The Orient-Express company has a major presence in Peru and they’ve added another jewel this year with Palacio Nazarenas, a former convent turned hotel next to their famous Hotel Monasterio.

Yes, there’s a male/female thing going here: a former convent and a former monastery. But now the sexes can mingle freely and use the facilities at either when staying at one luxury hotel or the other.

For guests at both, the final realization of this long-planned project is a boon because Nazarenas adds two elements that were sorely missing before: a heated outdoor swimming pool and a full spa. There just wasn’t room for either at Monasterio, but with the new building they were able to fit them in.

The rooms—all listed as suites—are larger too, making this one less of a booking risk. Here’s what our writer who stayed there had to say:

The suites themselves come in four categories, from chica (small) to two master suites, which are up to quadruple the size of the junior suites. The ultimate experience in the hotel would have to be in the Nazarenas Suite, with its hand–carved wooden ceiling worthy of the chapel of a nobleman.

Nonetheless, all suites come with the trappings that add up to a truly luxurious stay. Beds are king–sized, unless one opts for twin poster beds. Bathrooms are appointed in marble and feature underfloor heating, to combat those chilly evenings at over 11,000 feet above sea level.

Plus they’ve upped the pampering ante by providing butler service for each room and a complimentary minibar, first used when the butler demonstrates how to make a proper Pisco Sour.

Nazarenas Hotel adds another restaurant to the mix as well, this one headed up by a well-known chef from Lima: Virgilio Martinez of Restaurante Central. Plus you’ll get to have breakfast in an evocative room that’s hundreds of years old.

This is another great jewel in the Orient-Express crown in Peru. With this company you can ride the luxury Hiram Bingham train to Machu Picchu, head south on the Andean Express to Puno, or stay in one of their multiple hotels in the country, including a luxury one in Miraflores.

See our full review of Hotel Palacio Nazarenas in Cusco, Peru.

Long before all the flashy new hotels opened up in the Sacred Valley of Peru, Sol y  Luna (Sun and Moon) had staked out a spot in Urubamba.

Over the years the orginal small lodge mirrored Peru’s tourism industry, expanding and going more upscale as the number of visitors increased. Now Sol y Luna has 42 casitas, a well-regarded spa, and a strong tradition of giving back to the community.

One of our contributors stayed here and mentioned the lodge in our feature story Walking Peru with Butterfield and Robinson. Now we’ve got a full review of it. Here’s a taste:

Private verandas face terraced mountainsides with garden views and lounge chairs that beckon upon arrival. And extravagance registers in deceptively simple touches: colorful Peruvian folk art, indigenous woods, hand-painted frescoed murals, and a hot water bottle in the bed at night.

Yes, there are newer and trendier places to stay among the luxury hotels of the Sacred Valley, but this one has been tied into the community since the start and will really make you feel like you’re in Peru.

See our full review of Sol y Luna Lodge and Spa.

We’ve run a couple luxury travel in Peru tour stories about upscale, small-ship cruises in the Peruvian Amazon, but we haven’t been able to get anyone out to Inkaterra’s Reserva Amazonica lodge there, the best jungle lodge in Peru, if not the whole Amazon region.

I’m happy to say we’ve rectified that. Contributor Ellen Barone, who recently wrote the story on Butterfield & Robinson’s walking tour in Peru, pulled out a machete and hacked her way through the rainforest to Inkaterra’s resort.

No, just kidding. It’s not really all that daunting: a 45-minute boat ride from river port Maldonado and you’re there. Most of the creatures you see on excursions won’t be human though. The lodge is at the heart of a 42,000-acre private ecological reserve. Here’s what’s in store when you get to your spacious cabana:

King-size beds with billowing mosquito netting. Fluffy robes and slippers. Sumptuous towels and signature organic toiletries. And screened decks with comfy lounge chairs and hammocks. They’re also outfitted with practical extras like umbrellas, flashlight, ceiling fan and Kerosene lanterns.

This carbon-neutral resort walks the walk when it comes to eco-tourism though. It’s the winner of both the 2012 Tourism for Tomorrow Award for Conservation and the 2012 Green Choice Sustainable Tourism Award.

See our full review of the Inkaterra Amazon jungle lodge in Peru.

You don’t see a whole lot of Bentley cars cruising the streets of Mexico, Peru, Argentina, or Chile. If you stay at a St. Regis or Starwood Luxury Collection hotel in one of those countries though, you could be seeing one—from the inside.

St. Regis and Luxury Collection hotels around the world have been transitioning their fleet of in-house vehicles for guests to luxurious Bentley models, such as The Continental Flying Spur. So for your arranged airport pickup or sightseeing drive, you’ll be surrounded by elegance and the smell of fine leather.

If you dig around and find the right package, or get your travel specialist to, you might get this included in the rate for booking a suite or enough days. If not, how much does it cost? Well you know what they say: if you have to ask…

The photo at the top is from the St. Regis Mexico City. Their other hotel there is in Punta Mita, near Puerto Vallarta.

Luxury Collection hotels are located in Lima, the Sacred Valley, and Paracas in Peru; Santiago and Villarica in Chile, and Buenos Aires in Argentina. They also have five gorgeous hacienda hotels in Mexico, all located around Merida and Campeche in the Yucatan.

Book direct with St. Regis or direct with Starwood Luxury Collection.

There’s no shortage of tour companies in Peru who can lead you across the Andes to Inca monuments and Sacred Valley villages. One of our writers just went out with one of the best though: the tour company Butterfield and Robinson, best known for their upscale “slow travel” walking and biking tours.

Our correspondent got to experience that difference we try to capture, the special moments and personalized service that separate a routine tour from a fantastic one. Definitions of “luxury” can get blurry when you’re talking about an adventure tour. Paying a lot isn’t necessarily going to get you 5-star rooms every night and caviar at dinner. What it will get you is better access, unique experiences, and guides who are going to take care of every little details—including many you didn’t expect. In the case of this tour, you get a deserted Machu Picchu at sunset, hikes to villages where you’re the only group who comes by, and nothing to keep track of but yourself and your camera.

That’s the definition of luxury we go by when deciding to run any story making it into our section on luxury tours in South America, Central America, or Mexico. Sometimes that means a couple months go by between features, but we’re okay with that. When you see a story like this one, you’ll see the kind of standards we maintain. See the full feature here: Walking Peru with Butterfield and Robinson.

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