Where to Stay: Eco Luxury in Peru’s Sacred Valley

Photo Credit: Inkaterra
If Money is No Object: Urubamba Villas
Starting Price: $1896 for a 4-day/3-night package
Mount Salkantay, the hum of the Urubamba River and golden fields of barley set the backdrop for five private two- and three-bedroom villas. Think Tuscany or Provence with a new level of eco-posh pampering, brought to you from Peruvian eco-tourism company Inkaterra. The price of your stay includes personal maid service, cooking staff for all your meals and a driver to take you to nearby Pisac market or El Huacatay, an Andean fusion restaurant. The adobe and terracotta-roofed villas are surrounded by gardens and feature hand-woven tapestries, stone fireplaces, antique Andean crafts and full kitchens.
Smart Luxury: Casa Andina Private Collection
Starting Price: $149
Few returning visitors to Cusco and the Sacred Valley realize that Casa Andina, the well-known mid-range Peruvian chain, has recently launched one of the finest lines of small boutique hotels in the country. The 85-room Private Collection Inn & Spa, only ten kilometers from the Ollantaytambo station, sacrifices none of the rustic charm or Andean décor of other hotels in the chain; it just takes the amenities up a notch. And as with most valley hotels, your experience will not defined by the size of the TV, but the activities at hand; try a massage at the hotel’s full-service spa, a private hike or horseback trek or an Andean textile workshop.
Smart Family: Sol y Luna Lodge and Spa
Starting Price: Doubles from $176
Sol y Luna has been the luxury lodge of choice in Urubamba since well before there was ever a remotely comparable option. The 28 round bungalows scattered about the property are set amid tennis courts, a pool and a full-service spa and a working Ranch with Peruvian Paso horses. On weekends and during festivals, Sol y Luna fires up their pachamanca pit, an earthen oven where a mish-mash of vegetables and meats including the legendary cuy (a.k.a. guinea pig) are roasted in a hole in the ground.

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