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Went to Peru this April for a bucket list trip and as it is also on a lot of other people’s lists, I thought I’d share our experiences doing a full Belmond tour (hotels, private guides, museum/site/MP tickets, transportation). When researching for the trip, I had seen plenty of reviews on the individual properties but not much on their “journeys” so hopefully this is exhaustive but not too exhausting. Usually I plan my own trips and like to do a mix of properties rather than stay with one brand, but since we wanted to stay at the various Belmond offerings, it made sense to us to just do the package.
4 travelers (2 couples, all in our thirties)
Time frame: Eight days in April including international travel, booked in February (so short notice)
Day 1: Arrived in Lima late at night. Word of caution at the baggage claim - we knew we were meeting our Belmond rep and had been sent a diagram of where to meet him, which was a good thing, as there are people trawling the baggage claim that will say they are from the various hotels and try to take your luggage out for you (for a tip). They’re not officially associated with the hotel, so use their service at your own risk! Once we met our rep, we were promptly whisked away in a comfortable sprinter van complete with water and snacks, as would be the case for the rest of the trip, and our guide gave a good overview of the city on the way to the hotel, the Belmond Miraflores.
The hotel sits right on the water and is what I would call a classic “city hotel.” Beautiful flower arrangements in the lobby, where we were sat with welcome pisco sours for check in. Stayed in an Ocean View Junior Suite which was comfortable but nothing crazy memorable.
Day 2: Breakfast at the hotel rooftop restaurant. The small pool area is there as well. Great views over the coast. Food was a mix of a short a la carte menu and plenty of buffet options. Service was efficient and very friendly. Post breakfast, we were met in the lobby by our tour guide and driver for the day. Saw multiple sites including the Plaza Mayor, Archbishop’s Palace, the Santo Domingo Convent, and pre-Incan ruins. The best part was definitely the Larco museum. It’s excellently curated, the outdoor space is beautiful, and the exhibits are fascinating (and unique - erotic ceramics???). Appreciated having a guide to take us through the highlights, as sometimes it’s easy to get “museum-ed out” but I could have easily spent more time there. Hopped back to the hotel for a light late lunch. The restaurant downstairs has excellent ceviche. Spent a few hours relaxing and enjoying the view before Maido for dinner. The food is great, the wine pairing and intro of said wines was a bit perfunctory.
Day 3: Breakfast was again delicious and the waiters packed us to go parcels of coca/mint tea leaves for our trip to Cusco. Belmond took care of booking our flight on Latam and we were walked through right up to security. Once we landed and before we really felt the altitude, we were met by our driver and guide for the next few days and whisked away towards the Sacred Valley. Again, plenty of water and snacks on board, wifi, and coca candy for the altitude. Made a stop at Sulca Textiles, which is a small community collective of weavers with a museum of stunning wall weavings, a store with real baby alpaca items (not “maybe alpaca”), and a chance to see and feed the alpacas, llamas, and guacanos! Very memorable for sure and the best spot to load up on gifts. Stopped for a few more photo ops on the way to the Rio Sagrado. The Sacred Valley is filled with expansive, ever changing views and Hugo entertained and educated us on the long history and culture of the area.
The Rio Sagrado is a small, quiet sanctuary that is almost blink and miss the entrance right off the main road. Again we were greeted with a welcome drink and cool towels. The hotel is not big but there are some terraces and they will happily golf cart you around if you need (or in our case, our luggage). Stayed in a Garden Junior Suite. Room had a small balcony area with yoga mat available and while there was no tub, there was a large walk in shower. There is a small bar and quiet restaurant on site. Emphasis on quiet - it was the smallest of all the hotels on the trip, but the food quality was certainly up to par. They warm the beds at turndown with llama water bottles, a very cute touch.
Day 4: Breakfast here seems to alternate between a la carte plus buffet vs strictly a la carte. Hugo met us at our pre-discussed time and off we went to visit Ollantaytambo. There’s a colorful market there that is nice for photos and if you want classic souvenir trinkets but the site itself is the star. The streets there are narrow and crowded and our driver navigated them with ease. Hugo hiked with us to the very top and impressed up with his knowledge and insight. We’re also not stuffy people and he easily navigated both our interest in the culture and also our often bad jokes (with worse ones of his own 😂). For lunch we were treated to a local restaurant up in the mountains where we were the only ones there! I don’t think we would have otherwise found the place but it was a veritable feast that we got to enjoy with our now friends. Post lunch, more impressive tours of Maras and Moray. If you don’t get to go to Central in Lima, Virgilio’s other restaurant Mil is right next to Moray. Back to hotel for relaxing at the bar with drinks and cards and then early dinner…MP was waiting!
Day 5: Did I mention you get to feed the baby alpacas at breakfast? After this must do, we were off back to Ollantaytambo to the train station. If you’re not like us and book reasonably ahead of time, the Belmond Hiram Bingham stops right at the Rio Sagrado and picks you up from there. We took the Vistadome. As you would guess from the name, there’s plenty of windows that stretch above you to take in the Andean views. There’s an open observatory car at the end as well complete with live entertainment. The trip goes by quickly and Hugo came with us on the train. There are luggage restrictions so we left our big bags with our driver, who would bring them to Cusco for us. At the station in Aguas Calientes, the Santuary Lodge has people to take your bags ahead of you, and then you take the bus up to MP proper. Here Hugo worked his magic (he seemed to know people everywhere) and managed to get us on the bus before a huge wedding party. Yes it’s a public bus, but it’s perfectly comfortable and air conditioned. Arrived at the entrance to MP and wow, the Sanctuary Lodge really is RIGHT THERE. They take you to the garden to check in (welcome drinks, towels, the whole enchilada), and you marvel at where you are. The gardens are beautiful and absolutely filled with hummingbirds! Rooms weren’t quite ready so we had the buffet lunch at the hotel. Plenty of choices here. They came and found us at lunch to tell us our rooms were ready. Stayed in a Deluxe Terrace Room. The rooms are…not large and had a tiny bit of a damp smell (this is such a minor thing) but were well stocked (raincoats, souvenir water bottles, bug spray, lotions, massage oils, plenty of snacks and drinks - meals and minibasnacks included here).
Once we had time to freshen up, it was time to see Machu Picchu! Photos don’t do it justice and you will want a guide to get the most out of your experience. Hugo made the site come to life and this time of year, it did not feel crowded at all going later in the day. It also started drizzling when we were leaving, and it was perfect getting to duck right into the hotel, steps away. There’s nothing besides the hotel there so relax at the restaurant bar, have a spa visit, and get ready for dinner. It seemed most everyone there had changed out of hiking gear. Personally, dinner was well executed if the flavors were not my favorite. Take it with a grain of salt as they obviously have to bring everything up from the town.
Day 6: Woke up early to hike Huayna Picchu. The best views of MP were at this time. Hugo hiked “the stairs of death” with us (not nearly as bad as it sounds if you don’t have an extreme fear of heights) and played personal photographer. It’s a very worthwhile hike to get to see MP from a different angle. We got back right at check out time and the hotel was kind enough to let us change/shower in our own room rather than have to use their separate change/shower area. We did another circuit of MP after lunch and then just hung out with Hugo over drinks. The biggest perk of staying at Sanctuary Lodge is having multiple chances to see MP. While it’s beautiful on a gloomy day with the clouds suspended amongst the mountain peaks, it would be sad to travel all that way and never see it while it’s sunny. And weather changes quickly in the mountains!
Had a long bit of travel back through the Sacred Valley by train (if you were only to do the Hiram Bingham one way, it may be better to do it on the way back as it’s nighttime and you can’t enjoy the views), then picked up by car and off all the way back to Cusco.
Stayed at the Palacio Nazarenas in a Studio Suite and it was the best of all the Belmond properties! Right next door to the Belmond Monasterio. It has beautiful courtyard spaces everywhere you look and the rooms are the largest here. They pump oxygen in to help with the altitude. Large bathroom with soaking tub and separate spacious walk in shower. Studio suites have a sitting area inside and a small patio area outside overlooking a courtyard. Large bottles of rum and pisco are included. Got in super late so ordered room service which was delicious.
Day 7: Breakfast was combo buffet and a la carte. Fresh juices and plenty of local produce. The restaurant Mauka overlooks the pristine royal blue pool and it’s a picture perfect setting. Lots of touring around Cusco this day, seeing the main square and cathedral, multiple important sites like Sacsayhuaman, and Quenqo. Hugo really shined here - besides helping us understand the significance of the sites, he knew we were sad about not seeing a vicunya so we did an impromptu stop at another weaving center to see two of the few non-wild vicunyas. He also had arranged “a farewell surprise” for us and one of our party hadn’t been feeling well that day. Hugo checked on him all during our tours and arranged for our driver to pick him up so we could all share one last farewell drink. The Palacio is a gem and I would happily spend many more days here! When we got back to the hotel post shopping and tearful farewells (we actually still keep in touch), we had a personal patio side pisco sour making class with one of the fantastic butlers and enjoyed one of my favorite meals of the trip at Mauka. Pricey, but very very good.
Day 8: Off to Lima again, where we had a long layover, the same Belmond rep who met us initially helped settle us in for the wait before the long trip home!
Belmond Bellini perks (through a TA, they don’t have a personal reward program): Usually $100 hotel credit everywhere we stayed, potential for room upgrades, breakfast every day, welcome note/chocolate. Also a $500 voucher to use for another Belmond trip
Will be looking to do a trip back to Peru at some point to see the Nazca Lines and Lake Titicaca and will not hesitate to use Belmond again, especially to get a few extra days of R&R at the Palacio.
TLDR: If you’re going to Peru for the first time and want to do it chubby luxe, the Belmonds certainly fit the bill and the package deal is worth it for the convenience and the quality of the guides. You won’t have to worry about a thing.
If you’ve read this far, hope this helps and happy travels!