Scenes from a day visiting resorts in Peru's Sacred Valley & a micro review of Mountain View Experience
After starting our morning with a visit to the archeological site in Ollantaytambo, we spent the rest of the day traveling around the Sacred Valley getting a feel for some of its top resort properties. Unfortunately my phone glitched for a chunk of the time so I don't have anything to show from a few of our stops.
For example, our first visit was El Albergue, which is an inviting, smaller property with a cool story and some unique and interesting experiences for their guests. If you're looking for a balance of comfort, history, and engaging with nature while being just a few minutes from the center of Ollantaytambo, El Albergue is your place.
We also stopped at Las Qolqas EcoResort, which was like a wonderful 'glamping' kind of sanctuary that happens to offer some very sophisticated food and drink options on site. If you're up for something special and unique at a price that's a touch more accessible that some of the other resorts, Las Qolqas would be cool for 1-2 nights.
The third place that I was unable to capture was Rio Sagrado, A Belmond Hotel. Beautiful and classy, as you would expect. If you're looking to dial up a few days of upscale tranquility and top notch service, I doubt you'd be disappointed at this Belmond property.
By the time we got to Sol y Luna my phone was back online and I snapped a few pictures of their beautiful setting.
We got caught in a passing rain storm, so we wound up taking lunch there, right on time for the horse show/demonstration.
No pic of the lunch, but in a land that makes delicious lemonade, this 'frutas rojas' version was top 3 during my trip.
One thing you can't help but notice as you're moving between the resorts in the Sacred Valley is that the surrounding area appears a little scruffy by comparison. Does seem like some fairly extreme economic disparity between those who stay at the resorts and those who live around the resorts. The landscape alternates between beautiful, agricultural scenes with mountain backdrops and innumerable incomplete buildings, dirt roads, and stray dogs. It's a little weird.
Maybe less pronounced if you're just staying at one resort and then spending the day sightseeing and hiking around the region. But when your day is spent touring five or six 5-star resorts back-to-back-to-back the juxtaposition really jumps out at you.
And very nicely appointed, too, from the common areas through the rooms and cabins. For a few days of rustic mountain luxury, the Inkaterra is the choice.
(I always like a good vintage / rustic statement bench)
My second favorite was Explora Sacred Valley. Design aesthetic was more sleek. The company is distinctly South American but the vibes felt a bit Nordic, too. The rooms were sharp.
Common areas felt sophisticated but friendly and accessible. If you seek a more active experience in the Sacred Valley, and maybe a more social atmosphere, then Explora would fit that bill.
To wrap the day we headed to Mountain View Experience, which is an interesting concept, I'll grant that. I can see its appeal when you tick off what it offers. Astonishing views. Surrounded by packs of llamas and alpacas. Remote and beautiful. And after having stayed there overnight I can say it would make a great place to visit. Could have done without the overnight stay.
We arrived maybe 30 minutes before sunset (which comes early-ish, like 6pm). And we spent a good chunk of that small window navigating a reservation snafu. While my colleague focused on that I took a few pictures of the scenery, which is undeniably spectacular.
The 'cabins' are very simple structures for the most part, though I understand they do have a few larger upgrade options. This one was mine (photo taken the following morning):
Cute, right? Alpaca out front (awwww!). Then you pop inside and this is what you've got.
Very small. No heat. And no wifi. The A-frame design means you can barely stand up and walk from the entry past the bed to the bathroom. And I'm not tall, not even by Andean standards. Anyone of average height would find this pretty uncomfortable. Having multiple people stay in the same cabin seems like it would be impossible. The A-frame design of course applies in the bathroom as well, so while you're standing over the toilet you can either press your forehead into the pine or you can lean back at a 20-30 degree angle. Good times.
Resigned to the situation we had nothing else to do for the evening besides have an early dinner (restaurant/bar closes at 8pm) before bundling up and sleeping through the night. I did enjoy my meal and a craft stout. I *think* I ordered a tofu curry with platano. Ate better than it looks.
When you wake up in the morning you are treated to the views of alpacas roaming the grounds. And the guy who shepherds them around the grounds is treated to views of the guests sleeping in their cabins, as most do not have any curtains. So there is that, too.
Net, if you see pictures on Instagram or TikTok or whatever, your first reaction might be 'how cool!', but I'm telling you, the reality on the ground is different. There are a lot of places to see llamas and alpacas in Peru. You don't need to put yourself through this kind of discomfort to see them. My recommendation is to swing through here for lunch before or after visiting some of the nearby sites like Moray or Chinchero. Take in the scenery, take pics with the alpacas, and take your overnight reservation somewhere else to you can get a good night's sleep.
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