Fantastic trip to Peru arranged by Io
Peru | Jun 19 - Jul 4, 2026

Rebecca
Rebecca C.
United Kingdom | Reviewed on Jul 12, 2026

Io helped us plan a fantastic trip to Peru. We requested several iterations of the proposed itinerary across messages and a video call, which Io happily took on board. She also incorporated enabling our group of 4 to do two different activities on one day and then reunite to visit Machu Picchu. Once the trip was booked and paid for, Io was still very helpful with all the various questions we had about details of our itinerary.
As for the actual trip, it was great and all went very smoothly, we had great guides and drivers and stayed in some extremely nice hotels. The only activity I felt less comfortable about was dressing in traditional local clothes to walk around the lagoon when we visited the Urpis de Antaquillka community in Chinchero. The people were charming, but I just wasn’t sure about the dressing up element of this activity.

Hotel Reviews
Colca Lodge
Yanque

Fabulous hotel in amazing location. We thoroughly enjoyed using the thermal baths

Authenticity & Character
Location
Beautiful setting in the Colca valley
Staff
All very friendly and helpful
Cleanliness & Comfort
Aranwa Sacred Valley
Urubamba

Beautiful hotel with a tranquil spa. We also enjoyed the scenic grounds and seeing the humming birds, parakeets and alpacas in the gardens. The element that could be improved is the restaurant used for evening meals as it felt rather large and lacking in character and atmosphere

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Hatun Inti Boutique Machupicchu
Machu Picchu

We were only here for one night to visit Machu Picchu, but it was an extremely nice hotel and we had amazing views from the window over the river

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Very helpful staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
La HosterĂ­a Boutique Hotel
Arequipa

This hotel is in a great central location and is quite charming. Our room had a bath sunk in the floor in the room, which actually seemed a bit of a hazard, especially if you get up to use the toilet in the middle of the night. The other element of this hotel which slightly disappointed us was the way the breakfast buffet was laid out in the courtyard - it was very cold first thing in the morning so everything was freezing to touch, particularly the plates, so all food ended up very cold

Authenticity & Character
Lovely buildings and courtyard
Location
Very central
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Sonesta Posada del Inca
Urubamba

This place was stunning! We could have easily stayed here longer, everything about it was lovely. The rooms were very comfortable, the gardens were beautiful, the location and surrounding scenery was great. The bar and restaurants were also very good - we had one of the best pisco sours of the trip here!

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Costa del Sol Wyndham Cusco
Cusco

This is another well located hotel in the heart of Cusco, with a lovely courtyard. Strangely you had to walk through the restaurant to reach the rooms, which made the restaurant feel a bit like a corridor. The rooms were spacious, but did not feel quite as lovely as the ones we’d already had at the hotels in Colca and the Sacred Valley. It’s inevitable when you stay in a number of hotels during a trip that some feel a bit more special than others. This place was good, but we’d already been spoiled by the hotels just before!

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica
Puerto Maldonado

This place was great - it’s an eco lodge in the jungle and they have done a great job laying on the activities and meals and providing airy accommodation. They do need to make sure the torches they provide work better than the ones we had, which were not good enough for the night walk we went on. We changed to our phone torches instead, and even those aren’t that strong.

Authenticity & Character
All the rooms and restaurants have net walls to keep them airy and free of mosquitoes. There were also mosquito nets over the beds which were lowered while we were out for the evening activities. I liked the addition of the kerosene lantern in the toilet each night so you could find your way to it in the dark, once the electricity went off for the night
Location
Staff
The staff made a huge effort to ensure we were looked after and knew what activities were planned
Cleanliness & Comfort
We appreciated touches like the kerosene lamp mentioned above, and the flip flops - provided while we were at dinner on the first night, after I asked about them.
Activity Reviews
Private Arequipa City tour
Private Arequipa City tour
Arequipa

Mariel was a great guide, and we really enjoyed this city tour

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Private 02-Days Colca Canyon Tour 1/2
Private 02-Days Colca Canyon Tour 1/2
Peru

This was a fantastic trip. Mariel was our guide again and she was great, as was Fernando our driver

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Our car had an issue on the way and we had to wait an hour at a roadside shop for a replacement. These things happen and it can’t be helped, but the delay slightly changed the plans for the day. However Mariel managed it all well
Shared Short Inca Trail Trek 2/2: Machu Picchu +Private Guide+Bus RT+Upgrate Oservatory Train
Shared Short Inca Trail Trek 2/2: Machu Picchu +Private Guide+Bus RT+Upgrate Oservatory Train
Peru

Seeing Machu Picchu was incredible. We were blessed with a beautiful clear day with blue skies and sunshine and it all looked amazing. Our guide was brilliant, he told us so much and he was great at taking photos and videos of us!

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Local specialist: Io Gillhuber
Io
Io Gillhuber
Local specialist in Peru, Cusco | Replied on Jul 13, 2026

Dear Rebecca, Stephen, Alex and Chelsea,

I would like to sincerely thank you for your wonderful, heartfelt review. We truly appreciate you taking the time to share your genuine experiences and such kind words with us. Feedback like yours means so much to our team, and it helps us continue creating even better experiences for future travelers.

I'm especially happy to know that your time in Peru was filled with unforgettable moments and meaningful memories. It was our pleasure to be part of your journey.

I wish you all the very best, and I'm sending you my warmest regards from Cusco!

Io