Explora Sacred Valley

Style

Adventurer’s all-Inca-lusive

Setting

Hallowed hiking grounds

Any part of the world that’s touted for its legendary treks deserves a lodge that’s equally captivating. Fortunately, Explora Sacred Valley – a remote hacienda with roaring fires and architecturally arresting wooden walkways – does its Machu Picchu-adjacent location justice: staying here gives you access to on-site guides and a lengthy list of organised outdoor adventures. But once you’ve delighted your senses on the all-inclusive Andean feasts (for most rates), plentiful pisco sours and the property’s 17th-century manor-turned-spa sanctuary, you might be tempted to hang up your hiking boots and stay indoors for a while…

Facilities

Rooms

50, including six suites.

Checkout

10am. Check-in is from 1pm.

More Details

The all-inclusive rates include all meals, drinks, airport transfers and most guided excursions (not included with bed and breakfast rates).

Also

Unfortunately, Explora isn’t particularly wheelchair accessible.

Free Internet Access

Spa

At the Hotel

Adventure gear for sale and free WiFi in common areas. In rooms: Explora bath products, robes, reusable water bottles and hot tea.

Our Favourite Rooms

Standard rooms here are anything but run-of-the-mill. They’re generously sized with ample storage to accommodate even the most gear-heavy hiker, and their vaulted ceilings, wall-to-wall woodwork and oversized windows with views of the surrounding mountains and cornfields make you feel like you’re one with the great outdoors even when you’re only exploring the farthest reaches of your queen-size bed.

Poolside

The pool is next to the spa, detached from the main lodge – it’s essentially a sanctuary from a sanctuary. Amblers will appreciate a late afternoon float in either the heated pool or one of the hot tubs to relieve well-trodden tootsies. There are also lounge chairs around the lido as well a mini-fridge stocked with cold beverages.

Spa

You’d be hard pressed to find a hotel that has worked as tirelessly as Explora to make sure guests get a memorable massage. The property teamed up with restoration experts and the Archaeology Institute of Peru to transform a 17th-century manor into a spa, now called the Pumacahua Bath House. The building sits on an Inca-era foundation and was once home to Mateo Pumacahua, a Peruvian independence martyr who led the Cusco Rebellion in 1814: you can meditate on all that history as you relax in a treatment room, lounge on the terrace, or steam your way to bliss.

Packing Tips

The dining room and bar here will be a sea of Patagonia and North Face, so there’s no need to bring your finest duds. Instead, fill your suitcase with layers to wear on excursions – trekking pants, a fleece and windbreaker are always a good idea. The hotel has hiking poles to borrow and there’s an on-site gear shop should you forget your beloved neck gaiter.

Also

Before excursions, be sure to swing by the snack buffet in the lobby. There, you can grab a paper bag and fill it with fresh fruit, nuts, trail mix, chocolate bars and coca leaves (for relief from altitude sickness).

Children

Family-friendly excursions and child-carrier backpacks are available. The hotel can provide foldaway cots in rooms, as well as booster seats for drives, and there’s a children’s menu in the dining room. Staff will also be happy to heat milk or baby food.

Gallery

Food & Drink

Top Table

Grab a table by the window so you can look at the Andes while you eat your Andean cheese.

Dress Code

Fleece on fleek.

Hotel Restaurant

Dining here has been tailored by Peruvian maestro Virgilio Martínez, formerly of Central Restaurante in Lima, which has formerly won the title of best restaurant in the world for good reason. It's quite the introduction to Andean cuisine and ingredients if you're unfamiliar, and showcases the best of this biodiverse terrain in haute style. And as you’d expect, the wine list is heavily South American, with pours from the major regions in Chile and Argentina.

Hotel Bar

If you’re doing it right, every excursion will end at the lobby bar with a cocktail in hand. The mixologists get inventive here with golden berry pisco sours and pineapple-and-rosemary chilcanos (pisco mixed with lime juice and ginger ale).

Last Orders

Breakfast is served from 6:30am to 10:30am, lunch from 12:30pm to 3pm, and dinner from 7:30pm to 10:30pm.

Planes

The closest airport is Alejandro Velasco Astete International in Cusco, about a 90-minute drive from the hotel. If you’re visiting from abroad, you’ll most likely pass through Lima’s Jorge Chavez International – Peru’s main airport. On check-out, the hotel can arrange a shared shuttle that departs in line with flight times (lunch onsite not included). And private transfers can be arranged on request for an extra charge. (Some transfers may not be included in the bed and breakfast rate).

Trains

Ollantaytambo, about a 45-minute drive from the hotel, is the closest station. It’s also your gateway to hiking nirvana, as it’s the railway to Machu Picchu. (If you book your Machu Picchu visit through Explora, they’ll arrange the train tickets and transfers.)

Automobiles

Navigating the streets in the Sacred Valley can be more challenging than traversing the area’s ancient trails. Even the dirt road leading up to the hotel is a narrow one, so you’re better off relying on hired drivers rather than renting a car. Explora can arrange a pick-up from some hotels in Cuzco and the Sacred Valley, which usually arrive at 11am and wait for 15 minutes (return transfers after check-out leave at 10am, 12.30pm and 3pm). Private transfers can be arranged for an extra charge.

Worth Getting Out of Bed For

The hotel’s planned-to-a-tee excursions – including guides, transfers and picnic meals (for full-day adventures) – give you more than 30 reasons alone to get out of bed. Of course, the ancient Inca citadel on everyone’s mind will be Machu Picchu, and Explora can get you there, with or without the optional two-kilometre hike to Inti Punku, or the Sun Gate (the hotel’s Machu Picchu excursions are included in your rate if you're staying for three or more nights; otherwise, there's an additional fee). Other notable treks include Moray, a half-day exploration of ringed Incan ruins that may have been part of an ancient farming experiment, Five Lagunas, a walk past several lagoons and herds of llamas and alpacas in the Andes, as well as a bike ride along the Urubamba River.

Anyone in search of souvenirs will appreciate the Cusco excursion, which starts at the fortress of Saqsaywaman, where you can get a bird's eye view of the city, then winds down to the main square. Lunch is included at a local restaurant, but afterward, you’re free to wander on your own. For all manner of alpaca accoutrements (sweaters, scarves, stuffed toys), take a stroll through the stalls at the San Pedro Market. For more upscale shawls made of baby alpaca and silk, plus sweaters and coats for both men and women, visit a Kuna store (there’s one on the Plaza de Armas). If you’re a speedy shopper and still have time before meeting up with the group, take a peek inside the Museum of Pre-Columbian Art, where there are entire galleries devoted to artifacts made of shell, silver and gold. (Please note, some excursions aren't included with the hotel's bed and breakfast rate).

Earn or Redeem Points with World of Hyatt

This Mr & Mrs Smith hotel participates in the World of Hyatt loyalty program. As a member, you can earn and redeem points and enjoy exclusive benefits for qualifying nights. .