Luxury locations: Quantum of Solace
(panamanewsbriefs.com) As the new Bond film bursts onto a cinema screen near you, it introduces a whole new generation to the landscapes of Latin America. The film's villain, Dominic Greene, has his hideout at an eco-hotel in the mountains of Bolivia. The hotel is actually the space-age workers' quarters at the Paranal Observatory, high in the Atacama Desert, Chile. The Atacama is revered by astronomers for its thin, dry air - there are places where rain has never been recorded - and for the near-total absence of light pollution. The parched, rock-strewn desert has also been used by Nasa scientists to road-test Mars rover vehicles. Though arid and unforgiving, the desert landscape is startlingly beautiful and surprisingly varied. There are volcanic craters, black sand dunes and vast salt lakes. You can hike along narrow quebradas carved into the salt rock and find 2,000-year-old petroglyphs hewn into the walls of caves. At night, lie back and watch shooting stars arc over a black-velvet sky.
The observatory, which houses some of the world's most powerful telescopes, is off limits to the public, but you can stay at Explora Atacama, a luxury retreat on the outskirts of the oasis town of San Pedro, which has its own observatory equipped with a 16in telescope. It also has four pools, stables and a team of English-speaking guides who take guests out on daily hiking, riding and mountain-biking expeditions.
Four nights, full-board, at Explora Atacama, with a further three nights, B&B, at the Grand Hyatt in Santiago, starts at £2,652pp, including flights, with Journey Latin America (020 8747 8315, http://www.journeylatinamerica.co.uk/).
The other Latin Bond location was Panama, which stands in for Haiti. In Panama City, the atmospheric colonial quarter of Casco Viejo was used to shoot many of the street scenes. The area is a grid of cobbled lanes, crumbling Spanish mansions and wrought-iron balustrades. For many years, it was derelict and sleazy, but Casco Viejo is now on the up, with houses restored and restaurants and bars opening.
Other Quantum of Solace locations in Panama include the Calidonia district of Panama City and some of the beaches to the east of Colon. All of them can be seen on a bespoke tour of Panama that also includes a visit to the Bocas del Toro archipelago and a partial transit of the Panama Canal. A 13-day trip, starts at £3,158pp, including flights, with Last Frontiers (01296 653000, http://www.lastfrontiers.com/)... Click here for the full article
By Mark Hodson for The Sunday Times
