Cusco and the Sacred Valley are brimming with accommodation, from friendly guesthouses to luxurious hotels. This article highlights the best among them, giving you options for the perfect stay during your time in the area.

Overview

Cusco offers accommodation to suit all budgets, from cheap and cheerful backpacker pads to luxurious hotels set in colonial manor houses. The following list includes small to medium sized boutique hotels, with a handful of options in the Sacred Valley – travellers will have to pass through here to reach the famed ruins of Machu Picchu.

El Balcón 

The quiet courtyard of El Balcón
The quiet courtyard of El Balcón © Kiki Deere

Set in a renovated 17th-century house, this welcoming guesthouse is a short walk from Cusco’s main plaza. The comfortable rooms, set around a leafy courtyard brimming with plants, are embellished with natural materials and fabrics, while local knick-knacks are dotted here and there.

Some rooms have private balconies decorated with handcrafted furniture, and all offer pretty city views. The verdant courtyard is a peaceful spot to unwind with a book or warm cup of coca tea on a chilly Cusco morning. It’s cozy and welcoming – the kind of place where you’ll end up staying longer than planned.

Andenes al Cielo

Room with balcony at Andenes al Cielo
Room with balcony at Andenes al Cielo © Andenes al Cielo, S.A.C.

Located on a pretty cobbled street, this hotel is housed in a colonial mansion with accommodation set around an internal courtyard with polished wood balustrades. The spacious rooms have chocolate-brown furnishings and hardwood floors. Walls are adorned with local tapestries and colorful abstract paintings mostly in dark shades of red and blue.

Deluxe rooms are particularly attractive, featuring balconies with city views, wooden ceiling beams and fireplaces adding a cozy touch. 

Casa San Blas

The sunny terrace of Casa San Blas

This attractive hotel is located high up in San Blas, Cusco’s pretty artisan quarter lined with art galleries, jewelers, workshops and antique stores. The neat and tidy rooms are clean and bright, with local fabrics and hand painted designs adorning the walls. 

The hotel’s Tika Bistro serves local and international dishes in a pleasant setting, we recommend the Andean soup made from quinoa, chicken, and potatoes served with vegetables and wild mushroom risotto.

  • Where: Tocuyeros 556, Cuesta de San Blas, Cusco
  • Website: www.casasanblas.com
  • Price: Mid-range
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Rumi Punku

The Inka entrance of Rumi Punku © Rumi Punku

This central hotel on picturesque Calle Choquechaca is located in a 16th-century colonial house with a gorgeous original Inca door (Rumi Punku is Quechua for “Stone Door”). Rooms are set around a series of leafy courtyards embellished with potted plants. They have golden colored bedspreads and feature paintings by local artists, while bathrooms have glass-fronted showers. 

There’s a small wellness area with Finnish sauna, hot tub, and a fitness center. The atmosphere is quiet and peaceful, with a couple of soothing water fountains adding to the relaxed ambiance.

Hotel Marqueses

The patio of Hotel Marqueses

Decorated with solid wood furnishings and burgundy drapes, this hotel works closely with the local community providing hospital assistance and helping children in need. It’s located in a beautiful 16th-century colonial house with a pretty cobbled courtyard that is atmospherically lit at night. 

Rooms feature cedar and alder tree wood, and some have balconies looking onto Calle Garcilaso, where soldier-poet Garcilaso de la Vega once lived. It’s a couple of blocks from the Plaza de Armas, making it convenient to explore the city center.

El Albergue 

A cosy room at El Albergue

Conveniently located inside Ollantaytambo’s train station, with regular services to Aguas Calientes, the jumping off point for the ruins of Machu Picchu, this wonderful hotel offers rustic yet stylish accommodation. 

It’s a quiet haven, surrounded by a garden brimming with fuchsia, passionflower and peach trees. Dating back to 1925, it offers sixteen tastefully decorated rooms with original parquet floors and regional artwork. Lovely abstract paintings by American artist and owner Wendy Weeks decorate the interiors, while hand-woven textiles and large containers used to store chicha add to the décor.

The restaurant is excellent, with food sourced directly from the hotel’s herb garden and organic farm, where pigs, sheep, and alpaca roam freely.

El Mercado

The colorful breakfast room of El Mercado

This stylish hotel located on the site of a former food market has fun and quirky interiors. Wacky paintings decorate the walls, while the restaurant features a juice bar laid out like a market stall. It’s young and trendy, with 32 well-appointed rooms with decorative wicker baskets, large abstract paintings and comfortable beds with stylish throws.

In the evenings a large fire pit is lit in the courtyard. It’s a great spot to enjoy a drink and socialize with other guests.

Rupa Wasi Lodge

The bustling Tree House bar and restaurant
The bustling Tree House bar and restaurant © Kiki Deere

Set in a lush tropical garden with avocado, walnut, and native trees, this eco-lodge comprises wooden huts built using natural materials. Rooms are simply furnished yet cozy and welcoming, and some have small balconies offering lovely views of the cloud forest and the town of Aguas Calientes.

The lodge’s excellent restaurant, The Tree House, serves delicious Peruvian cuisine with Asian, Italian and Latin American influences. Foodies can delight their taste buds by taking part in fun cooking classes and gain first-hand knowledge of how to prepare the perfect Peruvian dish.

Inkaterra La Casona

A luxurious suite al Inkaterra La Casona © Inkaterra

This wonderfully restored 16th-century manor house oozes colonial charm. Located in a quiet square a stone’s throw away from the excellent Museum of Pre-Columbian Art, the hotel has eleven luxurious suites decorated with colonial furnishings, Andean works of art and hand-woven rugs.

Beautiful antiques decorate the interiors, while heated flooring and stone fireplaces provide a welcome warmth on Cusco’s chilly nights, adding a cozy homelike touch. 

With only a handful of tables, the restaurant has an intimate feel. The food is superb – it’s beautifully presented Peruvian fusion cuisine made with fresh organic ingredients from the Sacred Valley. There’s a small wellness center too.

Belmond Hotel Rio Sagrado 

The opulent Spa of Belmond Hotel Rio Sagrado

Set in peaceful gardens on the banks of the Urubamba River, this luxurious hotel is built using natural stone and wood. Floor-to-ceiling glass windows allow for gorgeous views of the river and the surrounding mountains, and all rooms have private balconies. Interiors are furnished with alpaca fabrics and locally made furnishings.

There’s an attractive outdoor heated pool, while the elegant Spa has floor-to-glass windows offering lovely vistas of the surrounding vegetation. You could easily loll around in the whirlpool tub most of the afternoon, soaking in the lush views. UK-based Belmond manages the property, offering excellent services and activities, including horse riding and children's activities.  

El Huerto restaurant serves seasonal Andean cuisine, with many ingredients sourced directly from the hotel's vegetable garden. Fresh herbs and spices add a twist to most dishes, resulting in a varied menu that brings out the best of local ingredients.