Elqui Domos Hotel

View in gallery

The view from Elqui Domos Hotel brings travelers from around the world. Guests come to this rocky, outback region of Chile not to see the ocean, not for a view of the city and not for cultural immersion– they come to gaze at the stars, to explore the night sky without blemish or consequence on the edge of the Elqui Valley in Chile. This is an amateur astronomer’s dream hotel, a place to live intimately amongst the stars if only for a weekend or more.

The Elqui Domos Hotel is a collection of lodges that skirt a rocky hill in the Elqui Valley. The lower section features a group of three-story lodges with geodesic dome roofs with windows to the stars. Indoors, these domes house a bed below their peak and a quiet sitting area at its base. Guests are welcomed to explore the stars above, read the available astronomy materials and get to know the night sky from Chile. For more intensive star gazing, guests can view the skies using the Schmidt-Cassegrain telescopes that are housed a short walk up the mountainside from the hotel campus.

Elqui Domos Hotel may seem like a boutique reserved for those with deep pockets, but the pricing is surprisingly affordable. Even during the busy season, lodging at Elqui Domos starts at $150 per night. For the traveler who wants to explore something truly different or for those who live for astronomy, a visit to Elqui Domos is quite accessible. To get a sense of the experience to be had at this special hotel, don’t miss the timelapse below by talented photographer James Florio.