akasper22

What was your favorite hotel in or near the Sacred Valley and why? There are so many good options. Open to all price ranges.

kja

In Cusco, I'm glad I stayed at Ninos (Meloc):
https://ninoshotel.com
Great location, nice accommodation, nice cafe, wonderful cause. JMO.

sf7307

2014 - In Ollantaytambo, we stayed at, and loved, El Albergue. It's right at the train station, but it's far from an urban setting - very lovely grounds, and a restaurant with delicious food. They grow their own vegetables in a garden/farm behind the hotel. They also have a very nice coffee shop. We happened to get a very inexpensive last minute deal.

janisj

I stayed here in Aug 2017 https://aranwahotels.com/en/hotels/a...otel-wellness/

LOVED it!. Large rooms, great service, beautiful grounds, orchid garden, very nice (upscale) restaurant plus more casual dining options.

mlgb

Personally, I wouldn't stay in the Sacred Valley if by that you mean Urubamba or adjacent converted farm lands. I liked staying in Ollantaytambo where I could walk to the train station, the ruins, and the old town sector.

But if you're looking for a luxury resort and price isn't a concern, there are a number of properties now in the SV area, including the new Explora and Tambo del Inka.

El Albergue works well if you are taking an early train, but I can't believe what they are charging for a room now!

mlgb

Personally, I wouldn't stay in the Sacred Valley if by that you mean Urubamba or adjacent converted farm lands. I liked staying in Ollantaytambo where I could walk to the train station, the ruins, and the old town sector.

But if you're looking for a luxury resort and price isn't a concern, there are a number of properties now in the SV area, including the new Explora and Tambo del Inka.

El Albergue works well if you are taking an early train, but I can't believe what they are charging for a room now!

PS.. I'm glad I took my first trip pre-100th anniversary! It had changed a lot between the 1st and 2nd visit, and I can't even imagine going now.

sf7307

crellston

We have stayed in maybe 6-7 hotels in the Sacred Valley mostly in Ollantaytambo. I don’t really have a favourite as such, but two that do spring to mind in Ollantaytambo are Apu Lodge and La Casa de Mi Abuela Riverside. both are mid-range places but are comfortable with decent sized rooms, comfy beds and are in good locations within the village.

El Alberquerque always seems to get good reviews and is undoubtedly very convenient for the train station but that is also a big disadvantage for me as it is a fair old walk to the centre of the village, ruins and restaurants etc. OK if you are only there to catch the train.

Down the road in Urubamba is where the bigger, more lux hotels are to be found. We lived there for a few weeks when doing some voluntary work and it is not the most enticing place to stay. Great if you are seeking a resort type place but otherwise not a great deal of interest for the visitor apart from the market and the main plaza.

Not sure if you would count Cusco as the sacred valley, but I agree with kia’s suggestion of Niños, also worth looking at one of the Casa Adina properties. a consistently good Peruvian chain.

PS - if you are seriously looking, providing a price range would enable people to make more informed recommendations.

sf7307

mlgb

Mid May over $200 a night for the remaining view rooms! Apparently May is now part of high season!

This month, much less for the standard garden rooms (where I stayed).

Note that some hotels can't be reached by vehicle..e.g. Apu Lodge. That may be an advantage nowadays.

There are now all sorts of options since tourism has exploded.

sf7307

We didn't have a view room either, but I still loved the place!

zebec

Hi akasper,
We deliberately chose 2 different hotels there in 2007, ones that were at the opposite ends of the spectrum cost-wise. In Pisac, we stayed at the Hotel Pisaq. Manager Maria and her husband/guide Joachim run the place. Fielding and Roman are the owners. Rosia, Kelly and Luzio will take care of you. Very good food and drink. Massage available. Folksy, arty and unpretentious. Some live music and dancing.
By contrast, we splurged at Mapi at the upscale Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel, which is at the foot of the site and is located within its own mini-rainforest. Orchid fans will love that forest and its easy trails. Added value: the Pueblo Hotel has a series of rivulets deliberately routed to travel through the various onsite lodgings---the sound is magic. That, plus the gift shop had the best quality clothing for sale. I still wear the soft alpaca scarf that we purchased there. It works wonders during Canadian winters, hands-down the best scarf that I've ever owned.

Btw, if you can make it to Paucartambo for its annual fest, with the nearby Tres Cruces sunrises, it could be a major highlight. Liikewise, Huaraz and the close by mountains are special. Chacas makes a good base in the mountains as well.
Good luck!
I am done. The end.

amyb

I really liked Pakaritampu in Ollantaytambo, but I'm one who didn't find anything in that town other than the ruins worth staying there more than an overnight. It was convenient to see the ruins, check in and stay the night then take the train to MP the next day. I walked up to "old town" and was baffled by the draw of the town.

I loved the Inkaterra Machu Picchu Puebla hotel and wished I'd known how much they have on offer there in addition to the gardens and rainforest. Lots of nature walks and spa treatments you can do. I'd have stayed there another day or two to take advantage of all that. It would be a nice place to recharge mid-trip, as I was at that point.

Casa Andina Cusco Cathedral was fairly ordinary (it felt almost business-class in nature) but well situated just steps off the Cathedral square. I loved it for the location. Excellent service there though.

sf7307

ellenbw

Seamus

Another vote for Pakaritampu in Ollantaytambo. Lovely gardens, reminded me of a smaller scale version of Mt Kenya Safari Club. Rooms are spacious, nice bathroom, great beds. An easy couple blocks walk to the train station. Staff was also just lovely.

mlgb

What was interesting in my first trip to Ollanta was that there were NO hotels or tourist restaurants up in the old town sector (which has the original "canchas" i.e. Inca residential architecture ). You could walk down the narrow streets lined with Inca stone and peer into the homes. Some of the residential rooms had no roofs and some rooms were used for livestock or storage. Often a local in traditional dress was traveling to or from. There were tradtional craftsmen (carvers) and chicha poles visible. The tourist stuff was concentrated on the square and on the road to the station. ( I recall vendors selling cooked corn and cheese on the road to the station and the main place to eat being Hearts Cafe.) You'd see women in town who had come down from the weaving villages (there wasn't a formal craft market then) nor were there long lines of buses disgorging tourists for the trains.

That has all changed with the explosion of mass tourism. Who knows why someone would be "baffled by the draw of the town."? Perhaps they didn't realize that it was (at least at one time) the best preserved and continuously inhabited Inca residential district. I hope some of that is still visible and it all hasn't gentrified into hostels, guest houses and t-shirt shops. I know gentrification has been an issue in Ollanta.