cutebunny930

My husband and I are looking to travel to Peru in November. We would like to hike the Inca Trail but with some modern day luxury. I saw online that there is a private "glamping" option, where there will be showers, massages and chef provided. Anyone done anything similar? or should we stick to the 5 day lodge to lodge hike?

Also, any recommendations for a travel agency/ tour operator with Virtuoso benefits? We would like to spend some time in Lima, Cuzco, Sacred Valley. And if time permit also Titicaca. I heard the best hotel options are the Belmont properties?

Thank you for your help!!

Distilled

Went to Peru not long ago- didn't do the trail, so can't help you there. I can vouch for Belmond, I thought the Nazarenas in Cusco was fantastic and I can't imagine any other property there comes close. The sanctuary lodge at MP was great. Location can't be beat, the hard product was minimal for such an expensive hotel, but thought the food which was included was fantastic. Didn't stay in the sacred valley, but Belmond has a hotel there as well which I am sure is nice.

If considering the Hiram Bigham train, I'm on the fence. Was fun, a good experience, but I was not blown away by anything and pretty sure I would not do it again if I go back. Was a little bland for what could be a great experience.

In Lima, we were only there a night and I had some hilton points to use, so stayed there instead of Belmond. It was adequate, nice for a hilton, but can't vouch for the Belmond property in Lima.

For what it is worth, the Cusco/MP portion of our trip I booked directly with Belmond, they have a planning office too. They did all the transfers, hotel reservations, attraction and train tickets, and private car/guide for the whole portion from landing in cusco to leaving. It's not Virtuoso per se, but breakfast each morning included, got upgrade in Cusco, etc. Thought it was priced probably on par with booking through Virtuoso but saved the headache of arranging everything myself. The guide was really top notch and stayed with us the whole time including MP.

pointspinnacle

This is a great question! My wife and i have also considered this trip and I would like to know info on this as well.

sfoactuary

I did the Inca Trail back in 2011 with SAS Travel and had a private group tour for the 6 of us. All of the big tour operators will provide a chef to prepare meals, and the food is actually quite good. There will also be porters who will carry most of your personal items, and will walk ahead of your group to have camp setup by the time you arrive.

Unless there's been a major change, I really can't see how a tour company could offer showers and even toilet facilities. Almost all of the camp sites that the tour operators use are shared, and everything needs to be taken with you when leaving.

Interested to hear if anyone has more information on this glamping option!

Travel K

The Belmond properties are part of the Virtuoso network and there are several options for ways to hike the Inca Trail with a luxury focus. If you work with a TA, they can arrange for you the guides, hikes, properties, etc.

It is a trip I am wanting to do myself, but I am still a couple years out.

nnn

We did the "classic" 4-day trek about ten years ago, and we are NOT campers (usually stay at FS). IIRC, there was one opportunity for a shower, and that was before bed on the third night, as there's a permanent bathroom at the campsite. Also, the food will be delicious if you go with a decent company no matter what.

So it seems to me that the "glamping" option really just gets you two extra showers and some massages. I wonder where the water comes from for those showers -- hopefully it's nothing too obnoxious.

In any event, to me, going "luxury" doesn't seem in keeping with the spirit of the hike. Roughing it (to the extent you are, since you're well pampered by all the good companies) is part of the charm. And I would not have enjoyed a private tour nearly as much, as our best memories of the trip are from getting to know the others that ended up in our group.

cutebunny930

Thank you everyone for your comments! After some thoughts, we might just take the train up to Machu Picchu so we have more days to visit other places. Any other must sees besides Cuzco, Lima, Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu? Is the Amazon or Titicaca worth a visit?

DSI

The Inkaterra lodge at Machu Picchu seemed vastly superior to the Sanctuary, especially for my aesthetic, though the food wasn't very good.

Also, I thought the Inkaterra seemed more interesting than the Belmond in Cusco.

We looked at the Inkaterra in the Amazon and the flights are a little annoying but I still think it would be awesome. Cusco for us, was "meh" and I would have done the Amanonica property if given another chance despite the hassle of hoping on/off airplanes.

Trekking would have been so much fun, but we were with our five year old.

cutebunny930

Thank you for your input! We are thinking about doing three days in the Amazon, debating between doing the cruise or staying at the Inkaterra.

I've also heard from several people, that in Cuzco the Inkaterra property is better than the Belmond one.

For Sacred Valley, Sol y Luna seems to have the small local boutique hotel charm.

Paint Horse

Just do not do what some friends of ours did a couple of years back. The husband ate some street food in Lima, became extremely ill, and then commenced the hike up to Machu Picchu with his wife and a group with a guide they had arranged for. These are fifty something year olds who have never hiked any further than from their house to their car. They were so slow that they had to hike through lunch and dinner each day to not be entirely left behind. Breakfast and lunch were munched on while walking. To hear the wife tell the story is real funny now, but my goodness what idiots these two can be. However, they make it to the top.

pricesquire

While it's a non-technical hike, you do need to do some minimal training. The main reason? Elevation! Walking/hiking at ground level is a whole other game than Inca Trail.

ps, it's very rare that street food makes people sick. Just as likely (scratch that...MORE likely) that Lima hotel food made the husband sick).

Paint Horse

Yeah, who knows considering the hotels they sometimes stay in. I am just glad they made it back alive.

bhrubin

We did a mix of Belmond/Inkaterra. I arranged everything directly with the hotel properties (we went in May 2013)--but booked 8-9 months out. The hotels were amazingly good at following up with me for everything I needed, so I never needed an agent. Though if you can get upgrades/perks, I'd go with a Virtuoso agent! (We'd booked almost the top room everywhere, so I was able to negotiate all of the same perks for myself more or less!)

In Lima, we loved the Belmond Miraflores in Lima, though we met a TA who talked about a new boutique hotel--more modern chic--opening not far away. We also dined at Central (amazing), Astrid y Gaston (amazing), and Malabar (good but not in the sam league).

We then had 4 nights at the Belmond Rio Sagrado in the Sacred Valley. It was so inexpensive we stayed longer to take pressure off our itinerary and relax some. Beautiful. No air con, but even for me it wasn't a big issue with open doors at that elevation (and with so much quiet!). Had drinks at the Starwood Tambo del Inka, very nice as well, but more pricey. (And I'm SPG Plat.) Great food at both properties and a few nice options in the towns nearby, as well.

DEFINITELY take the Hiram Bingham if you can. It was the biggest surprise of our itinerary (we did it both ways). If you're doing the Inca Trail, you can take it back to Cusco. It was amazing--great food, great style, great service, you name it. Felt like we were in the 1800s. Loved it!

For Machu Picchu, we stayed 2 nights at the Belmond Sanctuary--in the Presidential Suite. The suite wasn't worth it, but the 2 night stay there was MUCH nicer than we expected. MP was our #1 reason to visit Peru, so we decided to give ourselves 2 nights there. It really was nice to be there and not have to deal with the 30 min bus ride up and down from Aguas Calientes (where the Inkaterra is located). And the food--it was Michelin level (note we'd just eaten at Central and Astrid y Gaston). The food here and the Hiram Bingham train were the biggest pleasant surprises of our entire trip in some ways! Service was outstanding as well...and they do free laundry. :-) Being able to walk in and out of MP whenever you felt like it and return to rest at the hotel when it got crowded but return in late afternoon when the last buses departed for Aguas Calientes made this hotel TOTALLY worth it for us. We got to enjoy MP with far fewer people traipsing around, and we loved it. There's no doubt the Inkaterra looks nicer...but most people we met who stayed there saw what we were enjoying and realized the plus of staying at the Sanctuary. Its location and food/service make it worth it--at least it did for us. Everyone we met also agreed the food at the Inkaterra Aguas Calientes wasn't great. Again, the Sanctuary doesn't have air con, but I was fine due to elevation--and asked and they also provided 3 huge fans for me to help ensure I was cool to sleep.

DEFINITELY register for permits for Huaynapicchu, the mountain overlooking Machu Picchu. You can go at 7 am or 10 am and they limit the permits to 100 people at each time. Maybe after the Inca Trail you won't feel the need as much, but we really loved it. The 45-60 min hike up was steep but not too bad. The view up top (which you may or may not get) was spectacular of the MP site and of the surrounding mountain peaks. We waited up top for 30 min before the mist/clouds finally parted. Worth every second. We did the 7 am hike...but there's no way to know which might be better. The 10 am is supposedly warmer, so I wanted to avoid that.

In Cusco, we stayed at the Inkaterra La Casona. The Belmond Monasterio is just too big a property for our tastes, and the new Belmond Palacio de Nazarenas was way overpriced. They ALL are across the same square from each other (unlike the newer SPG property a few squares away). So we had lunch and drinks at the Palacio, which was very nice...but lacked for us the intimacy of La Casona. But you can't go wrong with either. We only did 2 nights here since we'd already had 4 nights in the Sacred Valley. Definitely eat at Cicciolina and MAP Cafe (next door to the Inkaterra). We had the special "Cena del Oro" dinner at the MAP, which is an unadvertised special 7 course dinner they used to offer inside the Museum. We arranged this about a month or two in advance through La Casona. (They said it hadn't been organized for 6 mos prior to us...by Mick Jagger!) This Cena del Oro meal was THE best meal we had in all of Peru, besting even Central and Astrid y Gaston. Don't miss it. They also have a 3 course...but if youre a foodie, go for it!

We then flew to Iquitos via Lima for the Aqua Expeditions Aria 7 night cruise on the Amazon. Liked it--for 3 or 4 nights, but I'd not recommend 7 (they repeat the itinerary almost, so the last 3 nights felt repetitive). Food was passable, but nothing special, despite reviews to the contrary...but the service was good once on board and the wildlife was spectacular. (We went first week of May as the waters were just starting to recede a bit from the high level, when mosquitoes are less of a problem.) There is also an Inkaterra property outside Iquitos or a southern Amazon town if you want a land based Amazon adventure. We saw tons of caymans, one anaconda (on our final day), pink dolpins, some big mammal whose name eludes me, birds galore, piranha (I even swam with them), got to hold sloths, etc. We had some service hiccups on the boarding/deboarding days, but otherwise were reasonably pleased...but only for 3-4 nights.

Peru is AMAZING. You'll love it..and the food! And it's so inexpensive when you compare it to almost anywhere else with so much to see.

bhrubin

We agree wholeheartedly on the Inkaterra in Cusco. If you like more intimate, the La Casona is IT--we loved it. The Palacio de las Nazarenas is more like a full service hotel and less a boutique intimate property...but still lovely. But the Palacio is WAY more pricey.

We disagree on the Sanctuary. I must say I debated it...especially since we wanted 2 nights at MP. It is an older/non-glam property to be sure on the face. Ultimately, the location is the factor that pushed us to the Sanctuary--and it can't be understated how important that is for those wanting to avoid the crowds, since you can easily walk over to MP early before the buses arrive from Aguas Calientes, return to the hotel whenever you feel like or when it gets too crowded, and return back to MP in the later afternoon once the last buses return to Aguas Calientes. We had huge stretches with almost no one around at MP--a true luxury, worth paying for IMO. And the food was AMAZING (and included in the pricey room rate). So we'd return to the Sanctuary again in a heartbeat.

Distilled

I wish this thread had started before our trip. I had heard that the MAP cafe was good, but didn't realize it was in the same category or better than Central or the Sanctuary Lodge. We are at a couple other places in Cuzco, can't remember the names, but they were good but not great.

The food at the Sanctuary was some of the best we ate, I thought even better than central in Lima. Would agree with above that staying at the Sanctuary could be the most important thing to do. Again, it doesn't look like much, but location is everything and don't forget it includes good and beverage including alcohol.

As far as Cuzco, interesting to hear other thoughts. I thought that Palacio was great, we really enjoyed our stay. The breakfast was great, the butler and the rest of the staff were very helpful. The hard product was very nice, I was actually a little surprised that we seemed to be able to tell the difference when we had the supplemental oxygen in our room. At the elevation, we could tell a difference when walking around, and almost immediately felt better when in our room. Maybe all placebo effect, but it worked for us.

In regard to the huayna Picchu hike, we did it with our guide, but I can guarantee you that my wife would never do it again due to safety. As others said, it's not a technical hike but is steep in spots. It rained when we got almost to the top. I have to say, I was fine but not thrilled about it either. Just know that it really is steep and some of the stairs/trail is not easy. If someone in your group is not into semi-rough stuff, may want to reconsider.

Interesting to hear bhrubin give the Hiram Bigham train high marks. Thought it was fine, but not exceptional. But to each their own, whatever makes you smile.

Hope you enjoy the trip. I agree with other posters that it is a great country and really great food and experiences,