Habitas Hotel

On an oceanside clifftop, the hotel occupies 1.5 hectares of well-groomed gardens, where you can enjoy strolls, a dip in the circular pool, or Pisco Sours at sunset. The restaurant is open and airy and offers a mix of Peruvian, Chilean and Rapa Nui-inspired dishes - the fresher-than-fresh seafood is a real highlight, of course. The bar plays lively music that floats onto the terrace and creating the ideal setting to take in the views with a glass of something cold and replay the day's adventures.

There are 16 villas set in a trio of semi-circles, their exterior walls painted in striking patterns of black and white (an homage to the Rapa Nui culture) and afforded extra privacy by manavais - stone-walled gardens planted with crops, flowers and trees. The interiors are simple and light with platformed beds, jewel-bright textiles and open-roofed rainfall showers. The views are their greatest feature, and you'll enjoy them through French doors that open onto a private terrace or garden area.

Rapa Nui is heaven for the adventurous traveller with a bevy of activities from volcano treks and horseback rides to scuba diving. We'll bet the moais are at the top of your list and you'll visit Ranu Raraku (the 'Nursery') where most were built and hundreds sit unfinished, or Puna Pau where their rusty-red hats were carved. Delve further into the island's history at Orongo village, where the sacred election of the 'Birdman' was carried out. Then, there's trekking Poike Volcano, cycling along quiet island roads, or laying on the pink shores of Anakena.