Nayara Hangaroa — Hotel in Easter Island

Well, where to start…

Stated as a 5 star resort, it’s really a 3 star resort. It’s the first luxury resort on the island built in 2017. The place feels cheap from the pathways and lack of lighting to the lack luster bar and restaurant for breakfast. The breakfast is a far cry from being a decent buffet. They cut the grass not with a mower but by a weed walker. Grass growing through the rocks and the stamped red concrete pathways have weeds growing in them. There is lack of signage as to where things are. The spa I saw only one person utilizing it. Dinner however was good but quality varied and presentation also varied every night.

Dinner restaurant was elegant and we spent five dinners in there. Each night I got the beef tar tar. It was great four of the five nights. One night they did not grind up the meat that much, however the crackers that went with it perfect, unlike the other four nights. They were chewy and not good. The tempura fish was great. Fillet was nothing special. The slow roasted beef was like that of a roast cooked two days ago and dry. All of the tuna dishes were great. The dessert lava cake takes 20 mins to cook but well worth the wait. We recommend this place since the rooms are nice, the food isn’t too terrible, (you can go offsite for dinners) and you get free sunset drinks between 6:30-8:30pm if I remember the end time correctly. You can go to the bar and get the drink of the night theme and each night is different. Then when you’re done, go over to the restaurant and have your meal. They offer you the sunset drink there as well along with the appetizer they serve at the bar so you get two free drinks. The food is cheap. We got a bottle of wine, two appetizers, two entrees, and two desserts and after tip it was only, $133.90. In the U.S., the cost would have been in the $300s. The room rate we paid was in advance at the dollar currency rate. Just before we arrived two days before, the peso declined rapidly so the rooms went for HALF the rate we paid. We couldn’t get them to honor the reduced rate. We did get upgraded to a suite, with no view of the ocean.

Note: One pitfall of a regular room is that the bathtub is in the middle of the room with no curtain or privacy and in the suite the tub is in the bathroom (with very small mirrors with way too small of sinks with that spray everywhere and the hot water is only warm not hot) and no curtain in there neither. No privacy anywhere. The rooms are beautiful but just both have an open layout and different than anywhere else we’ve been and we’ve stayed in at least 600 rooms. We travel a lot. They utilize rope lighting in the ceiling and under the bed so be aware of low lighting. Check out is at 11am. Shuttle for the flight to Santiago (only flight for the day) leaves at 12:30pm. Flight is at 2:30pm. The reason only flight per day is that if there is ever an emergency with a plane on the runway and the plane can not get off the runway, then the other second flight of the day wouldn’t be able to land and would have to turn around and fly back. This is hoping they have enough jet fuel. 5,200 mile flight turning back, that’s 10,400 miles on board a 787-8. They don’t travel that far on the fuel they put on board. So only one aircraft per day. That’s a helpful and insightful tip of the day.

If you stay at luxury resorts, your closest bet is here. Go to off hotel restaurants. You can walk it if you don’t mind a mile walk or you can just take a taxi. There’s great food in town. We were oddballs by staying 5 days here not venturing off to other places rather than just spend five days taking private guided tours to multiple tourist locations.

Yesterday we went horse back riding. I had a young horse that was tired and tried to tip me off. It finally did. I have a fractured rib and have bruising all over my right side. If you do go on a sunset horse riding excursion, be careful on which horse you get. ;) Enjoy and you’ll be welcomed to...

Hi world, I don't usually write reviews, but after staying at Nayara I wanted to share my experience. The Hotel is near the airport but every hotel is within 30 minutes of the airport. I understand the concept of "island time" but they really live by that statement heavily at this property. Prior to booking this hotel, which is one of the nicer hotels on the island. I TRIED planning this out for months in advance, trying to book excursions, and having an itinerary in mind. I emailed asking about pricing for the excursions where the response given was you must book to see pricing and availability. For some place that costs almost 800 dollars a night, it was ludacris. I wanted a nice experience and everywhere else seemed like an AIRBNB style. Reluctantly I purchased the 2 night stay. I immediately sent the confirmation number to the "Reservations Executive" because she said in order to solidify your itinerary you must have a reservation number. She finally sent me the booklet of pricing where I sent her a list of excursions I wanted to accomplish in my two days on the island. I tried setting up times and get an understanding about my itinerary as well. She never solidified anything on my itinerary and instructed me to just "relax" and plan it when I get there? If I only have two days we don't have enough time to do that. When we do arrive I immediately drop my bags off and head to the excursion desk. Where multiple people were helping guests with the run-down of all the activities. But I already had an idea of what I wanted to do. I pulled the list up and the lady who I was emailing back and forth suggested we could have private tours. But wait, guess what, all of the private guides were booked up!! I tried booking in advance then we asked if we could do the tour later, oop it's booked up! Well can we do the ATV’s.. No, you needed a motorcycle license. The fellow traveler and I that accompanied me headed downtown to try to make the most out of the whole half day. We went downtown and we ended up being able to rent an ATV without the help of the hotel. I would highly suggest staying somewhere cheaper and booking a guide to even staying at Nayara and doing your own thing and creating your own itinerary. Also in order to get into the national parks of Rapa Nui you must have these green tickets to enter all parks. We asked the front desk if we could buy one but they didn’t have any. We asked where to go buy them and we could not locate the visitor center. It was just a hassle. The food at the restaurant was sub-par. I also look 18 years old and got asked multiple times if we even stayed there. Overall, it was pretty but definitely not worth 800 dollars a night. I also feel bad for writing this review because they were nice but the system that is put in place...

Stone-Faced Service: When Kaloa Lounge Turned My Brother’s Rapa Nui Dream to Stone

If you’re planning a once-in-a-lifetime celebration on the mystical shores of Rapa Nui, you’d expect the Kaloa Lounge at Nayara Hangaroa—famed for its breathtaking sunsets—to be the perfect setting for an unforgettable moment. Think again.

Picture this: Months of meticulous planning, family flown halfway across the globe, and my brother’s proposal to his girlfriend so precisely coordinated it could have launched a NASA mission.

The grand finale of their celebration was meant to be a sunset dinner at Kaloa Lounge, reputedly the crown jewel of Rapa Nui’s dining scene. When we visited the day before, the staff eagerly promised to “pull out all the stops” for the engagement celebration reservation, dismissing the other restaurant at Nayara Hangaroa as little more than a glorified snack bar. After confirming our booking, a staff member even escorted us to the hotel reception to lock it in. Everything seemed set—until it wasn’t.

Fast-forward to proposal day—ring presented, tears shed, champagne popped. We arrived at Kaloa Lounge, ready to toast the newly engaged couple. Cue the plot twist: “No booking under your name, but we can squeeze you in upstairs.” Moments later, the story changed again—our reservation had been made for the aforementioned snack bar, not the romantic sunset lounge.

We explained (again) that this was for my brother and his now-fiancée’s engagement, only to be told the lounge was “fully booked”—despite the room being emptier than a moai’s stare. The staff’s solution? “Enjoy our excellent sandwiches and snacks.” Because nothing says “celebration” like a ham and cheese toasted sandwich.

The attitude on display? A masterclass in indifference. Compassion was as absent as our reservation. If you value reliability, attention to detail, or even a flicker of genuine hospitality, do yourself a favor: avoid the Kaloa Lounge at Nayara Hangaroa like a tropical cyclone.

Special occasions deserve special treatment. At Kaloa Lounge, you’re more likely to get a side of disappointment with your sunset and a service style as animated as a moai. Unless you’re after a dramatic plot twist and a sandwich on one of the most important nights of your life,...