Stays Inspired by Star Wars

Stays Inspired by Star Wars

Backed by a steep swath of forest and fronted by Lake Atitlan, the Laguna Lodge Eco-Resort & Nature Reserve would give a front row seat to that key overwater battle in The Force Awakens. That is, if it were real and not a movie, but paragliding provides a similar rush.

Amongst the canyons and plateaus near the Grand Staircase – Escalante National Monument, Amangiri is an otherworldly oasis. If Jabba the Hutt were still alive, he’d live it up at the 34-suite property—cooling off in the pool and relaxing by the fire right outside his suite. Hard to picture him hiking, rock climbing, canyoneering, or biking though, but guests do have the option.

Filming for The Force Awakens took place in an undisclosed location in the deserts outside Abu Dhabi, so staying at the Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort by Anantara is pretty legit. The hotel’s fortress exterior would’ve blended in seamlessly on Jakku, where the character of Rey is introduced. She’d happily switch places with a guest here, particularly anyone staying in a villa which boasts butler service and a private pool.

Chile’s Atacama Desert could easily stand-in for Jakku too; it is, after all, home to Valle de la Luna (“Valley of the Moon” for those rusty on Spanish). Sitting in one of Tierra Atacama Hotel & Spa’s curved poolside chairs could feel a little like sitting in the Imperial throne. The simple, natural interiors of the rooms don’t feel far off from what set decorators might choose for a young Jedi.

Another desert stunner is &Beyond-Sossusvlei Desert Lodge. Its 10 villas sit on a private nature reserve that’s open only to guests, making it feel like a galaxy away from everything stressful. While there’s no AT-AT Walker, there are ATVs and hot air balloons for exploring the vast landscape.

For a setting reminiscent of Endor or Yavin 4, head to Lapland. Here, Sweden’s Treehotel, with its six suites perched up in the trees, evokes a Ewok village, albeit a little more modern. By the way, can Ewoks just be in all episodes going forward?

A little truer to the rustic look of an Ewok home, Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica on Peru’s Madre de Dios River features a thatched-roof Canopy Tree House 90-feet off the ground. For guests who’d rather not overnight on high, there are more standard height suites, and the Inkaterra canopy walk across seven hanging bridges to provide a daytime thrill.

There are more wickedly cool tree houses to be found on New Zealand’s South Island. Hapuku Lodge & Tree Houses has five perched up in native Manuka trees (which all sounds like it’d easily fit within the Star Wars lexicon). These overlook a deer farm, olive grove, orchards, and vineyard, not to mention the stunning Seaward Mountain Range and Mangamaunu Bay.

Starkiller Base, where the First Order hangs, looks like a planet but acts like a Death Star. Regardless, we like what they’ve done with the place. With its glass sails jutting out amidst the Graubünden mountains, Tschuggen Grand Hotel Arosa fits the bill. Kylo Ren and Lord Snoke would probably paint everything black, but maybe a visit to the extensive, four-floored spa beneath those sails would, uh, lighten their mood.

Explora Patagonia‘s all-white building is so Storm Trooper, while the jaw-dropping Torres del Paine backdrop is very Vader, which all adds up to utterly cinematic. All that’s missing from the scene is a Star Destroyer coming into dock. They do have a catamaran to take you across Lago Pehoé though for a trek through Valle Francés.