Most incredible vacation yet
Peru
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Jun 12 - Jun 20, 2025

Our guides, Abraham and EJ, made the trip so enriching and memorable.
On the first leg of our trip, Abraham took such good care of us in Lima and taught us sandboarding, and facilitated an overall great time. He was friendly, authentic and shared great stories and knowledge about Peru. He took care of fine details and made all the logistics so smooth.
EJ became part of the family. His kindness, hospitality, and engagement (vast depth and breadth of history and culture), made our trip exceptional. We felt immersed and welcomed in the culture. We loved the hikes, traditional earthen pot meal, the winter solstice festival, the fabulous gastronomy, and of course, the Machu Picchu experience. He had a way of reading us / our needs, and flexing to be more present or more behind the scenes. We loved having him join us for meals and his stories made our experience so enriching. Biggest highlight of our time in Peru was meeting the people, especially Rosaura (11 year old who became fast friends with my daughter) as EJ facilitated her joining us to tour Cusco (with her parents' permission of course).
Hotel Reviews
Great location and stunning views of the river. Elevator smelled like mold / mildew so we used the stairs, thankfully we were on the 3rd floor. We had a massage at the lower level of the hotel which was a little sketchy (room seemed unfinished and they could do more to protect modesty). We had to ask 3 times for additional towels and finally just stayed at the front desk until they handed them to us.
Stunning historic hotel that was beautifully appointed with lovely community spaces in a natural environment (with games and tea, water). The breakfast was the best on the trip - with full buffet and order off the menu. We enjoyed a lovely yoga class on site. Location was ideal, in the center of the city.
This was a quick overnight for flying out. Only 1.5 miles from the airport but took like 45 min to get there bc of the traffic and screwed up roadways. We had to leave at 4:30am and asked if we could take breakfast to-go and they were militant about not allowing us to take any food away (despite having our own containers) and only allowed us to take a piece of fruit and coffee.
Beautiful hotel with fascinating antiques throughout. We loved drinks at the quaint bar, and morning coffee on the terrace. Breakfast was delicious. We were so grateful to have filtered water stations on each floor which made it easy to stay hydrated which was so important for us to enjoy our stay.
Beautiful historic hotel but disappointed in customer service. Lovely room that accommodated our family of 4 very comfortably. Excellent breakfast. We loved cozy bar/ community room on the first night. We were disappointed to see the room closed on the second night (for maintenance). Unfortunately the hot tub was non-operational which limited the amenities available on the gorgeous grounds. With no hot tub and no community room, they missed an opportunity to "made it right" by providing a fire pit for guests as an alternative gathering spot. Despite us asking about it, they did not seem interested (although fire pit was available for sale- outrageously priced at 1 bundle of wood for $25USD for only 1 hour). We asked for their assistance in calling a taxi but they did not know how to do this or didn't want to be bothered. Lastly, with an early morning departure, we were frustrated they did not allow us to take breakfast food to go, but did give us some dry snacks and bottle of water. Staff seemed to hide behind a language barrier and just didn't seem motivated or interested in providing a good customer experience.
Activity Reviews

Excellent experience overall. Marino was so accommodating (helped us with a pharmacy trip), was friendly and engaging throughout the experience. Restaurant was great because we could taste a wide range of authentic Peruvian food.


We loved our time exploring Cusco for 2 reasons: first, bc it was the summer solstice festival and second bc our guide coordinated Rosaura (girl from the alpaca farm) to be able to join us for the day. We toured the city with her and took her to lunch - she was an absolute joy to be with and for my kids to have a real cultural exchange.

Exceptional experience, loved the market and the city. Best part of the trip was the alpaca farm and shop. We could have spent all day there petting the animals and getting to know the charming locals.

Train ride was a lovely experience in and of itself! Exploring Machu Picchu with EJ was mind blowing and very memorable.

Our driver Rafael was great and made it a fun drive (albiet a long one) with soft 80's music and engaging conversation. Abraham (lead instructor) and the other instructors were fabulous - so sweet and accommodating.

We loved this - the traditional meal experience was so culturally enriching (and delicious). The welcome cocktail was so good that we ordered another round. Such a lovely and peaceful experience, we didn't want to leave.

Incredible experience, breathtaking views, but it was high exertion, very challenging physically (and we're all fairly fit).