Hotel Hare Uta

My wife and I stayed at this hotel for four nights in July. The hotel has nine rooms, but is building more, and is composed of several buildings on a small hillside, a bar & restaurant with an adjoining pool, a reception building, and then the rooms either grouped in a couple of buildings or, like ours, a separate cabana. Our room, with en-suite shower and toilet, was well-appointed and very well kept, and was surrounded by a terrace with chairs and a table with a pleasant view of the grounds and the hills beyond. There was a small safe, though this was not fixed in place and we didn't use it. The hotel has a spa, and we had very good and reasonably priced 60 minute massage. We didn't use the pool as it is unheated and the winter weather was a little too chilly. The hotel, while not actually in Hanga Roa town, is within easy reach. The staff were mostly young, and extremely welcoming, friendly and helpful. We felt very well taken care of. We were on a half board package that included all our tours. The food and drink was generally excellent, and we were able to choose which of lunch or dinner we wanted to eat in the hotel. As it turned out, nearly all our lunches were outside as we were always on tour. The only thing we can think of that would have been a significant improvement would have been for the hotel to have a separate building comprising a lobby with soft chairs and sofas and bar, rather than the existing combination of bar and restaurant in the same space, so that if you wanted just to have a drink and relax, there was nowhere to sit except at the bar or at a meal table. I want to single out our tour guide, Tito, whom the hotel had arranged for us, for particular praise. Tito was exceptionally well informed about all the sites on the island, and I think he took us to see every single one in the three days we stayed there. Additionally, and unlike many local tourist guides, he was himself well travelled and well informed about all sorts of things other than Rapa Nui. He was, in fact, trilingual, being fluent not only in Polynesian, but also in Spanish and French, having lived in France for several years. We spent almost the whole of each day with him, and it was a real pleasure.

We stayed 5 nights at Hare Uta, and it was a very nice experience. The hotel is great, the staff is awesome and they helped us organize a half day private tour with a guide - Teva. It was not cheap, but definitely worth the price, as he was very knowledgeable about the history and culture of the Island. The food at the restaurant was also great. Only downside is that it is a bit out of town, but it was perfectly safe to walk back and forth even at night. We did not try to get a taxi, but it should be possible as there are several in the town.

hat a wonderful property that made our experience on Rapa Nui the best it can be. As there are only 9 rooms, it has a very intimate feel, and you get to know the staff and they get to know you as well. Honestly, though, you feel like you’re the only people there. All of the food was spectacular, with a large menu included in the stay. My biggest regret food-wise wise was not being able to try it all. The banana gnocchi is a must-try. The property itself is several individual small buildings with a common area and two or three bedrooms attached. The common area has a sink and small fridge. It could be an awkward sharing arrangement if there were strangers in the other room(s). In our case, both rooms were occupied by our family, so it was fine. The rooms were spacious and the beds were very comfortable. Wifi is available throughout the property, but it is stronger at the restaurant and reception, and can be intemittenlty available if there’s starlink issues. That said, who cares? Put your phone down and enjoy the place. There are many roosters on the property, so ear plugs may be helpful if you’re a light sleeper. The real winner of this stay though was our guide, Teva. His knowledge of local history and culture, combined with his humorous, easy-going attitude made this a trip we will always remember. Over the four days we spent together he weaved together the story of the history of the Rapa Nui island and people in a way that was very easy to digest. His encyclopedic knowledge of the inland helped us avoid large crowds and he always knew the best locations and angles to take pictures from. We will miss Rapa Nui and especially his companionship.