What Awasi Taught Me: Lessons from the Chilean Desert

There are trips that show you new places and then there are trips that show you yourself. My stay at Awasi Atacama in Chile was the latter. Set in one of the driest deserts on Earth, Awasi somehow manages to feel like an oasis, not just of water and shade, but of stillness, intention, and quiet luxury.

1. Slowing down is the new adventure

At first, I thought adventure meant packing every day with activity: sunrise hikes, salt flats, flamingo sightings, and stargazing until midnight. But Awasi taught me something deeper, that slowness can be its own form of exploration.

Each villa has its own guide and vehicle, which means there’s no rush, no bus schedules, no crowds. One morning, instead of chasing a packed itinerary, I lingered on my terrace, watching the desert shift colors with the rising sun. It hit me that I’d been sprinting through so many trips before and maybe even life itself.

2. True luxury is personal attention

Awasi redefines luxury not through opulence, but through care. Before I even arrived, my private guide had crafted an itinerary around what mattered to me - yoga, silence, and local food. When I wanted to skip a tour and just read by the pool, no one blinked. When I mentioned I loved stargazing, they arranged a telescope and blankets under the Milky Way.

It wasn’t about being pampered, it was about being seen. That’s a kind of luxury most hotels can’t give.

3. Nature resets your rhythm

The Atacama Desert feels otherworldly, cracked earth, pink lagoons, steaming geysers, and volcanoes etched against the horizon. It’s both harsh and hypnotic. But amid that vast emptiness, I noticed how quickly my internal noise faded.

I started waking up with the sun, eating when I was hungry, sleeping early. I felt small in the best way possible, reminded that nature doesn’t bend to our pace, and maybe that’s the point.

4. Sustainability can feel beautiful

Awasi is a Relais & Châteaux property, but what impressed me most wasn’t the design, it was their commitment to protecting the place they call home. Every stay directly supports conservation efforts through their Awasi Foundation, which helps rewild native species and restore fragile ecosystems.

It made me rethink the impact of my travels. Beauty means little if it comes at the expense of the land that sustains it.

5. The best journeys end with gratitude

When I left Awasi, I didn’t feel the usual “post-trip blues.” Instead, I felt grounded and deeply grateful. The experience taught me that travel doesn’t always have to be about seeing more. Sometimes, it’s about seeing deeper.

Final thought :Awasi isn’t just a retreat; it’s a reminder that life, like travel, is better when it’s intentional. When we choose quality over quantity, presence over plans, and wonder over Wi-Fi, we find something rare: peace that lingers long after the journey ends.