Easter Island -- my experience
Sep 1, 2011, 10:06 am
#76
Join Date: Jan 2000
Programs: Latinpass Million Miler. BA Gold.
Posts: 3,544
They do overnight. I was in IPC in last month, and was chatting to the crew. They actually stay two night on the island before flying back. We saw then in town, and then had the same crew on the way back.
Sep 6, 2011, 7:35 am
#77
Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 661
Thanks for the report. I tried to go to Easter Island when I was in Lima and also when I was in Santiago but in both cases I just could not find airfare cheaper than $800 which was quite pricey so I just passed on going. I tried local travel agents as well as many search engines online with no success.
Sep 6, 2011, 9:49 am
#78
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2000
Posts: 17,418
Just a heads up: BA is planning on changing their frequent flyer program in November. The current set-up has been, by far, the cheapest way to get from N. America to Easter Island. I fully expect this "loophole" to be closed in the new program, so if you have the BA miles -- or can get them -- this might be the best time to plan your trip to Easter Island.
Sep 7, 2011, 3:21 pm
#81
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Long Beach, CA
Programs: AA PLTPRO, HH Diamond, IHG Plat, Marriott Plat, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 3,559
Crew definitely overnights - just arrived in SCL after two days on the island. Watched the crew switch twice at the airport. As to where they stay on the island - no idea.
BTW - I didn't take an organized tour and wonder if that's the best way to go. I got a rental 4X4 from the inn where I stayed and drove around the island on my own. If you're not uncomfortable with a manual transmission and dirt roads, it might be better than an organized tour.
I like the flexibility of spending as much or as little time in each location. My innkeeper also provided me with a great book: A Companion to Easter Island by James Grant Peterkin which I used as my guide when driving around all day.
BTW - I didn't take an organized tour and wonder if that's the best way to go. I got a rental 4X4 from the inn where I stayed and drove around the island on my own. If you're not uncomfortable with a manual transmission and dirt roads, it might be better than an organized tour.
I like the flexibility of spending as much or as little time in each location. My innkeeper also provided me with a great book: A Companion to Easter Island by James Grant Peterkin which I used as my guide when driving around all day.
Sep 8, 2011, 6:18 am
#82
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: Austin
Programs: AA P4L, WN, BA, DL, UA, HHonors, IHG
Posts: 3,485
BTW - I didn't take an organized tour and wonder if that's the best way to go. I got a rental 4X4 from the inn where I stayed and drove around the island on my own. If you're not uncomfortable with a manual transmission and dirt roads, it might be better than an organized tour.
Nov 1, 2011, 6:05 pm
#83
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: MN
Programs: Lots of programs, dirt on all of them!
Posts: 11,938
Just booked this with LAN using BA miles for April. Flying from JFK, so now I need to work on getting to JFK. I opted for J class since I had the miles and LAN has lie-flat seats, which I would like to try.
Nov 1, 2011, 8:50 pm
#84
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Orlando, FL
Programs: DL, AA, Hhonors, Priority Club
Posts: 60
Great thread, I'm headed to Easter Island this month and this info is very helpful. I'll be checking a bag with water and snacks. I get to cross the Moai and Santiago both off my list....very exciting. Since I normally travel solo I often just pay for guided tours rather than trying it on my own. That way I can ask questions, practice my espanol, and learn from a local about life there...although I have been known to take a backpack and some water and intentionally get myself lost in a new place 
Last edited by tradernick; Nov 1, 2011 at 8:58 pm
Nov 4, 2011, 7:28 am
#85
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: SLC / SCL
Programs: Delta - Plat
Posts: 38
I just got back from IPC this last weekend so I can provide a few more data points.
I spent 4 nights there which was exactly the right amount of time. I suppose you could do it in 3 but we had a day of rain so we canceled our tour that day and just drove the island in our rental.
As a few other posters said, buy your park tickets at the airport (before baggage claim) for a 10% discount. There is no rush to get off the plane as we waited at least 25 min for luggage. The booth is CASH only, $50 each I think.
Bring any cash you want to the island, a number of places are cash only. There are 4 atms (airport, gas station, and two branches) but we had issues with them working.
Bring snacks and wine. Every place we went opened our bottles for a corkage, ~$10 with no issues. The selection of wine on the island is very poor and expensive both in restaurants and stores. You can check a full case, I did, or carry on as it is a domestic flight.
All seven in my group agreed the best food we had was at Au bout du Monde. The show and music was actually pretty good too.
While it's not an official stamp, you can get the post office to stamp your passport with some correos chile IPC stamps for tips ~500-1k total.
If you like to hike, there's a trail that goes along the back of the island (town to the beach) where you can see a few moai, ahu, etc. Took us <4 hours with a lunch stop. Very pretty but very desolate, sooooooo many rocks. Saw one person the whole time. Cab to drop us off and pick up at the beach was 25k. You can see the 7 moai facing the sea on the start or end depending on the start direction.
Lastly for the flight back to SCL, we went right at noon, checked our bags, and headed into town for lunch. We showed back up 30 min before the stated departure time and still had to wait for boarding to start.
Was it worth going to, yes. But if I had flown from the states just for 4 days in IPC I would have been disappointed.
I spent 4 nights there which was exactly the right amount of time. I suppose you could do it in 3 but we had a day of rain so we canceled our tour that day and just drove the island in our rental.
As a few other posters said, buy your park tickets at the airport (before baggage claim) for a 10% discount. There is no rush to get off the plane as we waited at least 25 min for luggage. The booth is CASH only, $50 each I think.
Bring any cash you want to the island, a number of places are cash only. There are 4 atms (airport, gas station, and two branches) but we had issues with them working.
Bring snacks and wine. Every place we went opened our bottles for a corkage, ~$10 with no issues. The selection of wine on the island is very poor and expensive both in restaurants and stores. You can check a full case, I did, or carry on as it is a domestic flight.
All seven in my group agreed the best food we had was at Au bout du Monde. The show and music was actually pretty good too.
While it's not an official stamp, you can get the post office to stamp your passport with some correos chile IPC stamps for tips ~500-1k total.
If you like to hike, there's a trail that goes along the back of the island (town to the beach) where you can see a few moai, ahu, etc. Took us <4 hours with a lunch stop. Very pretty but very desolate, sooooooo many rocks. Saw one person the whole time. Cab to drop us off and pick up at the beach was 25k. You can see the 7 moai facing the sea on the start or end depending on the start direction.
Lastly for the flight back to SCL, we went right at noon, checked our bags, and headed into town for lunch. We showed back up 30 min before the stated departure time and still had to wait for boarding to start.
Was it worth going to, yes. But if I had flown from the states just for 4 days in IPC I would have been disappointed.
Nov 4, 2011, 10:42 pm
#87
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: SLC / SCL
Programs: Delta - Plat
Posts: 38
Happy to contribute after months of just reading.
As for the cost, honestly, I didn't loose credit card roulette that night so I don't remember. It wasn't out of line with anything else we had on the island but was likely the most expensive. We did not question going back. Actually, were turned away the second time as they were closed for the night.
While it's owned by a Belgian lady, It's not Belgian food. More island/local. I had an actual semi spicy green curry fish (despite the name, spice and Chile don't get along) Others had pasta, shrimp, etc. Sadly no waffles.
The things they could have done better:
wine list, worst on the island in the price range. You could choose what style you wanted, no vineyard, no name, no year.
The corkage was the most expensive we encountered, ~$16. Still a better deal to bring your own from SCL.
3% fee for CC use could be better disclosed
Things they did well:
Only place we ate with damn near fluent English (owner/wife)
Only place where the wait staff seemed comfortable speaking English
Great service by Chile standards.
Very accommodating: we did drinks on the deck with the sunset (I think it's better down past the gas station, by the cave) and then moved indoors for dinner, altered orders, etc with no typical Chilean qualms.
As for the cost, honestly, I didn't loose credit card roulette that night so I don't remember. It wasn't out of line with anything else we had on the island but was likely the most expensive. We did not question going back. Actually, were turned away the second time as they were closed for the night.
While it's owned by a Belgian lady, It's not Belgian food. More island/local. I had an actual semi spicy green curry fish (despite the name, spice and Chile don't get along) Others had pasta, shrimp, etc. Sadly no waffles.
The things they could have done better:
wine list, worst on the island in the price range. You could choose what style you wanted, no vineyard, no name, no year.
The corkage was the most expensive we encountered, ~$16. Still a better deal to bring your own from SCL.
3% fee for CC use could be better disclosed
Things they did well:
Only place we ate with damn near fluent English (owner/wife)
Only place where the wait staff seemed comfortable speaking English
Great service by Chile standards.
Very accommodating: we did drinks on the deck with the sunset (I think it's better down past the gas station, by the cave) and then moved indoors for dinner, altered orders, etc with no typical Chilean qualms.
Dec 4, 2011, 8:59 pm
#88
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: BOS
Posts: 267
I cashed in some BA miles before the "enhancements" to the program, and have a day trip booked for February 
, arriving at 6:50am, leaving at 5:40pm. Does anyone have any idea how to best book a tour of some kind? It seems most people have booked it through their hotel after arrival, but since I'm not staying over night I wont have any hotel to book through. I don't drive, so just renting a car is unfortunately not an option, but I would still like to see as much as possible of the island.
Is it possible to arrange something upon arrival without wasting too much time or should I try to arrange something in advance?
, arriving at 6:50am, leaving at 5:40pm. Does anyone have any idea how to best book a tour of some kind? It seems most people have booked it through their hotel after arrival, but since I'm not staying over night I wont have any hotel to book through. I don't drive, so just renting a car is unfortunately not an option, but I would still like to see as much as possible of the island.Is it possible to arrange something upon arrival without wasting too much time or should I try to arrange something in advance?
Dec 5, 2011, 6:31 am
#89
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2000
Posts: 17,418
I cashed in some BA miles before the "enhancements" to the program, and have a day trip booked for February , arriving at 6:50am, leaving at 5:40pm. Does anyone have any idea how to best book a tour of some kind? It seems most people have booked it through their hotel after arrival, but since I'm not staying over night I wont have any hotel to book through. I don't drive, so just renting a car is unfortunately not an option, but I would still like to see as much as possible of the island.
Is it possible to arrange something upon arrival without wasting too much time or should I try to arrange something in advance?
, arriving at 6:50am, leaving at 5:40pm. Does anyone have any idea how to best book a tour of some kind? It seems most people have booked it through their hotel after arrival, but since I'm not staying over night I wont have any hotel to book through. I don't drive, so just renting a car is unfortunately not an option, but I would still like to see as much as possible of the island.Is it possible to arrange something upon arrival without wasting too much time or should I try to arrange something in advance?
Dec 5, 2011, 5:49 pm
#90
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: BOS
Posts: 267
Wow, a day trip to Easter Island! I'm sure you're not the first. I can't imagine you'd have any real trouble finding someone at the airport to take you around but, I suppose, to maximize your very limited time, you could arrange someone to meet you there. Perhaps someone could recommend an excellent guide and tell you what the fair price would be. In your situation, I'd probably book that. At least Easter Island is small; you'll probably have time for the 2 big (ticketed) sites.
So, does anyone have some idea what is a fair price for someone to drive me around for a day and/or had a good experience with some particular guide/company? I certainly want to see some Moai, but my main preference is nature.