It seems that most travelers coming to Peru follow a well-defined path, one that you see on almost every one-week tour itinerary. As a result you are constantly moving with the crowds, as if on a treadmill. A better bet is to break off from that and stay in the Sacred Valley of Peru for a while.
You’ve got a collection of great Sacred Valley hotels and resorts to choose from these days and you often get a better value at these too. There are really only three luxury hotels near Machu Picchu itself and one of those has tiny rooms, so if you’d rather stretch out and relax for a while instead of constantly packing and unpacking, it’s better to use the upscale resorts around Urubamba as a base instead.
We’ve been visiting this region between Cusco and Machu Picchu for two decades now and our correspondent living in Peru gets out there on a regular basis. Here are our picks for the best hotels in the Sacred Valley, where to stay in style.
Explora Valle Sagrado
If you’re an active traveler who wants to really explore the area, this is the best place to stay. Explora has other adventure lodges in Argentina and Chile. They always attract the best guides and arrange the widest array of excursions. All of them are included except an optional all-day trip to Machu Picchu if you want that, due to all the additional transportation and citadel tickets.
Most guests go for the all-inclusive package so they can pay one price and be done. The dining scene here is notably farm-fresh and local, with an emphasis on ingredients from the valley and the hotel’s own garden. They also have a spa housed in historic building, with a swimming pool outside.
We just updated our review of Explora Valle Sagrado, with fresh photos, so go check it out at that link.
Rio Sagrado, a Belmond Hotel
Belmond is a major fixture in Peru and can take you by the hand and lead you around the country. That’s because the company formerly known as Orient Express runs several luxury train lines in Peru, as well as hotels in Cusco, the Colca Canyon, Machu Picchu, and the Sacred Valley.
This Rio Sagrado one takes its name from its location beside a river, offering a serene place to stay away from the crowds and bustle. You really get the best of both worlds if you stay next to the citadel of Machu Picchu one night and stay here after to decompress and hit the spa.
See our detailed review of Belmond Rio Sagrado here.
Inkaterra Hacienda Urubamba
Inkaterra is a fixture on the Peru lodging scene, regularly winning awards for both the hotels themselves and their environmental practices. They only have a handful of properties, but all of them are standouts.
Inkaterra’s Sacred Valley property has “hacienda” in its name for two reasons: it was formerly a cattle ranch plus some of the rooms are in the original farmhouse. The secluded 100–acre retreat houses 12 guest suites, a restaurant, a bar, and public areas in that building. Then there are an additional 24 free–standing private casitas and a spa.
See our review of Inkaterra Hacienda Urubamba here.
Tambo del Inka
This hotel has a connection to Peru’s Libertador Hotels group, but is managed to international standards by Marriott as part of its Luxury Collection. This is one of several Luxury Collection resorts in Peru, so guests wanting to earn or cash in Bonvoy points could move between here, Cusco, and Paracas, then book the JW Marriott in Lima.
Opened during a spurt of development around 15 years ago, this resort has had plenty of time to mature and settle into a groove. It has beautiful grounds with stunning views, dramatic interiors with stone fireplaces and lots of wood, a spa, and a well-regarded restaurant.
This hotel also has something that the more isolated properties will never have: it’s own rail station that will get you to Machu Picchu.
See our full review of Tambo del Inka.
Aranwa Resort & Spa
The first time I visited Peru, back in 2004, the Sacred Valley was an afterthought for most tourists. It was a place you visited on a day trip from Cusco, but not an area where many people spent the night. That all started to change around 2010 with the opening of Aranwa Resort & Spa, followed by all the others on this list except Sol Y Luna, the original upscale option.
Aranwa Resort and Spa outdid anything else available at the time and it still has one of the largest footprints, with land intersected by a river and flanked by misty mountains. It has 100 rooms divided between a restored 18th century colonial hacienda, the centerpiece of the resort, and several more modern buildings. Every room has a small balcony with great views and the 25,000 square–foot spa facilities here are impressive.
See our review of Aranwa Sacred Valley Resort.
Sol Y Luna
Multiple attempts to get back into this property to update our review have failed, and it seems to be functioning as a charity with a hotel attached more than a hotel that supports a charity on the side. Get ready to pressured for extra donations if you book here.
It is part of the Relais & Chateaux group though, which usually means you’ll eat well, and Sol & Luna offers a lot of interesting cultural activities thanks to all those communities their guests are supporting.
See our review here and then check online ones at the likes of TripAdvisor to see what more recent guests have to say.
What About Staying in Machu Picchu Town?
In our opinion, the best way to experience this area is to visit when you have plenty of time to take it slow and soak it all in, rather than rushing through on a quickie vacation. There are advantages to spending at least one night near the Machu Picchu citadel itself, however. You can get there in one of the early groups if you want or one at the end of the day when it’s not as crowded.
If you’re heading to a hotel nearby, you won’t spend so much time in transit and you won’t be subject to any train schedules (you can only reach Aguas Calientes — Machu Picchu Town — by train). Very few visitors spend more than one or two nights here though since the rates are high and the town at the base is not nearly as attractive as when you stay in the Sacred Valley.
If you do want to spend the night, there are three Machu Picchu luxury hotels we recommend. Follow that link to read more.
Article by Timothy
Timothy Scott is the founder and editor of Luxury Latin America and has been covering the region as a travel journalist since the mid-2000s. He has visited each country we cover multiple times and is based in a UNESCO World Heritage city in central Mexico, where he owns a home. See contact information here.
