Welcome to my next trip report, about a quasi mileage run that Ford and I took to Easter Island earlier this month, which includes travel in LATAM business class and a stay at Explora Rapa Nui.
Continue reading: Introduction: Easter In December
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
Easter Island has been on my bucket list for ages. Really looking forward to this trip report.
@ Kurt -- Yep, it could have. I booked flights before looking at hotels, and by the time I got around to hotels the fare was gone, or else I would have booked four nights.
@lucky : Is there adequate award availability for partner airlines using Alaska miles? I've heard some issues with redemptions on Emirates recently.
Did you not have an opportunity to visit the LATAM lounge in SCL? Didn’t see that mentioned up top.
@ Kevin -- Nope, the layover was too short, as I found the domestic to international transit at SCL to be a real pain.
@ DJ -- They certainly do have issues with seeing some award availability, and it's more of a niche program than others, but I find there are some awesome uses of Alaska miles, which is why I value them more than other currencies.
@ Readers -- Please stay at a local hotel when you go to Easter Island. You will have a much more authentic experience and directly help the locals, not a big corporation.
@Kurt, @Lucky: Coincidentally, I took basically the exact same trip (flights & hotels) just a few weeks before Ben. Only difference was that the dates that worked for my fare were four nights. I called Citi Prestige to do 4th night free at Explora and they told me it was NOT eligible - they view it similar to a safari, as an "experience" destination where the price includes more than lodging. I ended up going with 3 nights at Explora (min stay required) and 1 night at Hare Boutik, which I also highly recommend (while nowhere near the experience/luxury of Explora, great people and one of the nicer options remaining).
Glad you are realizing what types of travel work best for you as a couple. This is one of those things that takes time to figure out, and once you have a good idea of what works for both of you, planning trips becomes much easier and more fun.
@Kevin: There's no airline lounge on the domestic side of SCL.
The only domestic lounge is a credit card/Priority Pass lounge, called "Pacific Lounge", which also offers day passes. If I remember correctly, it's around 20 USD, so it might even be cheaper to pay rather than using Priority Pass, depending on the type of membership. And if you're just visiting for a quick cup of coffee, there are two coffee outlets which are much cheaper ...
@Lucky, really want to go here and only have AA miles that would work. Would it be 40K one way from NYC on economy using AA miles (North America to South Pacific) OR would it be 30K+XX (NYC to South America 2 + South America 2 to South Pacific) because of that rule that you can't transit through another region. Really would help to know so I know how many miles I need earn/burn. Thanks!
In 2012 you booked it for us in business class round trip at 80,000 miles, which included Peru, Easter Island, and Santiago. Machu Pichu and Easter Island the same trip! Ah, the memories. Glad you had a good time Ben, we enjoyed the Explora as well.
@ Stvr -- There will be, but I'm publishing it separately. This report covers travel starting in Mexico City.
@Lucky sorry to hear about the tight connection as I think you would have enjoyed the lounge. Maybe a good reason to return to SA and review some of the other Explora properties for us...
@Andy: I was referring to the LATAM VIP lounge in the international terminal which you have access to on the way back to MEX.
Thanks for highlighting this fare sale. I’m not easily impressed but Easier Island really surprised me. Best trip I took this year.
@ Lucky, how many days did you spend at Easter Island? I'm planning to go there with family in late June/early July and can't decide on number of days. Any insight from other readers is also appreciated.
It depends on your type. I just like to hit the highlights and I thought one day was enough. I planned for two but misconnected. The island is small and it gets boring pretty quickly. If you want to take your time though, three days should be more than enough.
Happy Christmas ,Lucky , and thanks for a great blog over the last year .
Best wishes for 2018
$1000 per night?!!!
It's been so many years since I was in Easter Island. In those days, there were not the 15 moais shown in your first picture. There were only 4. But it didn't cost $1000 per night.
As always, another good article by Lucky.
@Lucky I do NOT think the Citi 4th night free would apply. I have recently had trouble on a number of occasions trying to book properties such as this one that included "guided activities" as the agent described. If you believe this to not be the case, I'd love to know. Thanks