Hotel Modular Express Calama

It’s good for a night. The staff are really great. The room is nice. The wifi worked only in the lobby, for me??? That was ok. The area of Calama is a bit scary. If you can leave early from San Pedro to board your flight I would do that if you can,

I had a 7:45 a.m. flight from Calama to Santiago so I needed one night prior to the flight. The Modular Express was perfect for this. I took a bus from San Pedro de Atacama to Calama and then walked to the hotel. For my 5:30 a.m. pick up, the hotel organized a taxi which cost 7.000 pesos. The included buffet breakfast started at 5 a.m. so it was nice to have a little something before heading to the airport. The room is super basic - bed, bathroom, TV, table. Comfy enough. In the evening, they only offer a buffet dinner for about 13.000 pesos. It would be nice if they offered singular items for cheaper and not just the full buffet.

Clean rooms, modern feel and reasonably priced. This hotel is a short walk from the shopping/town area of Calama. The staff were very helpful and gave great advice. It reminded me of a UK travelodge.

This hotel was a mixed bag. We arrived early for our one night stay, but couldn't check in until 3pm, which was absolutely fine. The man at the desk was friendly and offered to store our bags so we could go out. The downstairs common area was nicely air-conditioned, clean and bright. Our room was clean but too warm with no aircon. The window opened but the area was quite noisy so we didn't get a good night's sleep. My husband was feeling unwell so stayed in the room with the 'do not disturb' sign on while I went to breakfast. Breakfast was a nice selection, fresh and frequently topped up. I returned to find cleaning trolleys at our door and the lady waiting. She asked what time we were leaving so I said 12, the check out time. She didn't seem happy with this and replied at length. My Spanish isn't very good but it seemed she wanted us to leave early so she could clean the room! Perhaps I misunderstood, but this seemed unnecessary.

The rooms -- including bathrooms -- are tiny, which did not bother us as digital nomads because they still offered a lot of storage. The first floor lobby spills into an enormous dining room/work hall with plenty of seating and a variety of table heights (great for me to work sitting then move to a standing position). Lots of natural light and you can people watch through the windows. 24 hour attention @ the front desk and wifi speeds work GREAT in the room and best in the lobby. Brekkie is included in your rate and very good compared to other breakfasts we have eaten throughout our stay in Chile, including eggs made to order. Cafeteria offers buffet style or a la carte lunch + dinner. The sandwich we had for dinner was average, but keep in mind there are not many restaurants open on a Sunday in the area. Secure, off-street parking and we found that ~33% of the front desk staff we encountered spoke some English. NEGATIVES: 1) The room size is tight, but fine, except that there did not seem to be much air flow. This led to us sleeping with the window cracked for circulation, but the street noise is a distraction throughout the night. Bring ear plugs. 2) The included gym is a good thought but does not have free weights/weight lifting equipment; only cardio. For ~$6 USD/$5000 CHP there is a full gym 1 block away where you can buy a day pass. 3) Hotel contract mentions a safe in the room, but we did not see one in ours?! That would have been a useful touch. 4) I know the hotel cannot help its location, but I do not believe this is in the "best" area of town. That being said, Calama is a bit rough anyway so the entire city itself statistically is not as safe as the aggregate of Chile. Case in point, EVERYONE tells you to not be out after sunset and the day of our arrival a poor teen was stabbed ~5 blocks from the hotel. This does not reflect in my rating of the hotel, but travelers should know that going into Calama/this hotel.

The rooms are very small but efficient. They were very clean and honestly we were surprised that we were happy in such a small space. The common areas are great and the internet was great; we spent most of our time in the common areas. This sector of Calama (perhaps all of Calama) is not very safe and it's very recommended to get off the street before dark.