30 Oct 2022
This was the perfect vacation. We just returned home from a personalized journey with Belmond. They met us at the Lima airport. We arrived at the hotel around 7:00 and they had a room ready for us at the belmond Miraflores hotel. The next day we had a city tour provided by Belmond and then we were off to the Sacred Valley. We were met at the airport by Belmond representatives. Jimmy was our guide and Jose was our driver. They took us to the Sacred valley, Machu Picchu and back to Cusco. They really made the trip enjoyable. We stayed at the Belmond Rio Sagrado in the sacred valley. An exceptional hotel. At Machu Picchu we stayed at the sanctuary lodge. This is the only hotel at the gates to Machu Picchu. It saved a 20 minuet bus ride each way from the town down below. The views were incredible. In Cusco we stayed at the Monasterio. This was perhaps the best hotel I have ever stayed in. The building is an ancient monastery. The room was very large,2 floors, The upstairs was like having a living room. The food in all of the hotel restaurants was way above expectations.
After Cusco we boarded the Andean Explorer. This is a luxury train operated by Belmond. Again the room and the food were awesome. We stopped at lake titicacca and spent the first night. The next morning we went to the floating islands of Uros,then on to Colca Canyon. In the Colca Valley we stayed at Las Casitas. Another amazing hotel operated by Belmond. We saw the Condor Cross the next day and then went on to Arequippa where our journey ended. The best part of traveling with Belmond was their staff. No matter where we were, the staff of the hotel or train was always there to help us. They were all excellant.