Peru always surprises. Its vast Inca cultural heritage, its colonial cities, a nature that overflows with diversity with its majestic mountains and lakes, its world-class cuisine, and above all its prestigious hotels, among which the Belmond Peru Group stands out, are undoubtedly great reasons to visit.
Of all the South American countries, Peru is perhaps the most attractive for tourism. Proof of this is the fact that the Belmond hotel group has made a commitment to this country with six luxury hotels. Worldwide, Belmond is present in twenty-four countries, with more than forty-six hotels, luxury trains, river cruises, restaurants, etc. Of these hotels, two are among the top fifty in the world, which gives an idea of the high standards offered by Belmond hotels. In Spain there is only one in the Belmond La Residencia Hotel in the town of Deiá, in Mallorca.
Returning to Peru, the 25th anniversary of Belmond Hotels in Peru has just been celebrated. But until we get here, it is important to know that Belmond was founded in 1976 with the purchase of the emblematic Hotel Cipriani in Venice, and later in 1999 it took over the Orient Express. Since 2019 Belmond is a brand owned by the French group LVMH, the world’s leading luxury goods group, thus maintaining high standards of excellence wherever they are present.
Hotel Belmond Miraflores Park, UA hotel Belmond
In Lima we stayed at the Belmond Miraflores Park Hotel, located in the Miraflores district. A bustling, modern and stylish city centre, full of life and lively restaurants, shops and nightlife. A privileged location on the edge of the cliffs overlooking the Pacific. On the rooftop there is a swimming pool and a restaurant, from which there are fantastic views of the ocean in the background. The hotel has only suites as the epitome of urban refinement, and among them the presidential suites have a private pool.
After visiting the great city of Lima with its beautiful historic centre, we head for Puno, a city on the shores of Lake Titicaca, from where we take a train to Cuzco. The reason is none other than to enjoy the only night train in Peru, the Andean Explorer, A Belmond Train Peru, which runs through the Andes from Cuzco to Arequipa with an intermediate stop in Puno, where we took it, so that we could see Lake Titicaca on the way. From Cuzco, there is also another luxury train, the Hiram Bingham, A Belmond Train Machu Picchu, which completes one of the most fantastic experiences offered by the Belmond group.
From Puno to Cuzco on the Andean Explorer train, Belmond Train Peru
Along the route you will see everything from lively markets to people working in the cornfields, from the pastures of herds of llamas, alpacas and sheep to an auction-fair selling livestock, to children playing on the rails as soon as the train passes. But the best spectacle is to see, when the train passes through a major city, how people immediately approach the tracks to set up their small business with awning included, which will turn the tracks back into a marketplace within minutes of the train passing by. And another highlight of the journey is when the train makes its only stop at Abra La Raya, at an altitude of 4335 metres above sea level, one of the highest in the world. Short stop, but enough to shop at the craft market next to the station. Travelling on this train, which is undoubtedly one of the best experiences you can have in Peru, we will taste some excellent cocktails prepared by an expert mixologist, and savour a unique gastronomic proposal, which showcases the best of Peruvian flavours, with captivating music in the background, which will leave no one indifferent.
Hotel Monasterio, A Belmond Hotel
At last we arrive in Cuzco, and the first impression could not be more encouraging, for any preconceived image is overshadowed by the grandeur of this celestial city “La Muy Insigne, Muy Noble, e Imperial ciudad de Cuzco”, according to the title granted in 1540 by the Spaniards, placed by historians on a par with Babylon and Rome, and declared the archaeological capital of America.
As we walk through the front door of the Monasterio Belmond Hotel, five minutes from the Plaza de Armas, the nerve centre of the city, we cannot believe our eyes. A former 16th century monastery, a national monument with two marvellous cloisters, one of them with an Andean cedar tree more than 300 years old. Guests will feel a sense of peace as they listen to soft woodwind music in the background while exploring the hotel’s gilded corridors, resplendent with historic works of Cuzco art and the unique attention of all the staff, that make this hotel a must-see place to enjoy intensely.
Pisco and opera classes
To top it all off, the Monasterio Belmond Hotel offers a unique gastronomic offer, using local products and combining ancestral cooking techniques with the most sophisticated culinary trends in the world. Its three flagship restaurants, (the Oqre, the Tupay, and the Lobby Bar), are run by outstanding Peruvian chefs who seek to become centres of culinary innovation where the new era of Peruvian gastronomy is created, being in sum a feast of flavours, colours and textures that reflects the cultural richness and biodiversity of Peru in every mouthful. None of them will lack dishes such as ceviche, sautéed pork loin, aji de gallina, pachamanca, causa limeña, arroz chaufa with chicken and anticuchos. At dinner time, a barman from the hotel will help you to discover all about the Peruvian flag drink; the pisco, and then enjoy a harmonised dinner with an exquisite selection of classical Opera in the restaurant El Tupay.
Machu Pichu Trail on the Hiran Bingham, A Belmond Train
After enjoying a few days in this masterful city, with its excellent monuments, churches, squares, streets, palaces and Inca architectural complexes, such as Saqsaywaman, an exceptional example of human engineering and the scene of the great Inca festival of the sun (Inti Raymi), we head to the station where we take the Hiran Bingham train, A Belmond Train, (named after the explorer who rediscovered the Inca citadel), which goes to Machu Pichu and is considered the most prestigious luxury train in the world. The adventure ahead could not be more rewarding. Sitting in the observatory car, partly in the open air, we enjoy a wonderful view of the Sacred Valley of the Incas, with its incredible nature, bathed by the Urubamba River. and surrounded by majestic mountains.
During the tour, we will enjoy live Peruvian and international music, a traditional show of typical dances, cocktails, a gourmet lunch or dinner, all accompanied by an excellent Peruvian wine. which becomes an incomparable gastronomic experience.
The icing on the cake of the whole trip was touring the ruins of the city of Macchu Picchu, a religious experience, as the Enrique Iglesias song goes. The Belmond Sanctuary Lodge is the only hotel located next to the mythical Inca citadel, creating experiences that inspire and excite. Such is the exclusivity of each place offered by the Belmond group.
