Sleep in style in... Peru?

Steve Bray, Latin America product manager, updates us on Peru's finest accomodation

Sleep in style in... Peru?

Peru has always been a popular holiday destination; Machu Picchu, Lake Titicaca, Cusco, the Amazon, the Nasca Lines and the Colca Canyon are a few of the country’s highlights that trip off the tongue. However until recently, it could be argued that the quality of accommodation in some areas didn’t match the quality of attraction.

Now, the situation has now changed, and thanks to the foresight and ambition of a number of companies and individuals, Peru now offers some of the most comfortable accommodation to be found on the South American continent, many in locations where you would not expect such high standards. The last 12 months has seen the launch of the M/V Aqua, cruising out of Iquitos to the Pacaya Samiria Reserve in the Amazon; the opening of Titilaka, a beautiful new boutique hotel on the shores of Lake Titicaca; in the Colca Valley, Orient Express Hotels have opened their latest property, Las Casitas del Colca and for the more adventurous, Mountain Lodges of Peru have commenced their operation which now allows trekkers the chance to have a proper bed to sleep on to rest weary legs!

I have been fortunate to experience all of these new products this year, and I can confirm that they all live up to their publicity. In April, I took a 3 night cruise aboard the Aqua. This has 12 large suites and has been expertly designed; a central corridor means that you have no external corridors or walkways around your suite; the result, an uninterrupted view to the outside world, and here we’re not talking about a little porthole but a huge window. You can lie in bed, pull back the curtains and gaze at the wonderful rivers and tributaries of the Amazon. The dining room also offers panoramic views, as well as great gourmet food, and on the sundeck, there are both indoor and outdoor areas to relax. The Aqua definitely is the most comfortable boat anywhere on the Amazon.

For views of a different kind, but no less spectacular, Titilaka, which overlooks Lake Titicaca is the place to stay. Looking at it from the outside, it’s not the prettiest building, but when you’re inside, the views it offers are stunning (It’s similar in that respect to Explora in Torres del Paine). Titilaka has its own private jetty which ferries guests on private sightseeing tours of the lake; the hotel also operates other private tours to places of interest in the high altiplano. The hotel has been designed to maximise views of the lake from both the 18 suites and the beautiful dining room, and on the brilliantly bright sunny day that I visited, the lake looked fantastic. Titilaka is situated about an hours drive from Puno, and 2 hours from Juliaca airport.

From Titilaka, I moved on to the Colca Valley for my first ever visit. I was keen to visit Orient Express Hotels latest opening, Las Casitas del Colca. This is a small development (24 hectares) of 20 individual houses all set out amongst the gardens of the hotel, which has fishponds, an organic vegetable garden, streams running through it and the odd grazing alpaca. Views from the hotel are of the impressive Colca valley a feature of which are the many cultivated terraces, worked on by the inhabitants of the dozen or so small villages situated in the valley. Colca is also one of the best known areas in Peru for spotting condors. Each casita has its own plunge pool and terrace. Inside, the rooms have large 4-poster style beds, heated floors, indoor and outdoor showers and a full range of Orient Express facilities. The public areas are situated away from the casitas. The dining room reminded me of a room in an English stately home with its high leather backed chairs, deep wooden tables, fireplace, lanterns hanging down from the ceiling, candlelit cables, stone floor and walls. The food was exceptional as well. If the situation of the lodge doesn’t make you feel relaxed enough, then for further relaxation, you can enjoy the spa which has a full range of treatments, though I wasn’t there long enough to enjoy that area.

So if you have thought of travelling to Peru but may have been put off by not having the most comfortable of places to stay at the end of the day, think again. I could continue with a list of other fantastic places to stay, or even write up about the Hiram Bingham luxury train that operates to Machu Picchu; maybe after my next visit I will, when no doubt there will be even more wonderful places to stay at, and report on.