Libertador Hotel Paracas in Peru

Latin America has been on a roll this whole time that everyone has been crying the blues in the rest of the world about low occupancy rates at hotels. Sure, some pockets are still down, but hotels are going up at a frantic pace in Peru and Colombia.

The Sacred Valley Gets Flooded…with Hotels

Nicholas Gill, who has written many of our reviews on luxury hotels in Peru, wrote this informative article for another publication: A Look Inside Peru’s Hotel Boom.

If you’ve been subscribing to our newsletter or following this blog, you know we’ve posted reviews of the most notable ones soon after they opened: Libertador Hotel Paracas, Tambo del Inka in the Sacred Valley, and Aranwa hotels in both the Sacred Valley and Cusco.

Libertador and Starwood are jointly opening a big Westin in Lima that will be the highest building in the country—I may be able to give a hard hat report when I’m there in late May. But wait, there’s more! Orient-Express is revamping a hotel they bought in the Sacred Valley. Plus the article says, “Chilean chain Explora and Marriott Hotels and Resorts are in the process of completing hotels in the area and Four Seasons and Aman Resorts also have expressed interest.”

Chain Hotels Pour Into Bogata, Colombia

Meanwhile, another contributor of ours, Mark Chesnut, wrote this piece for the Latin Business Chronicle -Columbia: Bogata Hotel Boom.

The international chains apparently feel just fine about Colombia now. A new JW Marriott just opened (we’ll have a review of it soon) and here’s who’s on the way: Ibis, Sonesta, Hilton, and Holiday Inn. As it stands now, 578 rooms will come online this year alone in Bogata. Plus Cali just got its first luxury hotel—we’ll have a detailed review of that up in the next month as well.

For now, see our reviews of the best luxury hotels in Colombia.

Although it’s hard to believe now, less than a decade ago you couldn’t really find a luxury hotel in the Sacred Valley of Peru. The only people hanging around long enough to stay there were adventure tour groups and backpackers who weren’t content with a one-day bus tour. My oh my how things have changed. Just look at Tambo del Inka, the newly opened top luxury hotel, and realize it’ll probably be bested by something else a year or two later, just as it has bested the ones that just opened in the last couple years.

This is a hotel that will have staying power though, no matter what. It’s got plenty of land and a spacious spa, but is close to the rail station and town in Urubamba. It’s part of both the Libertador chain and Starwood’s Luxury Collection, so there will be point-chasing (and redeeming) guests aplenty. It’s also got plenty of “green hotel” cred, having gained LEED certification for environmental building standards.

Our reviewer says not only is it convenient, but it’s the most stylish place around too:

The earthy interiors, designed by Tony Chi, are a high point of the hotel. Most are contemporary renditions of Inca textiles, stone walls, and pottery that take oversized forms and are put together in original ways—such as in stone fireplaces and hanging tapestries. A vibe that is stylish and not at all dated runs throughout the halls, lobby, bar, lounge, and restaurant.

See our full review of Tambo del Inka in Peru.

When I first visited Cusco six years ago, there was the Monasterio, the Libertador Palacio del Inka, and there was…everyone else. If you wanted a luxury experience, you stayed at one of those two hotels and that was that.

As Peru has gotten more popular, the luxury hotel scene has expanded to match, to the point where when a new  boutique hotel opens up in Cusco now, there’s a collective yawn from the press. That’s too bad, because the Aranwa Cusco Boutique Hotel is worth a shout—especially considering the rates. It may not break new ground, but it offers a great experience for the price.

While Aranwa’s Cusco property isn’t going to outdo the Monasterio or several other top hotels in Cusco’s historic center, it’s still a fine hotel that provides a combination of Cusco’s colonial environment and an element of luxury only seen near the city’s top level of rates. The price is good, the bathrooms are great, the hotel doesn’t sit on a steep hill, and there’s free oxygen pumping into every room.

Cusco’s luxury hotel rates can be hard to swallow if you’re not with a tour group that has negotiated down the price, so we’re happy to see someone come in to add more competition. See our full review of Aranwa Cusco.

See more of the best luxury hotels in Peru.

We just posted a new luxury travel tour story we’ve had in the works for a while: Cruising the Peruvian Amazon on the MV Aqua. (Click the ship photo on the left if you just can’t wait to read it.)

To say there’s no other ship like this cruising the Amazon River would be an understatement. This is not just a step above what else is out there, but a Superman-sized leap.

It was designed by designed by famed Peruvian architect Jordi Puig and it only has 12 suites, each at least 230 square feet. As a point of reference, that’s pretty close to the average size of a typical chain hotel room. Naturally the service level is top-notch as well, with the crew serving a maximum of 24 guests.

Last, you will not be eating typical group tour food on this trip, our writer says:

“One of South America’s two greatest chefs that use Amazonian ingredients, Lima’s Pedro Miguel Schaiffino, has designed a menu for the Aqua that could rival a Michelin one-star restaurant. While breakfast and lunch mostly alter between international-style meals (with a few local fruits and ingredients thrown in) and Asian and Amazonian influenced ones, dinners range from five to seven Amazonian based courses and are executed brilliantly.”

Follow this link to read the full story: Cruising the Amazon with the Aqua in Peru

The first time I visited Peru, about six years ago, the Sacred Valley was an afterthought for most tourists. It was a place you visited on a day trip from Cusco, but not an area where many people spent the night. There were some decent hotels, but nothing to rival what you found on opposite ends of the valley: at Machu Picchu and in Cusco.

It looks like 2010 is going to be the year when the Sacred Valley gets on the luxury travel destination map. We just posted a review of Aranwa Resort and Spa and it outdoes anything that’s been in the area so far. For one thing it occupies a huge amount of land intersected by a river and flanked by misty mountains.

“The hotel’s one hundred spacious rooms are sprinkled in about the property in either a restored 18th century colonial hacienda, the centerpiece of the resort, or in several more modish modern buildings with minimalist décor. Both styles are equal in amenities—LCD TVS, DVD players, working Wi-Fi, mini-fridge, safe, and hydro-massage tub. Every room has a small balcony and the view is more or less spectacular in whichever part of the property you are.”

Aranwa is going to have company soon though: Tambo del Inka—part of the Starwood Luxury Collection—will be opening up this month. Stay tuned as we’ll be reviewing it as soon as our Peru correspondent is in the region.

If you have a small group or family, also check out our review of Urubamba Villas. With these you get your own lovely house and it comes with a cook!

See other luxury hotels in Peru.