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World's Most Unusual Hotels: A Bolivian Hotel Made of Salt

Dec. 29, 2016
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6 min read
Welcome to the Salt Palace, where you'll likely be peppered with puns. Image courtesy of the hotel.
World's Most Unusual Hotels: A Bolivian Hotel Made of Salt
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You may have heard of the Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia, which is the world's largest salt flat. What you may not know is among this natural wonder exists a hotel made of salt, the aptly named Palacio de Sal.

The hotel was created in 1998 by architect Juan Quesada Valda, who had the ingenious idea of building a hotel entirely from NaCl. This means the walls, ceilings, tables, chairs and other room features are all created from cubes of table salt. Clearly, this was a convenient choice because the surrounding area is home to plenty of sodium chloride — it's also a way that hotel guests can connect with nature and truly rest. Though ingesting lots of salt isn't great for you, being around salt has long been considered by many to have healing properties, including improving your breathing, mood and sleep.

The lobby of Palacio de Sal, which exhibits exquisite taste. Image courtesy of the hotel.

The hotel is more than 48,000 square feet and has 30 rooms and suites, 21 of which are standard rooms where the walls, beds, tables and even the igloo-shaped ceilings were built using salt. Each of these rooms features a private bathroom, hot and cold water, a telephone, a small sitting area and heat.

Take a lick at a standard room. Image courtesy of the hotel.

The other nine rooms are beautifully decorated suites, each with a large living area, bathroom with soaking tub and a sleeping area. Complimentary Wi-Fi is available throughout the hotel.

A suite at the Palacio de Sal: Insert your own sweet/salty joke here. Image courtesy of the hotel.

The hotel also has one restaurant, El Meson, which specializes in a dish called salt chicken, naturally. There's also a spiral staircase and a lobby with floors, walls and furniture — all created from salt. You can even relax in the recreation area with a fireplace and play pool on a pool table that sits upon four salt pillars.

Play pool on salt pillars. Always a good idea: Be crystal clear what the stakes are before you break. Image courtesy of the hotel.

The hotel's location on the Salar de Uyuni is a special one. The salt flat is 4,086 square miles completely covered by several feet of salt crust. It's extraordinarily flat, only varying a few feet or so in height over the entire area. From the hotel, you can stare out from the many windows to see the beautiful colors and textures of the flat at sunset. If you want to get a closer look, the hotel works with Hidalgo Tours to give visitors tours and day trips around the area.

The peaceful Salar de Uyuni surrounding the hotel is an especially savory view at night. Image courtesy of the hotel.

Room rates start at $177 per night for a standard room, including breakfast. While this hotel isn’t a member of a specific loyalty group, using your Chase Sapphire Preferred card to pay is always a good plan, as you’ll earn 2x points on travel and can avoid those pesky foreign-transaction fees. Or even better, use your Chase Sapphire Reserve to earn 3x points on travel. If you’re planning to stay a while, use your Citi Prestige card, which offers a terrific fourth night free benefit.

Do your homework ahead of time and consider the season you'll be visiting, as you may need to plan and dress accordingly. During the rainy season, you can only go nine miles into the flats, and during dry season it can get cold, so bundle up.

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The Salar de Uyuni salt flats are an appetizing sight at sunrise. Image courtesy of Sergio Pessolano via Getty Images.

As you can imagine, this hotel is pretty far off the beaten path. You'll first need to get to La Paz, the capital city of Bolivia. American Airlines flies to El Alto International Airport (LPB) nonstop from Miami (MIA), but many flights from the US go to La Paz via a stop in various Latin American hubs like Bogota (BOG) or Lima (LIM). From La Paz, hop a flight on Amaszonas Airlines — which has partnerships with Air Europa, Aerolineas Argentinas, Copa and GOL — to Uyuni (UYU). You can also take buses and trains from La Paz to the salt flats, but beware of scams and keep an eye on your belongings if you decide to go this route. Make sure to also look into any visa and passport requirements for visiting Bolivia when planning your trip to ensure you have the proper documentation to enter the country.

Have you had your own sweet experience at the Palacio de Sal? Sound off on your stay — or with your own salty puns — below.

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Why We Chose It

There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)

Pros

  • 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
  • 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
  • Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
  • Solid welcome bonus

Cons

  • Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
  • Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
  • You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
  • Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
  • Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
  • Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
  • Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
  • Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
  • $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
  • $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
  • $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
  • $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
  • Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
  • No Foreign Transaction Fees.
  • Annual Fee is $325.
  • Terms Apply.