Easter Island/Santiago November 2012 - LAN Airlines 842 Economy Class (IPC-SCL)

***This post is part 6 of a full trip report. The index can be found here***

Mataveri International Airport is tiny. With only LAN Airlines servicing the island, there is no need for anything larger than one hall and one departure gate. In fact, with the cancellation of the Lima to Easter Island route starting in March 2013, there will only be two other destinations: Santiago and Papeete. The check-in counters were at the very end of the hall, and had a separate line for Premium Business passengers despite the economy lines being mostly empty.

Once our bags were checked in, we walked over to the other end of the hall, where there were a number of gift shops packed to the brim with tourists looking for last minute souvenirs. About an hour before departure, the doors to the boarding room opened, and passengers were screened via a quick security check before filing into a large waiting area. There were plenty of open seats, as well as more gift shops and a small snack shop. Passengers were welcome to walk outside from here and take pictures of the aircraft sitting on the tarmac, although we were not allowed to walk onto the tarmac until boarding began.

Easter Island/Santiago November 2012 - Exploring Easter Island And Hanga Roa

***This post is part 5 of a full trip report. The index can be found here***

With three full days bookended between two half days, we had just enough time to see all the major sites on Easter Island. Depending on your own preferences, however, three days may be not nearly enough to explore every amazing ruin and vista, or it may be entirely way too long on a tiny island out in the middle of nowhere. For me, it was just right.

I had done some research before arriving, so I knew of the main things I definitely wanted to see. But it wasn't until I started talking to other travelers and pulled out the official park map that I realized just how many points of interest there really were on Easter Island. And let me say, there are tons of stuff to see. You could literally spend two weeks there and not see everything, despite its small size and proximity.

I will give an overview of my itinerary on the island, but keep in mind that there were plenty of things we missed and places we would have liked to visit. However, we did try to hit all of the must-see spots and a few of the more obscure locales.

Day 1:
We agreed to take it easy on the first day after some long flights and the red-eye to Easter Island. By the time we were settled in at Kaimana Inn, it was almost noon-time already, so we decided to grab lunch first and then simply explore the town of Hanga Roa in the afternoon. There are actually many things to see in the immediate area, and it makes for a simple introduction before exploring the rest of the island.

Avenida Te Pito O Te Henua towards the harbor

It's a short and leisurely stroll to the harbor area, which, in many ways, seems to be the central gathering place in town. In fact, the very first moai you are likely to encounter is located here. After a quick lunch, we strolled along the waterfront and saw numerous surfers braving the cold waters. I also visited one of the two banks in town a few blocks away to exchange my U.S. dollars. Be aware that bank hours are extremely erractic, often shutting down the entire afternoon. The small post office just up the street from the harbor is a fun place to get your passport stamped and send out some postcards.

Surf lessons for the local kids at the harbor

Along the waterfront

Easter Island/Santiago November 2012 - Kaimana Inn Rapa Nui

***This post is part 4 of a full trip report. The index can be found here***

Kaimana Inn came highly recommended on TripAdvisor, and is actually one of the more economical options on Easter Island, where everything is steep. There is a dearth of reasonably-priced mid-range hotels, and as such, the only two categories on the island seem to be either luxury resorts priced between $800-$1,000 per night, or rustic bed and breakfasts owned by local families. The low-end option, however, doesn't come cheap either. Expect to spend at least $100 per night minimum on accommodations that are more akin to hostels.

The owner, Marcelo, offers complimentary airport pickup and drop-off, which was very convenient. One of the best things about Kaimana Inn is its location. Just five minutes away from the airport, right in the center of Hanga Roa, it is a great base to explore the town and surrounding area. The little side street it is on also minimizes noise from the main road (not that there is a lot of noise on the main road anyway).

Main street in Hanga Roa

Side street to Kaimana Inn

The non-descript entrance through their car park leads to the main common area, which was a great place to relax, meet other travelers, and enjoy the daily complimentary breakfast. This was where I hung out the most while at the hotel (even more so than the room itself), since it was airy, bright, and comfortable. We were given a delicious welcome fruit drink when we arrived, and showed to our room right next to the common area.

Kaimana Inn entrance

Easter Island/Santiago November 2012 - LAN Airlines 848 Economy Class (LIM-IPC)

***This post is part 3 of a full trip report. The index can be found here***

I headed down to Gate 27 with plenty of time to spare. Judging from the crowds in the waiting area, the plane didn't look to be completely full, which was a little surprising considering how few flights there are to Easter Island. After about half an hour, boarding commenced via shuttle bus, and we were dropped off in front of the ramp stairs.

LAN Airlines 848
Boeing 767-300ER

Lima (LIM) - Easter Island (IPC)
Sunday November 4, 2012
Departure: 1:20 AM (scheduled)

Arrival: 6:55 AM (scheduled)

Duration: 5h 35m (scheduled)
Seat: 26A (Economy) 

I took my time taking plenty of pictures of our Boeing 767-300ER before entering the aircraft. Once inside, I noticed that the layout was identical to my previous flight, and featured the old versions of their business and economy class seats.

Easter Island/Santiago November 2012 - Introduction

***This post is part 1 of a full trip report. The index can be found here***

I never imagined I would ever step foot on Easter Island. It's always been one of those places people read about, but never actually visit. And understandably so - it's billed as the most remote inhabited island in the world (although residents of Tristan da Cunha would probably disagree). Airfare from North America routinely tops $1,500 round-trip for the best routes, and even then, it's difficult to get the exact dates you want due to limited flights.

More than one year ago, British Airways overhauled their entire loyalty program and massively devalued their award chart in the process. Rather than a region-based method of calculating the cost of an award ticket, the new system became distance-based. Many of their most lucrative awards, like North America to Asia or South America, immediately became their most expensive overnight.

Thankfully, they gave us several months of warning, and many people (myself included) were able to burn some of those miles prior to the revamp. One trip I knew I had to book was to Easter Island. Strangely enough, British Airways had categorized Easter Island as South America in its old award chart, and as such, traveling there from North America only cost 40,000 miles round-trip in economy. This was an absolutely fantastic deal. Immediately after the program change, the same itinerary I booked (SFO-LIM-IPC-SCL-LIM-SFO) would have cost 85,000 miles instead. Taxes and fees amounted to a reasonable $185.09, including a $70.00 fee I incurred due to a date change. In all, I estimated a redemption rate >$0.03 per mile, which is as good as it gets for the British Airways program.

Hotels, on the other hand, are notoriously lacking on the island. Unless you are willing to shell out close to $1,000 a night for one of the few all-inclusive luxury resorts, you are pretty much left with older, family-run, hostel-quality, bed and breakfasts. And even those don't come cheap. There are no international brands that I know of on the island, and therefore, no use of points. I settled on Kaimana Inn, which had great reviews on TripAdvisor, although I made sure to temper my expectations to Easter Island standards when booking.

I knew I wanted to include a stopover in Santiago as well since I had never been before. Luckily, Santiago has a much wider selection of hotels, though prices are very high as well. I decided to use a cash and points redemption for the Crowne Plaza Santiago, which is perfectly located within walking distance to many of the city's famous sites as well as the convenient metro system.

Total out-of-pocket cost for airfare and hotels combined amounted to $509.94 (with the hotels divided between two people), plus 40,000 British Airways miles and 30,000 Priority Club points. Without the benefit of miles and points, this trip would definitely not have been financially justifiable. Fortunately, I was able to go and experience some of the most beautiful and sublime scenery I've ever seen.

Sunrise at Tongariki

Easter Island/Santiago November 2012 Trip Report

This will be a quick trip report covering my recent adventure to Easter Island and Santiago, Chile. The whole trip took just over a week, but it definitely required a bit of extra work to reach one of the most remote islands in the world. Sadly, all of my flights were in economy, so they may not be quite as exciting to read about. Although I do believe it's a good thing to have some balance between luxury and frugality while traveling. Read on for all the details:

• Introduction
• LAN Airlines 2609 Economy Class (SFO → LIM)
• LAN Airlines 848 Economy Class (LIM → IPC)
• Kaimana Inn Rapa Nui
• Exploring Easter Island And Hanga Roa
• LAN Airlines 842 Economy Class (IPC → SCL)
• Crowne Plaza Santiago
• Exploring Santiago
• LAN Airlines 600 Economy Class (SCL → LIM)
• LAN Airlines 2608 Economy Class (LIM → SFO)

And I'm Off To Easter Island!

Just about one year ago, I took advantage of British Airways' final days of offering the ridiculously good redemption rate of 40,000 miles for round-trip travel in economy to anywhere in South America, including Easter Island (which technically should be classified as the South Pacific). On November 16, 2011, British Airways completely overhauled their award chart and scrapped their region-based method of calculating miles needed for redemption. In its place came their new currency, Avios, as well as a distance-based award system.

Hence, the routing below (SFO-LIM-IPC-SCL-LIM-SFO), which I redeemed for 40,000 miles round-trip in economy one year ago, would now cost a whopping 85,000 Avios. This is definitely one of those trips where, if it weren't for miles, I would never be able to justify in terms of actual cost. I don't think it has really sunken in yet that I'm headed to Easter Island tomorrow morning, but I'm sure it will once I come face to face with my first Moai. In addition to four days on Easter Island, I will also have a three-day stopover in Santiago, Chile. But for now, it's back to packing!