Jessica Danker

Nice hotel with good location. Quite noisy as the room was right below the kitchen and all the rattling starting at 5am was pretty loud. Also, no windows going out to the street - but only to the inside of the hotel - was a minus.

I have a bit of mixed feelings about this one - I both loved it and felt like it was a huge challenge :D First of all, no one told me there would be these hanging bridges at 20 m height that I'd need to cross to get to and out of the room! I'm afraid of heights so to me it was a huge deal to cross it without any security rope attached to me. But then I took it as a way to face and embrace my fears so I dealt with it and got better at it with time :) Secondly, all the wildlife was both fantastic and scary at the same time :D Waking up to the birds' songs at sunrise is the best medicine for us westerners to calm down our boiling stressed out minds, along with watching dozens of various colorful butterflies float around - to me it was like being in paradise. At the same time, being greeted by buzzing flying monsters and creeping lizards on the walls in the bathroom at night was not something for the sensitive souls :D But once again, i took it as a challenge and made myself proud at the end :D The staff was absolutely wonderful. I got very sick upon my arrival and couldn't eat regular food so they cooked me the most delicious chicken broth and mint tea which I think was what helped me recover so quickly. When i did get to finally enjoy the proper food - it was delicious and so nicely presented, like in the most luxurious resorts. To me, despite the sickness, it was a much needed escape to the heart of the nature which helped me relax and completely recover in just a couple of days from all the stress of everyday life.

We booked a 3 person room for both stays (starting and ending our trip). The staff were always welcoming, and happy to answer our endless questions for help. The luggage storage is very secure, the rooms were clean (our 2nd came with a balcony that let us enjoy some fresh air) and the rooms are a decent size. There's extra bedding which came in handy for when we got cold. The location is fantastic being a minute walk from the main Cusco plaza and surrounded by lots of stores, great restaurants and amenities. It's a bit busy and there's firecrackers that can cause some noise but it didn't bother us. It does take about 30 minutes or so to get to/from the airport depending on traffic but it's a high tourist area and there was lots of police presence around so we never felt unsafe. The breakfast was delicious.

The hotel is clean with decent sized rooms. It does seem a bit older than our Cusco hotel but it still quite a comfortable stay. There are individual buildings so do anticipate having to go outside to get to the front desk or restaurant. Our building also had a 2nd floor via stairs and I didn't see an elevator although there may have been one in another part of the building. The floors also squeak but this noise didn't bother us at all. The internet was quite spotty for us in the room. The hotel is located about 10 minutes downhill from the main plaza of Ollantaytambo (close to the train station) as well as the closest markets to buy water. It didn't bother us much but it could possibly be an issue if going up a semi-steep incline is a challenge. The lobby does sell water at a markup if you prefer. The restaurants is tourist friendly and we had no issues after eating there. It's also where a great breakfast is served. If you have time, climb the terraces behind the hotel (on their property) to get a great view of the Ollantaytambo ruins and to enjoy some fresh air. We greatly enjoyed staying at the hotel.

The hotel is clean, comfortable and not too far from the train station (technically it's right outside the station but because of where the entrance/exit is it's more like a 5 minute walk from the station). The staff were helpful in answering any questions as well as helping with our bags. They do luggage storage as well. There's an on-site restaurant which doubles for breakfast which is handy. Our rooms were clean, of decent size and comfortable. We had an issue with our key cards that was very quickly fixed with no problems at all. Because our room faced the train station there was the train horn and noise but it's far enough down the street that general tourist noises aren't a concern. There's lots of small shops nearby to buy snacks/water if need be.

This was a great tour to see the main sites of the Sacred Valley as well as an introduction to Incan Civilization. It's all driven with different viewpoints and Incan ruins. We greatly enjoyed it as a slower start while we acclimatized to the altitude. It does include a lunch at a buffet serving common Peruvian cuisine which was a great way to try some popular and different dishes before fully committing to a whole plate at a different restaurant. The ruins are great but anticipate a lot of walking and stairs (as well as sun). You'll also drive to lots of different little towns and get a bit of the vibe of what it's like to live there. The roads are bumpy so anticipate that. There is a typical tour stop in a silver store where a employee talked to us about the different designs and types of silver in jewelry - to be honest he talked so fast no one in the group understood him beyond 1 or 2 points and then you are invited to walk around the store; there's no pressure to buy anything at all and we just briefly glanced around before leaving with no issue but it wasn't something we were expecting and would rather have skipped.

The morning drive to Moray took us through a less used road which was actually really nice because it gave us a chance to see the path the locals often take as well as unique views of the Sacred Valley. It also did allow us to pull over and get lots of photos as needed. The salt flats were amazing to see as were the Moray terraces. The ATV tour with Mountainview Experiences was probably the weakest link in our entire tour. It took a bit of time for them to get us organized (which is abnormal as everything else on this was super smooth). One of us then ran out of gas fairly early on and we got stuck for a while waiting for someone to bring us more gas; another ATV group came across us and the tour operator made us switch ATVs with the other group so we could continue on...only for us to run into the other group still stuck on our loop back which made us feel awful ( we assumed they were done and hence the switch but that seems less likely now). A bit more time stopping to see the views and take pictures would have been nice but it seems this didn't happen due to the previous delays and us having to catch a train. The instructions on how to ride the ATVs were mostly clear and outside of the delay/issue it was an enjoyable experience otherwise. The salt flats were nice and our guide took us to a stall where we were able to try some chocolates with no pressure to buy anything. They even pulled over so we could get some nice shots of the flats before we made it all the way down.

The food at Mountainview was great although it did take some time for each course to come out (our driver and guide were done their main courses before our main courses arrived and we had already started on our appetizers before they had ordered) and because of the ATV tour delays we felt like we had to rush the dessert part to make our train despite our tour guide not making us feel rushed. The area is quite clean and the view is definitely fantastic. The eating area is indoors but there's lots of space to wander outdoors and take pictures. The food was fantastic and we greatly enjoyed it. It was also quite a bit of food so we were all quite full when done. I

This was the main point of our Peru trip and a bucket list item. It was fantastic and breathtaking no matter how many times you see the iconic photo. The line up to get on the bus that takes you up can be crazy long and it took us about 20 minutes to board a bus but the buses were always coming and we got to Machu Picchu about 10 minutes after our entry time with no delay entering the ruins. There's a decent amount of steps to start circuit 1 and 2 which covers most of Machu Picchu so be prepared for that and there's going to be lots of people. Our guide was able to get some fantastic shots of us from angles that hid a lot of the people so definitely trust your guide. It also helps bring the entire city to perspective having someone knowledgeable talk about it. It started chilly but all the walking definitely makes you feel warm so layers is key as well as a raincoat as no umbrellas are allowed. Because of how late we booked our trip we got a later entry time but didn't feel rushed when we had to make it back for our afternoon train (Valeriano was a fantastic guide despite the time constraints). And at no point did we feel like we missed out on anything by the time we left. We did have to skip lunch but we stopped for snacks both before heading to Machu Picchu and before catching the train (if you are on the Vistadome train they provide a small snack box) which tided us over until dinner.

We got really lucky and were able to see an end of the school year church celebration on our way out of the city which Valeriano stopped to let us film and enjoy even though it definitely delayed us. The hike starts with climbing a fair amount of steps to get out of the city with some great views. It does pass through some local and farming areas as well as follow parts of the Inca trail and we got to have some frequent stops along the way because the altitude does get to you. It was definitely way more strenuous than we expected for being a 4 hour hike but it was worth it to see the ruins around Cusco. It's also less visited than other ruins so there weren't many others there even though it was a weekend. One part of the trail has you going down a slightly steep hill were we did have a few tricky areas. Our tour guide did stop and buy us snacks and water before we met up so there's a brief snack break/picnic on some ruins to let you rest which was enjoyable. From there the rest of the hike isn't as challenging but we were definitely tired by the end of it. Be prepared for a heavier workout than you'd expect.

The Cusco city tour covers a lot of the immediate ruins outside of Cusco such as Saqsayamun and well as the Sun temple in Cusco - essentially places that are hard to get to by yourself. It doesn't cover as much within the city itself but most of that can be discovered by yourself walking around. It was a nice easy tour to wrap up our stay in Cusco with our international flights later in the afternoon. It's less physical than the rest but do keep in mind that the parking lots and the actual ruins can require some walking. There's lots of stalls along the way to buy any last minute souvenirs although they are pricier than buying at San Pedro market in Cusco. We opted to visit the textile workshop and feed llamas which was enjoyable and got a quick workshop on how to tell fake from real Alpaca wool. There was also the option to buy products (without any pushback on that) which was nice because we got some great gifts at cheaper cost. Overall we greatly enjoyed the tour.

This hotel is wonderful. It's a little upscale but totally worth it. We only stayed for one night but it was a perfect relaxing stay before we toured Machu Picchu the next day.

This is a very nice hotel with great rooms and a great vibe. It's attached to a farm where they grow a lot of their own food, roast their own coffee, and distill their own booze - and you should definitely go check that out. We very much enjoyed staying here. I need to take one star off the review only because it is located essentially in the train station. This makes it extremely convenient to travel up towards Machu Picchu (which is great!) but we had two issues: 1) the trains make a lot of noise - not enough to keep us awake but enough to wake us up once or twice, and 2) one night there were a lot (a literal mass) of people trying to board the last trains and this made it difficult to get to the hotel. I should note that #2 was likely due to a strike planned for the next day, so is likely rare, but I don't know. Personally, I would still suggest staying here but these are things that might annoy some travelers.

Great hotel. It's within walking distance of most things in the city center. The breakfast is nice and they allowed me to partake even though I'd arrived on a redeye and was there before check-in.

L Hotel Palermo is in a great location for restaurants, markets and walking. It's a small boutique hotel with very friendly staff and has a well maintained property. The breakfast was delicious with a wide variety to choose from. The only down side is the nightlife nearby on weekends kept us awake until the early morning hours. Earplugs definitely came in handy.

Tony was our guide on this food tour. He did a great job introducing us to some local cuisine and wines from Argentina. We even went back and visited some of the restaurants on our own later in the trip. Would highly recommend!

The Brazilian side of the falls was about a half day tour. It was a different perspective to take in the falls from this side and helped us appreciate the Argentinian side even more. We ended up taking the boat trip up to the falls from here which was fun and WET! The best part of visiting this side of the falls with the guides was their help in navigating the border and passport control station.

The Argentinian side of the falls has great walking trails and numerous viewpoints to take the falls in. It was by far the best side to view the falls if you only have one day.

There is so much to see in Buenos Aires, so this was a big help in hitting the highlights and learning the history of the city and country. Walking through the Boca neighborhood and the Recoleta cemetery were the highlights.

Wonderful experience - delicious food, comfortable and beautiful cabanas, great excursions. No wifi or cell network, so it was a great way to kick off our honeymoon fully disconnected from the world (no temptation to check work emails!)

Pick-up at the airport was smooth.

Simple connection, we were picked up at the airport and they handled organizing storing our big suitcases

All the organized and included excursions were great.

All the organized and included excursions were great.

Well organized, Inkaterra handled checking and printing our boarding passes

Flora was a great guide - very knowledgeable and had good tips for our future Trek

Good briefing, but there was a misunderstanding between Alpaca Expeditions and Kim Kim. We had to call Alpaca Expeditions as they did not show up at the scheduled time as they had our briefing down for a different day. The concierge at the hotel called and they showed up about 30 minutes later and the briefing covered everything we needed to know for the Trek.

We did the LARES TREK as the local travel agency purchased the incorrect permits and only bought the 2 day Inca Trail permits. Beautiful views.

We did the LARES TREK as the local travel agency purchased the incorrect permits and only bought the 2 day Inca Trail permits. LARES Day 2 was less interesting as it was a downhill slope until lunch time and the rest of the afternoon was spent with other activities rather than hiking.

We did the Inca Trail 2 Day as the local travel agency purchased the incorrect permits and only bought the 2 day Inca Trail permits. Day 1 from km 104 - Beautiful hike with lots of stairs and other Incan ruins along the way. Seeing Machu Picchu through the Sun Gate for the first time is truly extraordinary.

We did the 2 Day Inca Trail as the local travel agency purchased the incorrect permits and only bought the 2 day Inca Trail permits. The 2nd day, isn't actually a hike, it is just visiting the actual archeological site. We were unaware that the entry ticket for Machu Picchu only covered 1 circuit, which means that you don't get to visit the full site. We would have preferred having more time at Machu Picchu, even if that means purchasing multiple entries to see the full site. The train back from Agua Calientes is quite a bit of fun.

The Titicaca Train was a first class experience and discovered the pisco chilcano! The train was beautiful, the scenery was beautiful, the food was delicious, the entertainment was great. Highly recommend! We're so glad Kim Kim was able to book this last minute for us once Peru Rail reopened the line a week prior as it certainly beat an 8hour drive!

Our guide José, was great. It was very interesting to learn about the local cultures here and how they were similar/different to other Quechua communities we'd encountered so far during our trip. The boat trip to Taquile Island was nice and the view from Taquile was beautiful with a delicious lunch.

It was nice to be dropped off at the bus, but we would have liked it if Kim Kim could handle the border transfer between Peru and Bolivia as it was a disaster.

As Lima is a very big city and the sites to see are very spread out, which means you need to taxi/uber between all visits. Having a guided tour of the city to bring us to the museums/sites to see would have been a nice addition to our trip.

Pick-up from airport was smooth.