Machu Picchu | Hole In The Donut Cultural Travel

Where to Stay, Where to Eat, and What to See in and Around Cusco, Peru

Published March 7, 2012 | By Barbara Weibel

This entry is part 6 of 12 in the series Peru

Cusco was one of the highlights of my three months in Ecuador and Peru, but it took me a few days to ferret out the best things to see and do, as well as the best places to stay and eat, so I wanted to share what I discovered to help others who may be planning to travel to Cusco and visit the famed Machu Picchu Incan Ruins.

Where to stay

In order to provide a recommendation that would suit all budgets, I stayed at three different hotels/guest houses in Cusco:

Inkaterra La Casona Luxury Boutique Hotel:

Inkaterra La Casona is located in a colonial manor house that was one of the first Spanish constructions in the original Inca settlement and was at one time occupied by the conquistadors of Peru and their descendants. It is comprised of eleven suites surrounding a serene courtyard, just a short stroll from Plaza de Armas, Cusco’s present-day main square. From it’s luxuriously appointed common areas, which are furnished with overstuffed sofas and chairs, to its fabulous gourmet breakfast buffet, to its exquisitely appointed rooms, La Casona offers the top of the line in luxury. Each room is equipped with high-count cotton sheets, feathered duvet covers, extra pillows, safe, mini bar, wireless internet connection and cordless phones, plus flat screen TV linked to cable TV, DVD and CD or I-Pod. The fireplace in my room was most welcome, as the nights in Cusco get chilly due to the 10,000+ foot altitude and most hotels do not offer heating of any kind. Rates for 2012 at $380 per night for a Patio Suite, $490 per night for at Balcony Suite, and $590 per night for a Plaza Suite. Rates include breakfast but do not include a 10% service charge and a local 18% tax (VAT) applicable to Peruvians and foreign residents in Peru. To make reservations, visit the online reservations page or call 800-442 5042 in the U.S. or Canada.

Sala at Inkaterra La Casona Boutique Hotel

Courtyard at Inkaterra La Casona Boutique Hotel

Bedroom suite at Inkaterra La Casona Boutique Hotel

Luxurious bathroom at Inkaterra La Casona Boutique Hotel

Posada In The Andes mid-range accommodations:

Posada en Los Andes was my choice for a mid-range hotel. Well-located just two blocks from the Plaza de Armas, this hotel offers rooms with cable TV and wifi and private ensuite modern bathrooms with 24-hour hot water. The manager, Yudy Aguilar Colpaert, was most helpful in recommending activities and local sites, to the point of providing even his private cell phone number, however he does not speak much English. Balconies in the rooms look over the city and breakfast is included in the room price. There is not heat in the hotel. Rates are: $35 per night for a single room, $50 per night for a twin or double room, and $60 for a triple room. To make reservations, fill out the form on their reservations web page or contact them at reservas@posadaenlosandes.com.

Hospedaje Turistico Recoleta budget accommodations:

Hospedaje Turistico Recoleta is a guest house in an historic building in a quiet area about a 10-minute walk from the Plaza de Armas, Cisco’s main square. They offer comfortable single, double, triple, and quadruple rooms with shared bath facilities, 24-hour hot water, and a large common room with ping pong table, TV, and a collection of videos. Breakfast is included in the room prices, which start at $10 per night. Although their website indicates they offer heating, I was not able to get a portable heater during my stay. For reservations call 84-231323 or 84-242954 (country code 51) or email info@hostelrecoletacusco.com.

Where to Eat

As a vegetarian, I had a bit of difficulty finding food in Cusco, until I’d spent some time there. Two of the best places, which serve both vegetarian and non-vegetarian selections, are listed below:

Don Mateo Picanteria:

Located across the street from Hospedaje Turistico Recoleta, Don Mateo Picanteria was an absolute find! Unlike most of the restaurants in Cusco, which are overpriced and cater to the tourist trade, this place serves mostly locals and thus is very affordable. The owner very kindly made me up samples of some of his best vegetarian plates to sample, including the incredible vegetable salad shown below. He also had the very best chicha morada, a drink made from purple corn that quickly became my favorite, in all of Peru. The modern interior design is warm and colorful and free wifi is available. The restaurant is located at Jr. Pumacahua 202-A in Urbanizacion Tahuantinsuyo, which is a 10-minute walk from Plaza de Armas. Telephone 84-232609 or email donmateorestaurant@hotmail.com.

Don Mateo Picanteria Restaurant

Organic Vegetarian Salad at Don Mateo Picanteria

Greens Restaurant:

Just around the corner from Plaza de Armas, on the street that runs between the Cathedral and the Compania Church, is Greens Restaurant. You’ll have to look carefully for the sign over a small door that leads to a hallway, where you climb to the second floor establishment. Upstairs you’ll find an open space with overhead beams, polished wooden floors, soothing music, and comfortable seating, either indoors or on the balcony, which overlooks part of the main square. Free wifi is a bonus. The menu offers an array of vegetarian entrees and salads, as well as many meat options. Most of the vegetables served by Greens come from their kitchen garden in the Sacred Valley or from small scale farmers who practice sustainable agriculture and raise pasture fed animals. The prices are higher that local restaurants, but not as high as most tourist places, and given the quality of the food here, the prices are quite reasonable. Open daily from noon to 9:30 p.m., located at Santa Catalina Angosta 135, second floor, phone 84-254753. Email: greens@cuscorestaurants.com.

Greens Restaurant in Cusco offers lots of vegetarian options

Continue reading →

Posted in South America travel |

Tagged blogsherpa, cultural travel, culture, Cusco, Cuzco, cuzco and the sacred valley, Inca, Machu Picchu, peru, Sacred Valley, Travel |

9 Comments

PHOTO: The Sacred Valley, viewed from Machu Picchu Inca ruins, Peru

Published February 24, 2012 | By Barbara Weibel

The Sacred Valley from Machu Picchu Inca ruins, Peru

Posted in Daily Photo |

Tagged cloud forest, cultural travel, culture, Machu Picchu, peru, photography, Sacred Valley, Travel |

5 Comments

Machu Picchu, Not-So-Lost City of the Inca Empire

Published February 24, 2012 | By Barbara Weibel

This entry is part 4 of 12 in the series Peru

The day I had dreamed about for much of my life – visiting the Lost City of the Incas – finally arrived. Twitching with excitement, I climbed out of bed and watched the cloud forest emerge from inky blackness, hoping for sunny skies. An hour later it was clear my wishes were not to be granted; the day dawned gray and rainy. Undaunted, I grabbed my umbrella and headed out to meet my private guide for the day, provided by the Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel. Though I could have visited Machu Picchu on my own, for this once-in-a-lifetime experience I decided to splurge in order to learn as much as possible about one of the world’s most iconic archeological sites.

A 20-minute bus ride carried us up switchback dirt roads to the entrance, beyond which my guide turned left onto a stone staircase, bound for the top of Machu Picchu Peak. As we climbed ever higher, the famous mountaintop Citadel came into view; even shrouded in thick clouds it was a spectacular sight that took my breath away. At the top I stood next to the Guard House, the original entrance to Machu Picchu, gasping for breath in the 8,000 foot altitude and trying to grasp how and why this so called Lost City of the Incas was built. My first surprise came when I learned that Machu Picchu is not the fabled “Lost City.”

First look at Machu Picchu, shrouded in morning mists and drizzle

Though it was little known to the outside world prior to its rediscovery in 1911 by American historian Hiram Bingham, it has always been known to locals, most especially to the Quechua who are direct descendants of the Incas. Bingham had been searching for the city of Vilcabamba, the last Inca refuge during the Spanish conquest, when a Quechua family with whom he was staying told him about a nearby mountaintop ruin. Bingham paid the son, 11-year old Pablito Alvarez, about a dollar to lead him to the ruin we now know as Machu Picchu. Mistaking it for the Vilcabamba site for which he had been searching, Bingham dubbed it the Lost City of the Incas and the name stuck, even after the Vilcabamba ruins were recognized as the lost city and last refuge of the Incas. Eventually the government of Peru recognized the importance of Machu Picchu and took steps to protect it however, before they could actually create the sanctuary, they had to relocate indigenous Quechua living among the ruins. Years earlier, unaware that the ruins existed, the government had deeded the entire mountaintop to three local families.

Temple of the Sun, most important site at Machu Picchu

From the top of Machu Picchu Peak I descended rain-slicked stone steps to the central ruins, marveling at monolithic granite stones so perfectly fitted together that not even a piece of paper will fit between them. My guide pointed out the difference in the masonry: painstakingly polished stones were used for religious structures, while rough-hewn stones signaled structures used by commoners. Though theories abound, most now believe that Machu Picchu was a religious center, occupied primarily by priests, members of the Royal family, and the commoners who served them. Three of the 140 structures found at the Citadel: the Sun Temple, The Temple of Three Windows, and the Temple of the Condor, seem to support this theory, but to me the most fascinating features of all were the monolithic stones carved to mimic the silhouette of the mountains on the opposite side of the valley and the Intihuatana, a behemoth rectangular rock with a sundial-like protrusion on top that is believed to have been designed as an astronomic clock or calendar.

Intihuatana, or Sun Dial, designed as an astronomical clock by the Incas

At the Intihuatana, I watched visitors reach across guard ropes to “feel” the rock. My guide explained that many people believe the rock emanates a spiritual energy and that the Inca may have considered it a portal into other dimensions. I reached over the ropes and slowly scanned the rock until, at one specific point, I felt heat and a deep throbbing in the palm of my hand. “Do you feel something?” my guide asked, explaining that he had never been able to feel anything from the rock, despite his Quechua roots. I guided his hand to the spot where I had felt the energy and showed him how to scan back and forth until he found the “heat.” I watched the recognition dawn on his face. His eyebrows shot up and a surprised look told me he had finally tapped into the power. Continue reading →

Posted in South America travel |