Peru and its houses of the Andes
Peru is the Andes at their grandest: Cusco, the Sacred Valley, the Colca Valley and Lake Titicaca.
Peru is the Andes at their grandest: Cusco, the Sacred Valley, the Colca Valley and Lake Titicaca. The luxury follows that map, from an estate of casitas in the Colca Valley where each villa has its plunge pool to a rehabilitated colonial manor on the Plaza de las Nazarenas in Cusco, a hacienda and its casitas on a hillside over the Sacred Valley that grows its own produce with oxen and hand tools, and a solitary lodge on the grassy shore of Lake Titicaca. Cusco, the old Inca capital and the oldest living city of the Americas, sits at an altitude that makes a brisk walk a workout; the Sacred Valley of the Urubamba lies on the way to Machu Picchu; in the Colca Valley north of Arequipa, farmland and volcanoes surround a canyon grander than the Grand; and Lake Titicaca, one of the largest, deepest and highest bodies of water on earth, is the birthplace of civilization to the Incas. Las Casitas, A Belmond Hotel holds the country's strict five-star standing; the two Inkaterra houses, CIRQA in Arequipa and Titilaka are listed at four. The dry season from May to September is the travel season in the mountains; the rains run from December to March.
Luxury hotels in Peru
5 hotels
The neighborhoods
Arequipa & the Colca Canyon
The white city of Arequipa under its volcanoes and, to the north, the Colca Valley and its canyon grander than the Grand. The valley lies high in the Andes, among terraced farmland and the village of Yanque, well to the north of Arequipa airport by road.
Cusco
The old Inca capital at altitude and the door to the Inca Trail, about fifteen minutes from Cusco airport. Here are the Plaza de Armas and the cathedral, the Plaza de las Nazarenas and the colonial manors of the old town, and the Sacsayhuamán ruins above the city.
Sacred Valley
The valley of the Urubamba between Cusco and Machu Picchu, about an hour and a half from Cusco by road. Pisac, Urubamba and Ollantaytambo follow one another among terraces and green slopes, and the road and the train run on to Machu Picchu.
Lake Titicaca
The high lake on the border with Bolivia, one of the largest, deepest and highest on earth. Here are Puno, the Titilaka peninsula and the islands, about an hour and a half from Juliaca airport by road and half an hour by boat.
Good to know
Which are the five-star hotels in Peru?
One, in the Colca Valley. The five-star house we list in Peru is Las Casitas, A Belmond Hotel, the estate of casitas at Yanque, high in the Andes north of Arequipa, where each villa has its soaking tub, plunge pool and under-floor heating and the canyon is the playground. Beside it we keep four addresses at four-star standing, each listed exactly at the standing it holds: CIRQA, the small hotel within the 1540 stone walls of an estate in the historic center of Arequipa; Inkaterra La Casona, the rehabilitated colonial manor on the Plaza de las Nazarenas in the old town of Cusco; Inkaterra Hacienda Urubamba, the lodge and its casitas on a hillside over the Sacred Valley; and Titilaka, the solitary lodge on the grassy shore of Lake Titicaca.
Where should I stay in Peru: Cusco, the Sacred Valley, the Colca or Lake Titicaca?
Cusco for the city — La Casona stands on the Plaza de las Nazarenas in the old town, minutes from the airport, with the cathedral, the colonial churches and the Sacsayhuamán ruins within reach, and it is the natural beginning or end of the Inca Trail; the Sacred Valley, about an hour and a half from Cusco by road, for the terraces, the villages and the train to Machu Picchu, with the hacienda's own trails at the door; Arequipa and the Colca — the white city for CIRQA's sixteenth-century walls, and the canyon, north of it, for the condors and a villa of one's own with a plunge pool; and Lake Titicaca, from Juliaca airport, for the lake itself — kayaks, the islands, trout dinners and the view through the picture windows.
When is the best time for Peru?
The dry season, from May to September: clear days and cold nights in Cusco, the Sacred Valley and the Colca, the best months for the trails and the canyon. The rains run from December to March, and the Inca Trail closes in February for maintenance. Lake Titicaca is high and cold all year and brightest from May to October. Lima, on the coast, is gray from June to October and sunny from December to April, the reverse of the mountains. Each house keeps its own calendar on its page.
How do I get around Peru?
Lima's airport is the door to the country, with flights on to Cusco, Arequipa and Juliaca. From Cusco airport, La Casona is about fifteen minutes and the hacienda in the Sacred Valley about an hour and a half by road; from Arequipa airport, Las Casitas is well to the north by road, and the house arranges the transfer; from Juliaca airport, Titilaka sends a private guide and driver — about an hour and a half by Land Rover to a wharf and half an hour by speedboat — and it can also be reached in about five hours by car or train from Cusco. Between Cusco and the Sacred Valley a car with driver suits; the old town of Cusco is walked. The houses arrange airport transfers on request.
How do I reserve a stay?
Search your dates on the hotel's page to see reference rates, then send the concierge a request. The concierge confirms exact rates and availability with you before anything is booked, and any payment and its timing are set out before you confirm.
