Since Aqua Expeditions began 13 years ago, each voyage unlocks access to remote regions through small explorer vessels.

Since Aqua Expeditions began 13 years ago, voyages unlock access to remote regions through small explorer vessels.

Belmond Hotel Monasterio occupies a 16th-century monastery, but with modern amenities plus the service standards of Belmond hotels.

Palacio Nazarenas, A Belmond Hotel, Cusco, occupies a fabulous former palace and convent, but has been updated to feature the best room product in Cusco.

Nestled in the Sacred Valley, this dreamy family-owned compound merges the owner's European background her love for Peruvian culture and community.

Long gone are the times when the journey to the destination was just as enjoyable as the trip itself (no more glamorous air travel or celebrity filled transatlantic crossings), but nostalgic train travel is still within reach in Peru. The Belmond Andean Explorer is South America’s first luxury sleeper train that offers travelers two train itineraries: a one night journey between Cusco and Puno (on the shores of Lake Titicaca) or a two night journey between Cusco, Puno and Arequipa. Both of which are offered in either direction.

With an onboard baby grand piano, two bars, two dining cars, a spa car and activities like cooking and cocktail classes available, the Belmond Andean Explorer is by far the most comfortable way to travel for those visiting Lake Titicaca. While the rooms are well appointed with neutral colors and accented with Peruvian textiles (think soft Alpaca fabrics) and art, the constraints of the train cars result in small accommodations. (Note: We recommend the suites as they are surprisingly spacious for a train and offer the only double beds on board.) Each of the 35 cabins is equipped with an ensuite bathroom, robes, air conditioning and oxygen tanks to make the high altitude more comfortable.

For those wary of sleeping on a moving train, consider the one night journey between Cusco and Puno because the train stops overnight so that passengers can sleep.

The sprawling Belmond Rio Sagrado, situated along the roaring Urubamba River, provides a serene oasis that satisfies spiritual travelers and families alike.

Built as a dormitory for archaeologists, Belmond Sanctuary Lodge has been spiffed to welcome guests who want to stay at the gates of the famous ruins.

This Peruvian chain has numerous hotels in Cusco, including the four-star Casa Andina Private Collection, but this is the most centrally located of its value line. Only a block from the Plaza de Armas and the cathedral, the property is clean and cheery and extremely well priced. Andean details, such as woven orange-and-red-striped carpets and rustic wooden tables, add a sense of place to the somewhat corporate interiors. There’s an on-site restaurant and free Wi-Fi and laundry service, but no gym or room service.

Who Shouldn’t Stay

Anyone who expects pampering. There’s a do-it-yourself philosophy here; you’ll carry your own bags and serve yourself from the breakfast buffet.

This 18th-century mansion was converted into a 94-room hotel in 2006 and quickly became a less expensive alternative to the Hotel Monasterio. In fact, it is the only four-star hotel in Cusco to offer oxygen-enriched rooms. (The five-star Monasterio, Palacio Nazarenas and the Casa Cartagena are the other options.) Casa Andina is a major Peruvian hotel chain, and the Private Collection brand is its most luxurious tier. This hotel is popular particularly with Europeans, who are drawn to the family rooms, which can accommodate six people.

Centered on three interior courtyards, the building has loads of Spanish colonial charm, which is played up in the public spaces. The lobby has huge wooden doors, stone archways, cobalt blue walls and views into the courtyard, with its stone fountain. There’s a lovely bar and sitting area off the lobby that has deep red walls, religious paintings in gilded frames and a stone fireplace where a fire burns continuously. The restaurant offers seating outside in the courtyard at umbrella-shaded teak tables and chairs and buzzes with locals from morning until late at night.

Often a woman sits weaving in the courtyard, giving visitors the sense that they are sitting in a village plaza somewhere in the Sacred Valley. The rooms are a tad corporate in feeling, as they have cookie-cutter furniture and generic bathrooms, but they are spacious and comfortable. And while it’s a bit less central than some of the other top hotels, Casa Andina is a great choice for families and those who don’t want to spend more than a lot per room.

Who Shouldn’t Stay

Those who expect antiques in every room and snap-to service.

Not quite as grand as the Miraflores Park, the Casa Andina Private Collection is contemporary and cutting-edge. The seventeen-story property, formerly the Miraflores César, is the Casa Andina flagship and has a distinctly younger, more modern sophistication than the city’s other top hotels. Set in the heart of Miraflores, around the corner from the legendary Astrid & Gastón restaurant, it is seen by many residents as a shining symbol of Peru’s promise. Because the five-star César, once a major gathering place, was shuttered for years, the Casa Andina represents rebirth and ingenuity. Contemporary Peruvian art hangs in the lobby, where young businessmen lounge on the couches texting on their iphones. Another seating area may be taken over by ladies meeting for a drink after shopping or touring. The trendy coffee bar Sama invites locals and guests alike to stay awhile, with its racks of magazines and books and free Internet. The piano from the César still holds pride of place in the bar area. An attractive restaurant draws an after-work crowd, and in the back of the lobby is a small outpost of the stylish Indigo shop.

In its youthful and not overly grand design, the hotel will remind U.S. visitors more of a W than a Four Seasons. The 148 guest rooms have a few Peruvian touches, like alpaca blankets and books on the Andes, but the furniture and bathrooms are pretty standard—comfortable rather than memorable. Although it lacks the ocean views of the Miraflores Park, the Casa Andina is within walking distance of the legendary Astrid & Gastón restaurant and the antiques market. It also has covered heated pool, a hit with families traveling in the winter months.

The largest luxury resort hotel in the Sacred Valley, the Casa Andina Private Collection property is the clear choice for large groups or families who want to explore the region from an international-style resort. Its eight acres of well-manicured lawns and gardens might have been transported directly from Santa Barbara, except for the resident llamas that graze them. The two-story chalet-style buildings that contain the guest rooms include regional decorative details and there are duplex rooms that work well for families (for the kids, there is a playground as well as a planetarium and observatory). There’s a spa with an extensive menu of Andean-inspired treatments from massages and reflexology to facials and hydrotherapy. Other draws include an attractive restaurant and bar and a selection of classes that include cooking, pottery, yoga and a textile workshop. The bathrooms in the main building may resemble those at a convention center but for the big groups that come through, this property delivers an international standard of cleanliness and predictability along with capacity that more charming places in the area cannot.

Like the Hotel Monasterio, the Casa Cartagena occupies a building that has been declared a national landmark by the Peruvian government. The foundations of the glorious palace, which was once the home of Don Fernando Cartagena, were laid by the Inca, but the grand layout and proportions were adapted for a Spanish noble. Just up the street from the Museum of Pre-Columbian Art and the square where the hotels Monasterio and La Casona are, Casa Cartagena opened as Cusco’s newest luxury hotel, and one of only three with oxygen-enriched rooms, in March 2009. (The Monasterio and Casa Andina Private Collection are the others.)

Many of the palace’s antique details have been beautifully restored, such as wall frescoes, stone floors and the central courtyard (from which you can see the White Christ that towers over the city), but more than any other hotel in town, this one has embraced 20th century modern design. All of the furniture and lighting was imported from Italy. The bar has space-age bar stools as well as interior lights that change hue. Each of the sixteen suites is slightly different, but all combine a historic framework (the doors, shutters and wood floors are traditional) with ultramodern decor. Philippe Starck plastic desk chairs, original pieces from Moroso, tailored leather headboards, sleek steel and leather lounge chairs are accented by contemporary Kartell Italian lights and LCD TVs. The bathrooms, which resemble those in Italian architecture magazines, feature Bisazza tiles, are easily twice the size of most other hotel bathrooms in Cusco and have enormous tubs, separate glass-walled showers and vast sink areas.

In addition to a gym and a business center, the hotel has a three-story spa and La Chola, one of the best restaurants in town. The two largest suites are the Presidential Suite and the Royal Suite. In the Royal Suite, which is on two levels, the bathroom is divided from the master bedroom only by a hanging sculpture of white leaves like a screen, so it may not appeal to everyone.

Located in the heart Arequipa, CIRQA offers a relaxing and inviting design-driven escape from the city, set inside a centuries' old church.

The building that today houses the Country Club Lima Hotel was first built in the 1920s, formerly visited by the British Aristocracy and the likes of Hemingway and Faulkner as well as numerous Peruvian literaries. The hotel has the ambiance of an old-world country club, and many Limeños use it as such, having Sunday lunch in its dining room or garden patio and holding weddings on its manicured grounds. Located in the upscale residential neighborhood of San Isidro directly across from the Lima Golf Club, the rambling Spanish colonial building with its surrounding lawns and gardens evokes the grander days of the city’s past, when the elite gave white-glove tea dances and a handful of families held sway. In fact, many of their descendants still come here regularly to dine.

The extravagant lobby with beautiful wooden ceilings, sleek marble floors and intricate Spanish tile accents was named the second most beautiful hotel lobby by Architectural Digest. A renovation in 2017 left this lobby untouched but resulted in the upgrade of the property's 83 rooms which now have murals by Peruvian artist Gihan Tubbeh, which joins hundreds of beautiful paintings on loan from the Pedro de Osma Museum, each of which includes a small museum plaque with the piece's title. The rooms are spread in various buildings which date to 1927 and are large, comfortable and decorated with heavy colonial-style furniture. In fact, the hotel has been declared a national monument. Imagine a less glamorous version of Fisher Island in Miami or the Beverly Hills Hotel in L.A. There are multiple dining options on site, including Stained Glass, a romantic setting for tea looking out over the garden and Perroquet, serving expertly crafted Peruvian and International cuisine in the large dining room and on the outdoor patio. There is also a small gallery of shops including a Kolke and a Starbucks.

The first Relais & Châteaux Cruise in the world, Delfin Amazon Cruises are the perfect getaway to the Upper Peruvian Amazon.

This Sacred Valley newcomer, which opened in 2016, is a classic composition of Explora’s signature elements. As to be expected, the property includes minimalist accommodations, a full menu of adventurous group excursions led by bilingual guides, a setting amidst magnificent landscapes, all-inclusive farm-to-table meals developed exclusively by the renowned Peruvian chef Virgilio Martínez, drinks and eco-friendly amenities such as a refillable water station for the reusable water bottles provided by the hotel.

Explora coins their style as “essential luxury,” which frees travelers to enjoy their surroundings without distraction. High ceilings and contemporary, angular edges fit in well with the rust-red, tiered Incan agricultural ruins that surround the main building. The 50 rooms are beautifully yet simply crafted in light wood with neutral fabrics, and offer remarkable views of the surrounding mountains and thriving quinoa and cornfields. The rooms are spacious and at night, open the windows to hear the quiet sounds of nature echoing off the mountains. Locally crafted elements such as Peruvian blankets and animal hides make the public spaces calm yet inspiring and the bar and hotel shop are both well-stocked and worth visits.

Guests will spend most of their days off-property, enjoying the natural and cultural wealth of the Sacred Valley, and return in the late afternoons to eat, drink and relax. While there is a good amount of serenity, the property is best for those who of a more social and communal spirit (and not right for those who wish to have complete privacy throughout their stay).

The property’s spa, hot tub and pool are accessed by crossing through the quinoa and cornfields. The stroll itself is a meditation of sorts, as the rustling of seeds graze against stalks. With the mountains in the distance and a deep inhale and exhale, the special nature of the Sacred Valley and Explora are undeniable.

A grand Belle Epoque mansion that was built in the 1920s as a summer retreat for a wealthy Peruvian family has been transformed into one of Lima’s most stylish boutique hotels. Hotel B, part of the Relais & Chateaux collection, is located in the heart of the city’s arts district, Barranco, and merges the flamboyant architectural details of the original building (an ornate façade, carved columns, high ceilings, Italian marble) with a multi-million-dollar collection of contemporary art for a fabulous blend of old and new that is decidedly Peruvian. The family behind the restoration owns many of the country’s top lodges (Inkaterra Pueblo among them) so they are familiar with the desires of high-end travelers and every amenity such as Wifi, towel warmers and iPod docking stations have been worked into the seventeen suites. But they have also hired an art concierge to host artists’ talks and make introductions or arrange studio visits. While there is no gym or spa, there are stationary bikes for guest use. Celebrated Peruvian chef, Oscar Velarde, of La Gloria and Ciccolini masterminded the menu to highlight national specialties and regional bounty. The public rooms, from the restaurant and bar to the library and salon, have a deeply personal design aesthetic so they feel like rooms in a stylish friend’s residence, which creates the special house-party atmosphere. Some rooms are in the historic building and only accessible by stairs, while others in a contemporary wing can be reached by elevator, so it’s best to discuss your needs with our bookings team to reserve the right one for you.

Along the Urubamba River, Inkaterra Hacienda Urubamba is a spectacular escape with cozy cottages and warm common spaces for relaxing after sightseeing.

La Casona is a handsome mansion on one of Cusco’s prettiest squares, drawing the fashion and art crowds with its chic interiors and laid-back atmosphere.

The Miraflores Park, A Belmond Hotel, is set atop a cliff with views of the Pacific and the fashionable Miraflores neighborhood.

A very stylish friend told me about this boutique property. She found the Country Club Lima too large and faux colonial but wanted to be in San Isidro and near Miraflores. The 68-room NM has a sleek, modern design that could be summed up as Milan meets Miami, with an all-white lobby, an attractive courtyard restaurant and a trendy bar and restaurant. My friend, who was there for a wedding, stayed a full week. She found the rooms simple but comfortable and has since referred others who want a pied-à-terre with good service in a prime location for a very reasonable price. NM is very near El Olivar park, which is a great spot for running if you don’t want to stick to the gym.