All of the hotels we stayed at in Peru were good for different reasons. (Given how picky I am about hotels, that’s a sentence I never thought I’d write.)

Hotel B – Lima

My overall favorite was Hotel B in Lima. The hotel was full of art and interesting furnishings, and our room was elaborately elegant without being gaudy.

It had a balcony that looked out onto an interior courtyard, and I liked its location in the Barranco neighborhood, which is the more hipster and artsy of the two main tourist areas. Breakfast was also delicious.

Tambo del Inka – Urubamba

This is a Marriott hotel, and the room had that boxy Marriott feel. But it was well laid out with nice furnishings and had a table and chairs that were comfortable for our morning coffee.

It also has extensive grounds that overlook the Urubamba River. We didn’t make much use of the grounds because we were always beat after our days of touring, but we did appreciate the jacuzzi. I even splurged on a massage the night before our Machu Picchu hike, which was excellent. The pool area was beautiful, though again, we didn’t have enough time to make use of it.

It would have been more convenient to be based in Ollantaytambo for our trip to Machu Picchu, so I’m going to ask our travel agent why she chose this hotel, but it is a standard base for the Machu Picchu trip.

Sanctuary Lodge – Machu Picchu

This was the biggest and best lodging decision of our trip. Sanctuary Lodge is the only hotel located at Machu Picchu. It’s a Belmond property and is ridiculously expensive for the room, which is smaller than your standard Holiday Inn.

But it’s about location, location, location. It was a joy to descend from Machu Picchu after our six-hour hike and walk right to our hotel, instead of taking a 25-minute bus ride down the mountain to a hotel in Aguas Caliente only to wait in line for another bus in the morning to go back up.

Most people only stay one night, and the hotel does an excellent job accommodating this. The all-inclusive package allows you to spread breakfast, lunch and dinner over two days, based on your arrival time. So we had dinner our first night and breakfast and lunch the next day.

They also have a lovely garden area and two changing rooms with showers so you can relax and then freshen up before you head off to your next destination.

The Peruvian government has been talking about taking back the land and using it as a visitor center. That would be the most egalitarian way to use the space, but I’m glad we had the opportunity to stay at the hotel.

Casa Clara – Cusco

This was the surprise of the bunch. I had a list of hotels in mind when I talked to our travel agent, but I hadn’t come across this one. She strongly recommended it, probably because I told her we like boutique, authentic experiences.

This former convent and manor house was certainly both. But when we arrived around 10:30 pm after starting the day at 6 am, and saw the bed was in a loft with a fairly long flight of stairs, I was concerned. We’d have to navigate those stairs in the dark to go to the bathroom! And with all the hydrating we were doing for the altitude that was happening a lot.

Luckily, Jim had packed our mini flashlight, and the steps had glow-in-the-dark strips, so we made it unscathed through three nights. And once we settled in we really enjoyed the room. The sitting area was cozy, and we made good use of the balcony.

The front desk person told me we’d been upgraded. This was the only hotel that didn’t give us an anniversary gift and greeting, but I’ll take an upgrade anytime over chocolate covered strawberries.

One observation – the two international chain hotels offered coffee in the room. Hotel B and Casa Clara did not. I guess we North Americans are more addicted to our morning coffee than our neighbors in the South.