HotelChatter

It's also more free'n'easy. Unlike the Explora's all-inclusive package, you can choose how many meals, if any, you want to eat in the hotel restaurant. It's cozy and recommended at least for a night or two, but it's a real experience to eat out for the rest of the time. Fish is Easter Island's foody specialty and you won't have to pay through the nose or walk very far to find an excellent restaurant at which to eat it.

And far from being set on top of a hill in a remote wilderness, like the Explora, the 40 rooms are scattered through a huge, lush, brightly flowering garden. It's a pleasure just to smell the air as you walk through the gates.

The Hotel O'tai is run by the family of a guide, Nicolas, who works in the Explora hotel. He's excellent, so you can be assured that any tours organized by the hotel will be the best.

Rates depend on what kind of package you choose - if you pre-book meals and tours it can work out a lot cheaper. Either way, you'll be able to afford it. Okay, so it's not the lie-back-and-dream fantasy-world of the Explora. But it's a damn good second best.