A New Colorado Eco-Resort Will Let You Sleep in Your Own Private Observatory
Kosmos will feature luxury villas with stargazing spas, observation decks, and personal golf carts.
Thanks to its sparse population, high altitude, and isolation, the San Luis Valley’s dark nights make it a haven for star-stuff fans, astronomy buffs, and UFO watchers alike. What the SLV is not known for, however, is posh lodging. Currently, options for staying near the deepest, darkest wilds of this largest alpine valley in the world are dry camping, a handful of rustic glamping outposts, and the overbooked two-star Sand Dunes Lodge.
Enter Gamal Jadue Zalaquett, an entrepreneur on a quest for grandeur. He’s broken ground on Kosmos, an astro-tourism eco-resort featuring a collection of luxury villas, each with its own glass-dome stargazing spa, hammock-garnished observation deck, and personal golf cart.
“Call it a mini distant world for astronomers, universe, and Star Wars geeks,” he said.
Jadue Zalaquett developed his idea in 2020, after visiting the San Luis Valley and becoming inspired by its pristine spaces. Feeling burned out on his corporate career, he bought 40 acres of wide-open saltbrush and chamisa-studded plains, not far from Great Sand Dunes National Park, and lived off-grid there in a tent for 45 days.
“I freaking love stars,” he said. “And coming to this valley, right away you can feel the higher frequency, the healing energies. We’re in a very sacred valley.”
Kosmos fuses Jadue Zalaquett’s real estate savvy with his family’s hospitality expertise, which has roots dating back four generations in Chile. He says he intends to be respectful of how the opulence and ambition of his $11.5 project, which will cost $700 to $1,200 a night, could contrast with the culture of the San Luis Valley, which contains four of the poorest counties in the state. He’s also aiming to be an environmental steward by constructing the complex from the ecologically friendly hempcrete, a first for Alamosa County buildings.
The first villas are scheduled to open in January 2025. By 2027, he hopes the complex will reach its full glory, including 20 villas, a full-size planetarium and observatory, learning center, spa and wellness center, yoga greenhouse, playgrounds, astronomy store, and Mediterranean restaurant.
But for now, he’s just looking forward to pouring the first concrete foundation next week, and completing his crowdfunding campaign at the end of August, which is offering discounted bookings for 2025 and 2026.