Inkaterra La Casona - Relais & Chateaux

My room backed onto the staff area, so it got noisy from 5am, and the blackout shades weren't decent. Light poured in at 5:30am if the noise hadn't woken you already. The 10am checkout is the most insane thing I've heard in my life. They offered an 11am “late checkout.” I asked for spa prices and was sent a list showing the destress massage clearly at $65. At checkout they tried to charge me over $80, saying it was because the price was in soles. Then they asked if I'd used a bathrobe during my stay. Yes, isn't that why they're provided? They also asked if I took it. I didn't. The hotel's location is fantastic, and the rooms' hard product is good. But the breakfast everyone raves about was a tiny table of carbs, with literally one small plate of one kind of cured meats, and that was it. The a la carte was somewhat better, though nothing exciting. Maybe I'm not made for Inkaterra. The brand gets such high ratings on here and on Michelin, yet the two properties I've stayed at have both been absolute misses. At $500 a night, around the same price as the two neighboring Belmond’s, I can't recommend this hotel. I'll stay away from Inkaterra from now on. They must have bribed someone at Michelin….

The price is no joke, and it may be out of many travelers' budgets. It's beyond what I'd normally spend, but I'm glad I did. We arrived after a few days touring the Urubamba Valley and were stunned by how luxurious the property was. You literally have to knock on the wooden front door for a staff member to unlock and open it. From that moment, the history and luxury in the hotel and its rooms had us transfixed. We had dinner there one night and loved every bite. Luckily, our group had rented out the whole hotel, which made the stay even more special.

Our room faced the square, so we could hear the noise, and when we complained they just pointed us to the free earplugs. The room was cold, with no thermostat because the temperature is controlled centrally; apparently the old building is legally required to stay cool. The water was kept similarly low, so don't expect a hot shower. Getting a clear answer from staff was difficult too. We often had to ask twice and still didn't get the right information.

Just two blocks from Plaza de Armas, this hotel is wonderfully placed. The building dates back to the 1500s and has a real time-warp kind of magic to it. We had a marvelous stay and would highly recommend it.