, relax by the maze of swimming pools and stop by the Explorer’s Bar to swap tales of the day's adventures over glasses of Chilean wine and cocktails. And don’t forget to glimpse skyward after sundown, enjoying the stars beneath some of the world’s clearest night skies. Explora Atacama offers three, four, and seven-day stays, with tours, meals, and drinks included.

Outside the center of San Pedro, this hotel village has the look and feel of a pueblo: a labyrinth of walkways leads you from room to room, which are each constructed with typical mud-color adobe and adorned with private terraces and often outdoor showers. Muted whites are prevalent in the guest chambers, which also have thatched roofs, thick warm comforters, and cool stone-tiled bathrooms featuring nice hot showers. Each room is different in size and style, so take a look at a couple before picking. If you are coming with children, there are family houses, too. There is also a simple restaurant on-site open for lunch and dinner.

Sitting on the ocean between Playa El Laucho and Playa Las Liseras, this hotel has a sense of somewhat faded grandeur with elegant but dated rooms, although the views of the ocean are top-notch and the staff are courteous and attentive. Two swimming pools overlook the beach down below, and there are sports and games for the family. The hotel's tony restaurant, which takes advantage of the ocean views, serves fresh seafood cooked to order, including crab, octopus, and tuna. Don't pass up the caldillo de congrio (conger eel chowder).

This modern boutique hotel is located in the city center and has minimalist furnishings with a splash of color in the comfortable communal spaces and outdoor sun terrace and pool. The staff is welcoming and helpful, and you'll find lots of organic products at the bountiful buffet breakfast. A welcome pisco sour is best enjoyed in the bar area.

This adobe-walled dwelling has comfortable rooms and a cheery central courtyard dotted with islands of desert shrubbery. The rooms are pleasantly airy, with skylights and reed ceilings. The pool is ideal for cooling off after your desert exploration.

In the heart of Iquique's historic district, the highlight of this modern hotel is a very pleasant rooftop pool area decorated with white umbrellas and navy-blue sails. The rooms are all comfortable and spacious, though some look out onto the parking lot.

Right behind the main plaza, Terrantai is a real gem combining the historical and modern; the historical part is a 200-year-old colonial house with high cane ceilings supported by entire tree trunks, and the modern part (constructed in 1996) opens out into a maze of river-stone walls with hidden fountains and gardens. The most picturesque parts of the hotel look onto the steeple of the church, and are bathed with evening sunlight and alive with the sound of cooing pigeons, chattering birds, and a distant Peruvian flute playing from the plaza. This is the original boutique hotel in San Pedro and is owned by a local family who opted for Indigenous designs, a tasteful small swimming pool to respect the scarcity of water, and a laid-back atmosphere. Rooms are basic, but there are little touches that make Terrantai a notch above some of the rest: a variety of teas offered all day, useful toiletries, a complimentary picnic bag, and a welcome pisco sour. The candlelit restaurant, perfect for a romantic dinner, serves international fare, although the breakfast has a touch of the local thanks to chañar cake, quinoa crackers, yerba mate, and coca leaf tea.

It's easy to see why international mining consultants frequent this modern hotel. The rooms have giant beds made up with luxurious linens, and the steaming showers feel great after a day of exploring the surrounding desert. A pool, a lovely garden, and an excellent restaurant serving international cuisine round out the hotel's attractions, and it's close to the airport.

A skyscraper at the southern end of Playa Cavancha, the Terrado is in a great location for Iquique. A marble entryway leads you down to the comfortable lounge and restaurant area. Overstuffed sofas, Andean prints, and hardwood accents decorate the large suites, which have private balconies. The pool and underground sauna are a delight after a day in the desert.

This stylish hotel has an imaginative take on design, services, and excursions to give it a touch of luxury and originality without losing that atacameño feel, or respect for local places, people, and traditions. Cool stone-floored rooms featuring private terraces and open-air showers overlooking volcanoes, mountain ranges, and aromatic gardens ensure private enjoyment of the wilderness, while the wide-open reception-area-cum-bar and restaurant invite you to share tales of rugged adventure with fellow travelers. The spa has a picture-perfect infinity pool dropping into pampa grass with Volcán Lincancabur in the distance, and steam rooms, bubble beds in the heated indoor pool, and exclusive outdoor hot tubs that complete the water experience. Excursions are well organized, never run above eight people (although are usually closer to two to four people) and take a slightly different twist on the classics: visiting the Valle de Luna during the empty morning hours, cycling to the stunning lagoons with a picnic next to the water’s edge, and walking under fabulous moonlight through the Valle de la Muerte with a local band serenading you under the stars. The food, which is included in the rates, along with tours, spa, and bar, is excellent and incorporates local cuisine as well as international favorites to keep everyone happy. Dishes are served alongside great biodynamic wines from San Antonio.