Sanctuary Lodge, A Belmond Hotel, Machu Picchu

ANDREA and the staff at the Sanctuary Lodge do not need to make the effort. Its location at the gates of Machu Picchu makes this retreat the most highly sought room in the entire world (not exaggerating). However, as a luxury location, the staff still adds unbelievable special touches to make the high price tag even more special. Have you ever received a chocolate sculpture of the Sun Gate upon check-in? Incredible. The staff, including the chef, Gregorio, will greet you by name, and some may even remember you from your previous stay 8 years earlier. Thank you for another amazing stay. Sleep well knowing that you are at the gates of Incan legends when you stay in this oasis. Savor every moment.

We spent a night at this amazing place. The service was excellent, the staff is super friendly and the checkin and checkout experience is just perfect. We enjoyed our meals a lot, and had a few drinks in the beautiful garden. Belmond also has its own departure lounge at the train station - a big advantage compared to the crowded common areas. We had two tickets to Machu Pichu on consecutive days which was a good strategy as we experienced heavy rains on day 1 and were very happy to have a refuge just 50m from the site‘s entrance. We booked a couple of months in advance via a travel agent, and thus paid a more reasonable price. Next time, we would take two nights, as the location is ideal for a 6am access that allows for the best experience.

When planning my trip to Machu Picchu I weighed the pros and cons of staying at Sanctuary House. If cost is no object, then staying there is a resounding yes. If cost is a determinant, then all things considered, I conclude it is worth the splurge. I traveled with my adult son and we had a small patio room with two beds. You cannot beat the location. It is the only property within steps of Machu Picchu. The alternative is to stay down the mountain in the town of Agua Calientes or spend all day traveling from Ollyantaytambo or Cusco. Personally, I was not a huge fan of Agua Calientes. Although Agua Calientes is located in the midst of breathtaking nature, the town itself feels like one large souvenir shop. This is the case even if you stay at its nicest accommodation. You simply will not have the same experience as at Sanctuary Lodge. The ease and convenience of being able to walk out of the Lodge to and from Machu Picchu alone is with the price in my opinion. Moreover, since I have some mobility issues, it was a godsend to not have to go up and down the mountain on the bus or stand in long lines. Dealing with the horrible buses going up and down the mountain was unpleasant, especially durning high season when lines were over an hour long at times, with often grumpy bus attendants who herded everyone about. I would say that you don’t stay at Sanctuary Lodge for opulent rooms. The rooms are relatively standard, fairly small, albeit clean and well-appointed. The beds were quite comfortable and the bedding was soft (which I cannot say for all of try accommodations in Peru). If you are full-board, the rooms include all sorts of amenities and the snacks and minibar are included. It should be noted, that it does not appear that any of the rooms have a direct view of Machu Picchu. We had a small room with a small patio. The patio had no view. It was cute, but we actually had no time to spend on it. I observed that there were rooms that had a large patio with a view onto a shared lawn. It was much more spacious but no privacy. It is a small property, so there isn’t a lot of places to hang out. However, it does have a nice shared yard with sofas,chairs and other shared space to relax, either before your check-in, during your stay or after you have checked out. The view from the back of the property, if you walk up the hill a bit, is priceless. If you find a feee chair, the view and sense of peace there is also with the price tag. The Spa was wonderful. Quite small, but the massage was great. I had Maria and my son had another masseuse, who was also excellent. Reasonable priced relatively speaking. One of the real highlights of the property is the staff. They really go above and beyond. The travel concierges, Cinthya and Orlando responded to a plethora of questions and assisted with details of the stay in advance of my stay. When we arrived, we were greeted at the train station by Sebastian who has a beautiful smile and makes you feel

Sadly we were disappointed in our stay at the Sanctuary. This was The Most Expensive hotel stay for us by far and we expected a very special place that would stay in our memories. The hotel however is very dated, with super cheap and old outdoor area. We had the suite with a big terrace and the “view”. The terrace was so un- inviting with full of mosquitoes and the view was a joke. The pillows were impossibly soft (they have a pillow selection, but I didn’t want to wake everyone up in the middle of the night) and the blankets are stiff and heavy. The hot water didn’t work in the morning. The hotel looks like 3 star lodge at best, including the lobby and the rooms. There is no spa, only two massage rooms, the quality of the massages were super mediocre. The food that was included in the price of the hotel was disappointing. And the food in Peru is mostly amazing everywhere. Of course you can’t beat the location. You save on a round trip bus trip if you are planning to see the park twice. But I would much rather take that extra bus trip up and down vs paying all this money for that hotel. Complete mind boggling how could they even price something like that so high. The only positive about this hotel is the service. Front desk is super professional and very on top of every request. Also a nice touch that they have an amazing concierge and also they organize to pick up a luggage at the train station and drop it off. That was a very convenient perk. But that’s about it. Very disappointed to not have any special memories about this place.

Absolutely perfect location if you are taking many trips to Macchu Picchu. We visited the site twice, on two different days, and climbed both Macchu Picchu and Wayna Picchu. Staying at this hotel saved well over an hour of transport time each day. There is entertainment at night in the restaurant and cocktail making classes around 6 at night. Staff is amazing and honour every request. The hummingbirds on the terrace and outside the restaurant are a joy to watch.