Peru

Peru has some of the best hotels on the continent and a splendid variety. Ranging from 500-year-old mansions to remote yet luxurious country retreats and first-class jungle lodges. We feature the stylish hotels of Belmond and family-run boutique hotels all with Peruvian character and distinctive style.

The prestigious Belmond group of hotels have gone into Peru in a big way and the Miraflores Park hotel is their flagship property in Peru’s capital. It’s certainly one of the best hotels in the city, if not the best. We like it because of the location on the waterfront of Miraflores. It’s a good base after a long flight as everything is taken care of with excellent five-star facilities, a cool rooftop pool which is a great place to recharge. Plus after a day out exploring Lima, it’s a good location to walk along the cliffs of Miraflores by the ocean. We certainly recommend and ocean view room and a few drinks at the excellent bar, not forgetting time at the rooftop pool which is an oasis away from this busy city.

Hotel B gets its name from the Barranco neighbourhood in which it’s located and it’s a lively district with lots of bars, restaurants and local life just a few blocks from the ocean. What we like about Hotel B is that it’s got five-star service and facilities combined with the style and character of the 18th Century mansion in which it’s located. So it’s a bit more than a faceless corporate hotel and you’ll certainly feel that you are in the heart of Lima whilst staying in style.

If you’re going to stay in Cusco, this is the way to do it and feel the rich history of the city whilst staying in ultimate style. Belmond artfully converted a former convent and you can still see parts of the old Inca wall. The rooms are elegantly stylish, there’s first-class dining in the pretty courtyard and there is even a soothing spa and one of the few outdoor pools in Cusco Moreover it’s located in the heart of Cusco, very easy to walk around the old town. And not forgetting that the rooms are oxygenated to ensure a good nights sleep at altitude. We certainly recommend a tour of the art collection of the chapel to add to that sense of history

As the name suggests, this Marriott Luxury Collection hotel is set within a historic 16th Century mansion and combines a rich history with excellent facilities. The location is excellent, just steps away from the central square of Cusco and it’s well kitted out with a pool, and an excellent restaurant. The Hotel Palacio del Inka is a bustling hotel and we like it just because of how you feel you are in Cusco, it can be nowhere else in the world

The name translated as Sacred River and this relaxing and luxurious hideaway from Belmond is located on the banks of the Urubamba River. The Belmond Rio Sagrado mixes features of a country retreat hotel with distinctive Inca and Peruvian features in the heart of the ancient Inca lands. It’s a wonderful place to rest amid exploring the Sacred Valley, with a heated outdoor pool, a spa, fine Andean dining and wonderful gardens. You can even pet the llamas. There are so many activities to do like horse riding and rating and even having a shaman visit for a true Andean experience. In fact, we find that most guests wished they’d stayed longer, and that’s always worth considering.

Sol y Luna – the Sun and Moon – is a distinctive hotel full of character and the style befitting a Relais & Chateaux property. t’s one of our favourite places to stay in the Sacred Valley as it remains close to the local community, is family run and owned and is an excellent base for a deep exploration of the area. Not only that, the food is amazing combing high gastronomy with the feeling of eating in a Peruvian home. Rooms are a collection of lovely large individual casitas set among colourful gardens, they invite longer stays. The spa is among the best in South America with traditional Andean wellness and it’s perfectly located for mountain bike and horse riding trails.

The first thing guests notice at the Inkaterra Hacienda Urubamba is the amazing views which they’ve really made a feature of with large floor to ceiling windows which add to an amazing feeling of space. Those views are of the mountains of the Sacred Valley of the Incas and the Hacienda Urubamba enjoys an excellent position in the heart of the valley. There are spacious rooms and the hotel is designed like an old hacienda or ranch. There are great facilities like a spa and pool for relaxing after a day in the mountains. We heartily recommend a cool Pisco sour in the bar with those amazing views.

The Sumaq Hotel is located in the small town of Aguas Clients which has grown quickly in the last 20 years or so to serve the visitors to Machu Picchu. While it’s a busy hotel with people usually just staying there a night, its room are of a five-star standard and it’s well run. There are other things going on besides the ruins, with pisco sour lessons and the restaurant serves well presented local flavours. It’s not just and in and out the hotel and one of the few we book for our guests at Machu Picchu.

For an overnight stay at Machu Picchu or even a night longer, the Inkaterra Machu Picchu is a little different as it offers to stay a little away from the busy town in the cloud forest and next to the surging river in the valley below. The large casita rooms are surrounded by forest and you can see colourful local birds in the canopy, so there’s a real feeling of being in a wilderness location yet close to the epic Machu Picchu. It’s well worth an extra night here as you can take guided walks into the rainforest or have a spa in natural surroundings.

Cirqa Hotel is a Relais and Chateaux property located in the middle of the White City of Arequipa. It’s absolutely a boutique hotel with just 11 rooms and it’s hidden away behind imposing walls leading to a lovely courtyard. There’s the white volcanic stone of Arequipa throughout which gives guests the authentic feeling of being in Arequipa, it couldn’t be anywhere else. It’s certainly one of the best and most distinctive hotels in Peru and our favoured pick. Don’t miss a meal in the courtyard of the hotel with a fabulous tasting menu.

This is one of the most exquisite places to stay in the wilds of South America, amid the epic Colca Canyon. With just 20 individual bungalows hidden away in the foot of the canyon in a soothing and silent location. Befitting the standards of luxury and style of Belmond, you’ll be hard-pressed to find such fist rate dining in other wilderness locations like this, and it’s a special treat to unwind at the bar looking out into starry skies. Belmond Las Casitas is absolutely the best place to stay in the Colca Canyon.

It’s not all about the location at Titilaka hotel, but it mainly is. It sits directly on the shore of Lake Titicaca and is designed in a way to take advantage of those amazing views. Where else can you leave your curtains open and wake to dawn breaking over a sacred lake. Titilaka is a Relais & Chateau hotel which is reflected in excellent service and dining. What’s more, they offer the first active lake program where guests can go out on kayaks on Lake Titicaca, so it’s not just about looking at it. Plus, how about a picnic in style on the lakeshore? Titilaka is high altitude and high concept and that’s why we like it.

Guests at Inkterra Reserva Amazonica stay in some of the most comfortable and well appointed lodges in the Amazon Rainforest. Relax in a hammock on the verandah and listen to the sounds of the jungle. Escape midday heat in your private plunge pool, it’s certainly not roughing it but you’re still staying in the heart of the rainforest.