Tens of thousands of people come to the Sacred Valley each year to visit Peru’s most famous Incan archaeological sites and to enjoy the beauty, culture, and history of the place. There’s a hotel for every type of traveler, so use our guide to hotels in the Sacred Valley to find the one that’s right for you from top luxury hotels to whole-house rentals to our favorite Airbnb to pods on the side of a cliff.
The Inkaterra Hacienda Urubamba in the Sacred Valley in Peru.
Hotels in the Sacred Valley in Peru
For the sybarite: Inkaterra Hacienda Urubamba
The Inkaterra Hacienda Urubamba hotel near the village of Urquillos, offers suites and standalone casitas on a 100 acre (40 hectare) property. Every room has lovely touches like fragrant fresh-cut eucalyptus, hand-woven blankets, and hot water bottles slipped into your bed at turndown.
One of the casitas at the Inkaterra Hacienda Urubuamba hotel.
The suites are lovely, but it’s worth splurging for a 640 square foot (60 square meter) suite decked out with a wood-burning stove, an enormous bathroom, and a sofa in a reading nook with windows that let in views of the mountains.
“Earth to Table” cuisine is made with local ingredients and ingredients from the hotel’s organic garden at the Inkaterra Hacienda Urubamba.
The property also includes a 10 acre (4 hectare) organic garden producing quinoa, herbs, Andean corn, potatoes, and much more using traditional hand tools and oxen. Produce from the garden, and from other small producers in the valley, is used in the hotel’s “Earth to Table” cuisine including dishes like fresh local trout served three ways topped with champagne pearls and a salty and rich sauce made from rocoto peppers. There’s also a spa, afternoon tea time, and other pampering elements that may tempt you to take a day off from exploring and enjoy the hotel instead.
For the off-the-beaten-path traveler: Retreat in the Woods
Airbnbs have become a major part of our accommodation during our journey and we’ve stayed in dozens of them. However, none of our Airbnb experiences have come close to the peacefulness, comfort, friendship, and fun we enjoyed at this modern, light-filled casita near the village of Huaran.
Welcome to our favorite Airbnb.
It could be the relaxing countryside location near the tiny town of Huaran surrounded by cornfields. It could be the charming style and comfort of the duplex, 2-bedroom casita. It could be the kindness and joy of your host Yessenia. It could be all of those things combined. We love it here so much that we’ve invited friends and family down to Peru to share the bliss and they’ve fallen in love with this place as well. Horse lovers will be delighted by the opportunity to ride through the Sacred Vally on Peruvian Paso horses from the stable across the road.
Save $40 – Use this link to create an Airbnb account and you’ll receive $40 off your first stay
For the all-inclusive explorer: explora Valle Sagrada
It’s no secret that the explora group’s luxury all-inclusive adventure base camps are among our favorite hotels because of their unique combination of low-key luxury and a true commitment to getting guests out and into their surroundings in active and immersive ways.
Rooms at the explora Valle Sagrada hotel are comfortable and stylish spaces.
Rooms at the explora Valle Sagrada have the classic modern, clean, almost spartan “explora” look with muted colors and natural materials. Beds are large and luscious with German down pillows and monogrammed linens. Bathrooms are ample and come stocked with towel warmers and plush robes and slippers. It’s a friendly room but not an addictive room and that’s by design. The explora team wants you out there exploring.
Dining room with a view at the explora Valle Sagrada.
But first, breakfast which is a start-to-finish winner served as a massive buffet with house-made bread and pastries (including excellent croissants), a selection of fresh juices, fruits, meats, cheeses, eggs to order, great coffee, and much more. Now you’re ready for one of the more than 30 half or full-day excursions and then, perhaps, a visit to the spa.
Construction of the explora Valle Sagrada was delayed after Incan terraces were discovered on the site.
The hotel was built from the ground up, but the spa is located in the renovated remains of an adobe house built in the 1700s and is a Peruvian National Heritage Site. Guests can enjoy a wet sauna, a dry sauna, a 60 foot (20 meter) pool, three Jacuzzis, massages, and more while also enjoying restored original frescoes.
Pro tip: Ask for a room numbered 20 or higher because those have the best views of the surrounding mountains.
For the Machu Picchu bound: El Albergue
There are a lot of places to sleep in Ollantaytambo because it’s the jumping-off point for onward travel to Machu Picchu and a popular destination in and of itself. The most eclectic and stylish hotel in Ollantaytambo is El Albergue with rooms and bungalows around a peaceful central garden. Comforters are fluffy, the architecture is traditional, and the atmosphere is homey and serene. Bonus if you’re on your way to or from Machu Picchu: this place is located right at the train station.
For the do-gooder: Hotel Sol y Luna Hotel
Hotel Sol y Luna, near the town of Urubamba, was started in 2000 as a way to fund the owner’s primary passion: the Sol y Luna Association which gives a better level of education to students of all backgrounds, including many from poor families in communities with weak schools or no schools at all.
A large team of gardeners maintains the grounds around standalone casitas at Hotel Sol y Luna.
But that does not mean that the hotel is run like a fund-raising afterthought. Quite the opposite. This hotel, which is the only Relais & Chateaux property in the valley and one of only a handful in all of Peru, is an art-filled oasis offering 43 standalone casitas in three different categories. Our casita was enormous with a huge combined bedroom/living room with a fireplace, lots of windows, a huge bathroom, and a very private back patio.
Each casita at Sol y Luna is individually decorated including a lot of original artwork.
Other casitas are even bigger with a full living room and a separate bedroom, and a private outdoor Jacuzzi. The smaller original Superior casitas may lack some of the space and polish of casitas in the top two categories, but they represent terrific value since guests in those more economical rooms still have access to the hotel’s grounds, solar-heated outdoor pool, large spa, and two restaurants.
For the traveling tribe: Villa Urubamba
Got your whole family or a few of your best traveling buddies with you? Villa Urubamba, on the outskirts of the town of Urubamba, may be for you. Here you’ll find a collection of distinct homes around a large manicured garden full of flowers, herbs, fruit trees, hammocks, stone paths, and plenty of peace and quiet.
The Higuspurco house is part of Villa Urubamba.
The houses are for rent when the owners are not there. We stayed in a home called Higuspurco (which means basket of green figs). The two-level place was stylish and arty thanks to the owner’s collection of Peruvian art and textiles. Upstairs was an open loft with a double bed, a single bed, and a full bathroom. The ground floor had two more full bathrooms, including one off the master bedroom, and a fully appointed kitchen. We could have stayed for weeks.
For the thrill-seeker: Skylodge Adventure Suites
A few years ago, a Peruvian mountain climber and river rafter decided that hotels are boring. So he dreamed up the Skylodge Adventure Suites which includes three transparent aluminum and polycarbonate pod rooms that are attached to a rocky mountainside 1,200 feet (400 meters) off the ground. Each pod room is solar-powered and has a private bathroom with a dry eco-toilet and a sink but no shower.
Can you spot the pod-rooms and dining pod of Skylodge Adventure Suites on the hillside in the distance (they’re shown up close in the inset)?
Guests reach their rooms by hiking up a trail or climbing up a 1,300 foot (400 meter) via Ferrata route of ladders. Guests and non-guests can combine the via Ferrata with a 330 foot (100 meter) rappel back down, or hike a short trail up to the start of a six platform zipline.
Save $40 – Use this link to create an Airbnb account and you’ll receive $40 off your first stay
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More Sacred Valley travel tips
Part 1 in our Sacred Valley Travel Guide covers the Ollantaytambo archaeological site. Part 2 covers the Pisac archaeological site. Part 3 covers the Moray archaeological site. Part 4 covers the living Incan culture in the town of Chinchero. Part 5 covers (mostly) non-archaeological things to do in the Sacred Valley. Part 6 covers eating and drinking in the Sacred Valley.
And here’s our guide to restaurants, sightseeing, and hotels in Cusco, everything you need to know about visiting Machu Picchu, and our day-by-day guide to hiking the Inca Trail.
Here’s more about travel in Peru
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