Peru and the Inca Trail
Jun 9, 2016, 11:01 pm
#31
Was sydakllon
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Thanks - I did read all that. We'll probably go to MAP during a museum visit for lunch - if the museum is worth visiting (we wouldn't have been to Larco yet in Lima).
Jun 10, 2016, 9:09 am
#32
formerly declinespecificinformatiom
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: USA
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We stayed in Cusco for three nights and I didn't think much of it. I think that I would have preferred to have gone to Inkaterra Reservica even though it's a little bit of a pain with flying there and back.
Also, HotelB looks way, way, way cooler to me than the Belmond in Lima. Try not to get too caught up in Virtuoso hotels!
Maido might be worth a look in Lima.
We went to MAP from the rec BHrubin, and it was good and the glass enclosure is very nice. However, the altitude is pretty high and I would have preferred to eaten in Lima. Plus, I'm a sucker for the street food in Peru so fine dining has less appeal to me there.
Also, HotelB looks way, way, way cooler to me than the Belmond in Lima. Try not to get too caught up in Virtuoso hotels!
Maido might be worth a look in Lima.
We went to MAP from the rec BHrubin, and it was good and the glass enclosure is very nice. However, the altitude is pretty high and I would have preferred to eaten in Lima. Plus, I'm a sucker for the street food in Peru so fine dining has less appeal to me there.
Last edited by DSI; Jun 10, 2016 at 9:15 am
Jan 19, 2019, 3:28 pm
#33
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In the Sacred Valley what are the most recommended sights/tours? Our trip is still a long way off but trying to make sure we allow time for the highlights.
Jan 20, 2019, 3:32 pm
#36
Was sydakllon
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Pisac is also interesting - I did a hike here on my own (my father isn't super mobile so I left him in the little market town). I think you need 3 nights in Sacred Valley. You can see Maras, Moray and Chincero on your way from Cusco to Sacred Valley (and have lunch at MIL as suggested above). Then do one day Pisac, one day Ollantaytambo in Sacred Valley.
We did 1 night Lima, 3 nights Sacred Valley, 1 night Machu Picchu, 2 nights Cusco, 1 night Lima (all Belmond, except Sacred Valley where we did Sol Y Luna due to a wedding at the Belmond place). This worked well for us and also the lower altitude of Sacred Valley before Cusco made sense for acclimatisation. I don't think you need more than 2 nights in Cusco - there isn't anything great to see outside of the small old town (Saqsaywaman was mildly interesting, but after Sacred Valley/Machu Picchu we kind of thought what was the point).
We did 1 night Lima, 3 nights Sacred Valley, 1 night Machu Picchu, 2 nights Cusco, 1 night Lima (all Belmond, except Sacred Valley where we did Sol Y Luna due to a wedding at the Belmond place). This worked well for us and also the lower altitude of Sacred Valley before Cusco made sense for acclimatisation. I don't think you need more than 2 nights in Cusco - there isn't anything great to see outside of the small old town (Saqsaywaman was mildly interesting, but after Sacred Valley/Machu Picchu we kind of thought what was the point).
Jan 21, 2019, 3:00 pm
#38
Join Date: May 2012
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I should add, if you are at all into hiking, I would spend a good bit of time in the Sacred Valley. Incredible, spectacular scenery.
We stayed 5 nights at the Explora last April, and easily could’ve done another 5.
Our Peru and Bolivia trip was one of our favorites of all time.
We stayed 5 nights at the Explora last April, and easily could’ve done another 5.
Our Peru and Bolivia trip was one of our favorites of all time.
Jan 21, 2019, 3:56 pm
#39
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: France
Posts: 971
I wish I stayed longer; the Sacred Valley was far greater than what I expected.
Actually I could have narrowed my trip down to Sacred Valley and Macchu Picchu
i also liked Taquile island very much.
Jan 22, 2019, 2:39 pm
#40
Join Date: Dec 2015
Posts: 181
We just came back a bit over a week ago from Peru. Agreed on all the Sacred Valley highlights mentioned above - Maras, Moray, and Ollantaytambo were definitely our favorites. And MIL is a must do - amazing experience. We skipped Lima this time but adecided that we want to come back to Peru some time just to try out Central because we were so impressed by MIL. On a side note, the F&B manager at Explora mentioned that they signed Virgilio Martinez as their consultant in January and they'll be working with him to introduce a new menu in February. I thought the food at Explora was already very good so am curious to see what they can accomplish!
Jan 23, 2019, 1:34 pm
#41
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It's definitely an apples to oranges comparison, but you owe it to yourself to find time to fit in Maido if you're a foodie.
We'll be going back to Peru for our fifth time this November - the incredible food there is one reason why (the other are the mountains, history, culture and... most impressively to us... the Amazon.)
Jan 23, 2019, 2:41 pm
#42
Was sydakllon
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Not to make this thread all about food, but I was also blown away by food in Peru. Whether it was at one of the well known restaurants, somewhere simple, or our hotels, the food was consistently very impressive everywhere we went.
Jan 23, 2019, 4:25 pm
#43
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: UK
Posts: 1,644
I am in Peru right now, staying at the Hotel Paracas, which is one of those uppity Marriotts called Luxury Collection. The hotel is impressive and not often frequented by foreigners as it's a 4-hour drive south of Lima. Astounding bird life, coastal desert scenery plus the Nazca Lines if you fancy them (we didn't). We've done 4 nights here and tomorrow we have one night at the Hotel B in Lima before flying to Quito and two jungle lodges - Sacha and Mashpi.
Last edited by Pausanias; Jan 23, 2019 at 4:33 pm
Jan 23, 2019, 4:38 pm
#44
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Chicago
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Maido is so exceptional! Easily one of the best meals I've ever enjoyed. Would return in a heartbeat.
Jan 24, 2019, 7:28 pm
#45
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Here, there … you know how it goes.
Posts: 1,518
Yes, the food in Peru is incredible. The one spot I’ll differ on is Maido - we ate it after meals at AyG and Central (and MIL), and were wildly unimpressed. I do love nikkei cuisine, but was left seriously wanting.
For the record, Virgilio is opening a new restaurant in the Amazon, this year (I believe).
Back to the topic at hand - I also recommend Taquile and Lago Titicaca, and particularly a stay a Titilaka.
For the record, Virgilio is opening a new restaurant in the Amazon, this year (I believe).
Back to the topic at hand - I also recommend Taquile and Lago Titicaca, and particularly a stay a Titilaka.