The best hotel we stayed in during our South America trip was Inkaterra Hacienda Urubamba. This hotel was awarded as one of the best new hotels in the world in 2016. I'm very happy that our tour included a one-night stay here.
We actually didn't have any tour activities on the day that we checked in here. I could have tried planning something but I felt it would be better to just relax because this was our first day in very high elevation; Sacred Valley is about 2,900 meters above sea level, meaning that there is a lot less oxygen in the air. I wasn't sure whether my mom and I would handle the elevation well or not (thankfully, we both did). Since we had no planned activities that afternoon, we got to enjoy our stay at the hotel a lot more.
Upon arrival and while waiting to be taken to our room, we were given Chicha Morada, which is a traditional Peruvian drink made from purple corn. It was actually quite good and refreshing. The fact that we enjoyed this drink while lounging comfortably at the hotel lobby and looking out at majestic mountains made the experience even more blissful. :)
We were then taken to our villa. The set-up of this hotel is that it has a central building where you can find the lobby and the restaurant while the villas where guests stay are a short walk away, spread across the mountainside. It was just such a charming set-up.
As if that wasn't enough, our room was very spacious, cozy, elegant, and comfortable. There's a fireplace in the room but we didn't use it.
Even the bathroom was huge and very tastefully designed. It features a large open closet that made it easy to hang our jackets and the clothes we would wear the next day.
We also had a great view of the mountains from our room.
After getting settled, we headed back to the hotel lobby where we spent the rest of the afternoon and early evening.
There are so many comfortable lounging areas here, including this cozy place in front of a fireplace.
Aside from the chicha morada, we also had one additional free drink. Guests had a choice of lemonade or Pisco Sour, which is a Peruvian alcoholic cocktail. My mom ordered the lemonade while I got a Pisco Sour. I love how the lemonade was all glammed up (although it was difficult to drink LOL) while the Pisco Sour had a Superman symbol on it. :)
I spent most of the afternoon and early evening going around the grounds, taking dozens upon dozens of photos.
Inkaterra Hacienda Urubamba is a very photogenic hotel, especially at dusk when the lights give it a glorious glow.
The hotel is secluded, meaning that there are no restaurants or convenience stores around, so it made sense to just have dinner at Earth to Table, the hotel restaurant. The cool thing about Earth to Table is that it focuses on using local produce from Urubamba, making it more ecologically friendly and giving guests a good opportunity to enjoy locally grown food.
For dinner, I had the Trucha Pituca de Puno a la Plancha, or Grilled Trout from Lake Titicaca on black quinoa, sauteed prawns, dehydrated onions, toasted fennel, and lavender sauce. It was very good. And healthy, I think. :)
Our tour of Sacred Valley was scheduled the next day, which also meant we already had to check out. Of course, after a nourishing breakfast, we still had time to take more photos before saying farewell to this extraordinary hotel.
Next: Sacred Valley
Inkaterra Hacienda Urubamba
We actually didn't have any tour activities on the day that we checked in here. I could have tried planning something but I felt it would be better to just relax because this was our first day in very high elevation; Sacred Valley is about 2,900 meters above sea level, meaning that there is a lot less oxygen in the air. I wasn't sure whether my mom and I would handle the elevation well or not (thankfully, we both did). Since we had no planned activities that afternoon, we got to enjoy our stay at the hotel a lot more.
Upon arrival and while waiting to be taken to our room, we were given Chicha Morada, which is a traditional Peruvian drink made from purple corn. It was actually quite good and refreshing. The fact that we enjoyed this drink while lounging comfortably at the hotel lobby and looking out at majestic mountains made the experience even more blissful. :)
Chicha Morada
We were then taken to our villa. The set-up of this hotel is that it has a central building where you can find the lobby and the restaurant while the villas where guests stay are a short walk away, spread across the mountainside. It was just such a charming set-up.
As if that wasn't enough, our room was very spacious, cozy, elegant, and comfortable. There's a fireplace in the room but we didn't use it.
Even the bathroom was huge and very tastefully designed. It features a large open closet that made it easy to hang our jackets and the clothes we would wear the next day.
We also had a great view of the mountains from our room.
After getting settled, we headed back to the hotel lobby where we spent the rest of the afternoon and early evening.
There are so many comfortable lounging areas here, including this cozy place in front of a fireplace.
Aside from the chicha morada, we also had one additional free drink. Guests had a choice of lemonade or Pisco Sour, which is a Peruvian alcoholic cocktail. My mom ordered the lemonade while I got a Pisco Sour. I love how the lemonade was all glammed up (although it was difficult to drink LOL) while the Pisco Sour had a Superman symbol on it. :)
I spent most of the afternoon and early evening going around the grounds, taking dozens upon dozens of photos.
Inkaterra Hacienda Urubamba is a very photogenic hotel, especially at dusk when the lights give it a glorious glow.
The hotel is secluded, meaning that there are no restaurants or convenience stores around, so it made sense to just have dinner at Earth to Table, the hotel restaurant. The cool thing about Earth to Table is that it focuses on using local produce from Urubamba, making it more ecologically friendly and giving guests a good opportunity to enjoy locally grown food.
For dinner, I had the Trucha Pituca de Puno a la Plancha, or Grilled Trout from Lake Titicaca on black quinoa, sauteed prawns, dehydrated onions, toasted fennel, and lavender sauce. It was very good. And healthy, I think. :)
Our tour of Sacred Valley was scheduled the next day, which also meant we already had to check out. Of course, after a nourishing breakfast, we still had time to take more photos before saying farewell to this extraordinary hotel.
Next: Sacred Valley
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