The Hotel the Inca Kings Wish They Could Stay At and other Machu Picchu, Peru Hotel/Accommodation Reviews

Rarely do we splurge on hotels when we travel. But, at Machu Picchu we did and it was worth it! The Machu Picchu Pueblo Inn in Aguas Calientes is a great experience unto itself and we would recommend a jouney to stay there even if it didn't have the famous ruins just a 20-minute bus ride away.
When I was in college, I worked at a five-star hotel in Florida, so I can say with confidence that the service here was top-notch. All of the customer service employees come from Lima or Cusco, and they speak English well.
All of the other employees speak Spanish and NEVER fail to greet you no matter where you are. The food was locally produced and of high quality -- we definitely recommend getting the breakfast/dinner meal plan. The rooms are well appointed and stylishly decorated. Andrea and Sarah loved the fragrant soaps and creams that were left in our huge bathroom. In all of our travels, this is now our favorite hotel -- bar none!
Oh, if you are choosing between the Machu Picchu Pueblo inn and the Sanctuary Lodge located directly at the ruins, we spoke to a few people who were in the process of spending nights at both. Except for the location, they all rated the Machu Picchu Pueblo Inn (Inkaterra) as the superior hotel.
One word of caution, however. You are still in Peru, so don't be carelesss with your valuables even at a top-notch hotel like this. While we were there, anopther guest had money taken from a wallet he left unattended in his room.

Unique Qualities: Despite the high quality of food, service and lodging, our favorite part of the hotel had to be the hummingbirds. They are abundant both in numbers and in variety of species. It is said that up to 14 species of hummingbird can be seen on the lush hotel grounds, but we only saw four. However, that was plenty as the quick little birds are spectacular. We got up early every morning to watch the birds as the feeders were put out.
I will add a travelogue of hummingbird photos that we took.

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Theme: Hotel
Comparison: more expensive than average
Prices: US$120-180  » Currency Converter
Address: MACHU PICCHU KM 110 LINEA FERR, Machu Picchu, CU 9
Directions: Don't worry. They meet you at the train station and lead you to the hotel registration lobby, which is near-by (though not quite as near as it used to be due to the 2004 floods that washed out some of the track).
Website: http://www.inkaterra.com/mpph/index.html

Unless you stay in Inkaterra's Machu Picchu Pueblo Inn or the Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge up by the ruins, you will undoubtedly be spending the night somewhere in Aguas Calientes. Since both places are expensive (The Sanctuary Lodge was looking for over $600 a night when we checked!), travelers on a budget will be looking for places like Gringo Bill's or one of the many Hostals. We have no idea how good any of these places are, but Aguas Calientes is full of cheap lodging.


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Theme: Other
Comparison: less expensive than average
Prices: less than US$20  » Currency Converter