Looking out of the window at Monasterio, a Belmond Hotel in Cusco, hearts may soar as high as the Andean mountains. The stirring views, together with an authentic immersion in Peruvian culture, make a stay here truly uplifting.
Read moreShow less
Just steps from Cusco’s lively central square, the hotel is set in a restored 16th-century monastery built on the foundations of an Inca palace. From the outside, whitewashed stone walls give little hint as to the splendid interiors within. Guests enter to discover graceful archways, cobbled paths and a cloistered courtyard complete with scented flowerbeds, a fountain and a 300-year-old cedar tree.
It’s blissfully tranquil here and Cusco’s altitude is easily managed. As well as a welcoming muña tea on arrival, oxygen-enriched air is available in the rooms. For extra relaxation, bath butlers will draw up the perfect soak, while Andean treatments are available in a dedicated massage room. Rich oil paintings adorn the walls – the hotel houses one of Cusco’s finest collections of 18th-century colonial religious art. Expert-led art tours give an insight into their history. Further treasures include a gilded 16th-century chapel.
Guests dine on Andean delicacies in the atmospheric cloisters overlooking the courtyard and enjoy live opera with sumptuous candlelit feasts. The Lobby Bar offers an enticing ambience for a relaxing drink.
A range of in-house activities includes salsa dancing, cooking classes and pisco tastings. On the doorstep a vibrant scene awaits: markets, galleries and contemporary cafés blend with phenomenal Inca ruins.
