Explora Atacama, San Pedro de Atacama

Explora Atacama is one of San Pedro de Atacama's premiere luxury hotels, located just a 5-minute drive or 15-minute walk from the town center, making this ideal for those looking for some peace and silence in the driest desert in the world. Valle de la Luna is a quick 10-minute drive, or you can head much deeper into the desert to see sites like the Martian rocks of Piedras Rojas or the geysers of El Tatio in about two hours. Calama Airport is just under an hour and a half by car.

The hotel is located on Ayllu de Larache, an area once inhabited by ancient Atacameño families, so its 50 or so rooms reflect a traditional style that's been modernized. Desert-colored handwoven fabrics mix with muted tones and whitewashed brick walls to create cozy rooms that look out over the mountains or desert. Suites include a balcony overlooking the otherworldly landscape. Interconnecting options are available for groups, and all bathrooms have jetted bathtubs. The rooms have no TV or WiFi, but you can get online in the lobby.

This all-inclusive hotel currently has a three-night minimum stay, but you won't lack things to do. The restaurant offers upscale Chilean cuisine, the bar is a lively place to meet, and there's a quincho (traditional barbecue). If you're looking to relax, head to the spa, where you can book massage treatments, or venture to the hotel's private hot springs. The outdoor pool and garden filled with native plants are also peaceful places to decompress, but perhaps the biggest highlight of all is the hotel's private observatory, where you can star gaze at the night sky that puts the Atacama on the map.