Over the last 10 years Peru has gone through a transformation, changing from a backpacker haven to a luxury holiday destination for travelers from all over the globe. Most destinations in Peru now cater for the luxury travel market, five-star hotel are in abundance, many in Spanish colonial buildings making your Peru trip an experience of a lifetime.
At the start of any Peruvian trip you will arrive into Lima, the capital of Peru, a cosmopolitan city with a gran mix of old and new. In the center of the city old world buildings and churches give a sense of the Spanish colonial history. Where as in the beachside suburbs of Miraflores and Barranco, modern buildings and high rises are found. Also in these suburbs you will find luxury five star hotels that compete with any other in the modern world. With the interest in Peruvian cuisine around the world growing you will find many fine dining experiences in and around Lima, known as the food capital of Peru.
If you wish to travel further afield from Lima you may do so in one of the many great airlines which have routes all over Peru, maybe catch a plane and spend some luxury time in the Peruvian rainforest, with many luxury resort like the Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica an eco-luxury lodge on the shores of the Madre de Dios river, featuring 35 wooden cabanas complete with 540 species of birds and a canopy walk way 30 meters above the forest allowing a spectacular views of the jungle.
In the northern Peruvian Amazon near the jungle town of Iquitos, is Treetops, a relatively new resort built in the treetops, every room offering spectacular views of the jungle, while you are at Treetops luxury resort why not have breakfast with the with the dolphins or is you are feeling adventurous you can swim alongside the dolphins or have some fun fishing for Piranhas, being careful not to put your feet in the water. There are also plenty of jungle walks to pick from to learn about the rain forest.
While you are in the area why not take a cruise on one of the luxury liners cruising the Amazon basin, relax and enjoy the five-star cuisine while being pampered for 5 days, all while passing dense rainforest and observing the wildlife.
Moving on from the jungle, a short 30-minute flight from Puerto Maldonado, is the imperial city of Cusco, where in recent years the luxury travel market has grown like nowhere else in Peru, the city is full of luxury five star hotels, like the Monasterio, built in an old convent and surrounding a lovely patio filled with flowers and a charming fountain. The Monasterio features its own church filled with artwork and beautifully carved alter. There are restaurants and a bar which features local and international acts. Another feature of the Monasterio is that oxygen is pumped into every room to help with the altitude. The Marriot hotel in Cusco is also housed in a magnificent colonial building with period décor and bars and restaurants to pass the night.
Not far from Cusco by luxury private transport is the incredible Sacred Valley of the Incas, a lovely temperate climate awaits, with grand Inca ruins to tour and to learn about from your own personal guide. Hear about the history of the agricultural terraces in Pisaq worked by the Incas many centuries ago, not far from the ruin is the local market full of local craft for you to buy and take home.
About an hour’s drive from Pisaq is the Inca fortress town of Ollantaytambo again with its imposing ruin, where the Incas held of the Spanish invaders for weeks.
From Ollantaytambo station you can board a luxury 5-star train complete with a la carte meals, entertainment and a glass roof to the town of Aguas Calientes, from here you can take a short bus ride up the mountain to the place everyone who comes to Peru wants to see, Machu Picchu, the Inca citadel, not discovered by the Spanish, so remains somewhat intact. A few hours on a guided tour and you will be in awe of the brilliance of the Inca people. After you have finished exploring Machu Picchu you may want to spend the night a t the Belmond Sanctuary Lodge the only hotel located at the top of the mountain with Machu Picchu, al luxury hotel with fine dining and stunning views, the perfect place to spend a honeymoon or any other special occasion.
After Cusco you can head south by the luxury train Andean Explorer, crossing the Andes from Cusco to Puno, this journey is truly a once in a lifetime experience, decorated in style of the Pullman trains of the 1920s, the Andean Explorer won top honors in the best luxury train in South America at the World Travel Awards, something not to be missed. Once you arrive into Puno, a bustling lakeside town there are a selection of luxury hotels to choose from, like the Hotel Libertador situated on a private island with amazing views over Lake Titicaca and the perfect terrace to watch the sunset with a glass of wine or a cocktail, the hotel features a private pier where you can set sail on the lake or to the any islands including the Uros, Taquile or Amantani. Travel just outside Puno to the exclusive Hotel Titilaka, this eighteen room all-inclusive experience placed right on the lake with rooms that have balconies to pass the afternoon and gastronomy to compare to anywhere in South America, also with their own pier for tours on the lake.
As you can see traveling in style in Peru in not hard with many great hotels, services and tours to satisfy you luxury travel needs.
