Sacred Valley, Peru
Belmond Rio Sagrado
Twenty-three casitas in terraced gardens on the bank of the Urubamba, and the right first stop in Peru.
Rio Sagrado is small: twenty-three stone-and-timber casitas set in terraced gardens that run down to the Urubamba river, with the Andes rising on every side. The garden channels are modelled on Inca canals, the produce goes into the kitchen the day it is picked, and there are alpacas on the lawn that guests are still talking about in their reviews months later.
There is also a practical reason I plan almost every Peru trip through here. The Sacred Valley sits at about 2,871 metres against Cusco's 3,399. Sleeping five hundred metres lower for the first two or three nights, before you go up to Cusco or on to Machu Picchu, makes a real difference to how the altitude treats you.
What makes it special
The altitude logic
Fly into Cusco and come straight down to the valley the same day. Two or three nights here first is the single best thing you can do for how you feel on the rest of the trip.
Its own train halt
Between January and April, guests board the train toward Machu Picchu from the hotel grounds. Only one other hotel in the valley can do that.
Twenty-three keys
Ten deluxe terrace rooms, eleven suites and two villas. It is small enough that the service is genuinely personal, which is what people say sets it apart from the bigger valley hotels.
Mayu Willka, on the river
A separate wood-and-stone spa building on the bank, with indoor and outdoor whirlpools, a steam room, and yoga on the riverside.
Gardens fed by Inca channels
Terraced and planted with native trees and wildflowers, running to the water. The first solar-heated pool in the valley is here too.
A closer look
What to do
- 01
Ollantaytambo
The ruins and the station, twenty-five to thirty minutes away. This is also where your train to Machu Picchu leaves from for most of the year.
- 02
The train to Machu Picchu
About an hour and three quarters from Ollantaytambo. The Hiram Bingham does it in grander style with a guide and tea at the Sanctuary Lodge.
- 03
Moray and the Maras salt pans
Do them as one loop, about thirty minutes out. The concentric agricultural terraces at Moray and thousands of salt terraces at Maras.
- 04
Pisac
The market and the hilltop ruins, an hour east. A half day on its own and worth it.
- 05
Chinchero
A weaving village and colonial church on the high road toward Cusco, thirty to forty minutes, and a natural pairing with Moray.
- 06
Stay put for a day
Spa treatments, riverside yoga, the cooking class, a pachamanca in the garden, and feeding the alpacas. Build in one day where you do not get in a car.
Good to know
- Rooms
- 23: ten deluxe terrace rooms, eleven suites, two villas
- Dining
- El Huerto and its bar, plus El Jardín for outdoor grilling
- Spa
- Mayu Willka, riverfront, with whirlpools, steam and riverside yoga
- Altitude
- Urubamba sits at 2,871 m. Cusco is 3,399 m
- Location
- Cusco airport about 85 minutes. Ollantaytambo station 25 to 30 minutes
- Rates
- Roughly $570 to $850 most of the year, with villas far above that
My honest take
Two things people are surprised by, so I will say them plainly: there is no air conditioning and there are no televisions. At 2,871 metres the first is rarely a problem, but it catches people out at this price. Reviews also flag that standard rooms can feel smaller and more dated than the rate suggests, and that transfers and excursions are charged on top. The consensus, which I agree with, is that this is a superb two or three nights and not a week.
Written from research and public information, and kept current as I go. Photography is courtesy of the property. For live availability, rates, and the perks I can add as a preferred partner, let's talk.