Had an excellent 3 night stay. This place is indeed a jewel in the SPG Marriott system.




Context: There are several ways to incorporate this hotel into a Machu Picchu trip. You could stay before MP, after MP, take a day trip to MP, or split the stay with MP (e.g. stay here, go to MP for 1-2 nights, come back for another stay). We spent all 3 nights here before going to MP and have no regrets. Staying here first gave us a chance to acclimate to the elevation, though we wouldn't mind pampering ourselves here after our grueling MP hikes. I'm glad we spent 2 nights in Aguas Calientes (AC); we had heard it's a forgettable tourist trap, but we quite liked the natural beauty (it is the foothill of the lush rainforest of MP after all), and it had some of the best food we had in Peru.



Booking: I booked the base room using 3 x 50k FNCs. May is shoulder season, and my dates were readily available for just under 50k (I noticed it's 70k later in the northern summer). What's interesting is that this hotel typically retails noticeably (and justifiably) higher than the JW Cusco, yet the latter often has higher award price. We had 5 FNCs and used the remaining 2 at the JW Cusco.

Arrival: We landed in Cusco in the morning. I booked transportation from TaxiDatum with a full day transportation to Sacred Valley sites (you can pick your own). The direct ride to TDI would have been $34 USD, and it was around $80 for that plus the Sacred Valley (same price if already at TDI). In hindsight, it was economical this way but rather taxing for the oxygen-deprived body. We were well aware of the altitude challenges of Cusco, but even the immediate drive to SV still left us short of breath much of the day (nothing worse than that thankfully). A kinder way would be to go directly from CUZ to TDI, then go to SV sites another day. Another reason we did SV on the 1st day tho is so that we can maximize time at the resort from check-in to checkout, and indeed we never left Urubamba in between.






Check-in and Room: After the SV tour, we arrived at TDI around dusk and received a warm welcome fit for a hotel of this stature. A bellman helped with our luggage while we were invited to sit in a nice corner of the gorgeous lobby with water. A front-desk staff appeared in a few minutes to check us in. She was very nice, although the introduction wasn't as thorough as in some other resorts. I'm Platinum, but like many of my stays, this stay was booked with FNCs from a family member's account. I reached out a few days before to politely inquire about Platinum recognition, and they kindly provided breakfast. I do see that paid rates all include breakfast; I'm not sure if award rate + resort fee includes it anyway (it did at JW Cusco).

We were assigned a ground-level Terrace room, which I understand is a small upgrade from the base room. The room was very adequate for the 2 of us. The room was a good size, had plenty of light throughout the day, and no noise issue with someone above us.








Breakfast: The breakfast area was a pleasure. It was stately and never too crowded (unlike JW Cusco which was a zoo). The food was average for this kind of place; there was lots of variety and the quality was high, but few items tasted great (the custard French toast and the sweet tamale were exceptions - great). I preferred the food at JW Cusco breakfast. Still, it was something we looked forward to daily, followed by a stroll by the river just outside.






Lunch and Dinner: We went into town for dinner each evening (10 minute walk from hotel, very convenient). I enjoyed Pizzeria Quinua very much - food was good and price was equally good. Having tasty food in the garden was soothing. We had dinner here twice for $19 each time (for 2 people); some of the best chicha morada of the trip was here. We also got cheap cherimoya (custard apple) from a local vendor; it was delicious. Never had room for lunch.




Resort Activities: As mentioned, we did not leave Urubamba between check-in and checkout (we had a day later in Ollantaytambo, which I loved). We expected to want to maximize time at this this resort and we did. The only time we left the resort was for dinner. As a non-pool person, I greatly enjoyed the swimming pool here, which is split between indoor and outdoor (both with great nature views). It was never too busy, and great ambient music filled the entire pool/spa area. It's the kind of place you could read a book or fall asleep peacefully, all the while having fantastic view of the mountains and the resort. We also tried the thermal pool thing that you're supposed to reserve; I didn't like it, while my partner did.






We did a pisco sour tasting class. The bartender was friendly and we talked to a few people to exchange ideas. We also enjoyed spending time with the 2 baby alpacas every night; they were present between ~5pm and 8:30pm. They are just so adorable, and petting their soft fur makes all the worries of life go away




Service: in a word, impeccable. The vast majority of staff was extremely friendly and competent. We felt very welcomed.

Conclusion: We loved TDI. It's a world-class resort that honors the strong cultural identity and nature that surrounds it. It isn't some cookie-cutter resort that could be anywhere; we felt connected to the history, river and mountains while staying. Unlikely many fancy "captive" resorts, the town is just a few minutes walk for food and shopping. Great elite recognition, but this is a place where every guest will be pampered. Great redemption at 50k or below (when cash is $500 in shoulder season). One minor thing - and it's purely subjective - one side (and only one side, seen below & in the pool pic) of the surrounding mountains reminds me of Phoenix, AZ (nothing wrong with Phoenix, it's just not something I want to associate with this place).