Before I took my two-week tour through southern Peru, I had no intention of writing a post about the hotels. For the most part, I really don’t write much about hotels. In fact, most of the stories I’ve told about lodging have either been of the “the is the worst” variety or even better, “these people were the worst, so I took revenge on them.”
But as I get more years under my travel belt, I do more and more enjoy the simple pleasures of an excellent hotel. Or in this case, sometimes the simple and not-so-simple, like the television at the foot of my bed in the Palacio Nazarenas that raised up and down via remote control.
Here, check it out for yourself:
But since I don’t really write that much about hotels, I don’t really take that many photos of things like hotel rooms. Luckily on this trip, I was taking some photos of the various rooms for a blogger friend. She and I have been on cool press trips before and know her well enough to know she’d appreciate an excellent room. She was back home working away, so every time I checked into a place, I’d snap a photo and email it to her with some short, pithy message like “how’s work treating you today?”
First, luckily she took it well and didn’t get upset with my teasing posing as humor and second… thank goodness I did it, so I’d have some photos of some of these great rooms.
I love a great room, but this is why you leave one. Amazing sights.
For this trip, I was running around half-crazy trying to get as much video and time lapse photography done as I could (I promise, videos coming next week — dealing with some incredibly slow internet to upload to get some clips worked on).
After those days, there is nothing better than a great hotel to rest and recharge in. Here were some of my favorites from this trip:
The Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel
Just half-hour away from Machu Picchu, this beautiful hotel is made up of a selection of welcoming and luxurious cottages that are set in twelve acres of picturesque Andean hillside. The rustic Peruvian style of the surroundings doesn’t disappoint, with comfortable spacious rooms that can be heated by a cozy fire when the temperature starts to drop. The spa here offers a wide variety of relaxing treatments, including the wonderful Andean Hot Stones, while the restaurant offers excellent food in a dining area with glass walls giving stunning views over the surrounding mountains, a highlight.
Now, I say it is a half-hour away from Machu Picchu, but that is assuming you take the bus up to the top. For those of you that follow along on my Facebook page, you know that I got to stay after hours the first night there, after they kicked everyone out, so I could take the time lapse of the sunset. Here is one of the photos on my Facebook page from that unique experience.
The upshot of that after-hours shoot was that I got to walk all the way back to my hotel from the top of the mountain. That is more like an hour and a half.
And worth every step of the way.
great rooms, great food, great bars…
Just outside the town of Urubamba lies this charming hotel which is set in some of the most attractive surroundings on offer in the Sacred Valley of the Incas. It was the first time I had been to the Sacred Valley and I only had essentially half a day there, but I will be back. Beautiful.
the beauty of the Sacred Valley from the road coming in
The rooms offer superb spacious accommodation with excellent views of the valley and access to the stunning gardens of the hotel, on the banks of the Urubamba River. The hotel is a superb base for those who want to enjoy the many activities in the area which includes white water rafting, horseback riding and mountain biking, and after an exhilarating day it is great to be able to relax with a cocktail or a stunning meal in the hotel restaurant. I certainly took advantage of those opportunities myself.
Located in an exquisite colonial property within the Barranco district of the city, Hotel B offers stunning accommodation in stylish surroundings with an excellent collection of Peruvian art decorating its walls. The attractive rooms have been tastefully furnished with luxurious beds and chairs, and they are a great retreat from the bustle of Lima itself, despite being close to the city center. The lovely dining area offers some of the best seafood and Peruvian dishes in the city, while art lovers will be delighted to take advantage of the direct link to the Lucia de la Puente Gallery, which offers exclusive private viewings to the guests in the hotel.
Palacio Nazarenas, Cuzco
Situated in a stunning historic building at the heart of Cuzco, this hotel is both very close to the city center and offers a tranquil escape from the busy and noisy streets of the charming city. The hotel itself is a beautifully decorated and tasteful luxury hotel, where the rooms not only enjoy the best Peruvian furnishings, but also make the most of the historic features of the building itself. The highlight of the hotel is the amazing outdoor heated swimming pool located in the courtyard, which is completely hidden from the outside world, and is a great location to relax and sample some of the stunning cocktails and food from the nearby hotel restaurant.
some of the great hotel rooms I stayed in
This might have been my single favorite hotel during my entire two-week trip. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to take advantage of the morning yoga they offered, but if I get a chance to go back, I will be out there every morning. What a great way to start the day.
Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica, Tambopata
Right within the Amazon basin itself, this remarkable hotel is located within the Tambopata Nature Reserve which is an amazing place to explore and to enjoy the natural beauty of this remote part of Peru. The rooms in the hotel are all located in their own private cabin area, which gives visitors, airy and spacious places to sleep, while the main building has a beautiful social area with an excellent restaurant and bar. Many visitors coming to the hotel will do so to take advantage of the superb natural excursions on offer, either into the jungle of the Amazon itself, or over the jungle on the Inkaterra Canopy walkway which gives people a view of the natural world that resides at the top of the trees in the forest.
And this sundown.
Both nights were like this — I think most every night might be like this there
This trip was sponsored by Cox & Kings and Prom Peru, but the opinions (and photos and videos) are my own.
what a fantastic city..
Demand of luxury hotel is really high in today’s time.Peru has got beautiful luxurious hotels.Sunset of the Peru looks so lovely.
That sunset was great. And it was also great the next night as well!
Wow! These are far more luxurious than ANYWHERE I stayed in the entire continent! I did manage to find a quiet hostel in Cusco that was off the map though. This meant that for a few nights I had a whole dorm room to myself!
Ahhhhh, the “accidental single room.” Such a nice deal, when you run into that in a quiet hostel.
I really liked Cusco a lot. Wish I had more time on my entire trip, but especially there.
im not much of a hotel girl to be honest, but the idea of a complimentary bar and ipad sounds amazing! (oh and the up and down tv)
looks like a great time