World > Latin America > Peru

Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge

• T+L 500 Winner

COST: $$$$$

<p><strong>The Altitude:</strong> 7,710 feet.</p> <p><strong>The Perch:</strong> Machu Picchu's remote mountaintop ruins feel amazingly accessible when you're staying next door; the Sanctuary Lodge (part of the Orient-Express group) is the only hotel to abut the 15th-century ancient Incan site.</p> <p><strong>The Journey:</strong> It takes a four-hour trip by train and bus to reach Machu Picchu (from the nearest city, Cuzco), but you'll be whizzing past Jungle Book–worthy vistas en route. Want to arrive like Hiram Bingham did when he “discovered” the place in 1911? Take the old Inca trail (a five-day journey by foot) and bring your bug spray—mosquitoes here are no strangers to human sacrifice.</p> <p><strong>The Best View:</strong> From Mountain View Rooms (which, unfortunately, have twin beds), you'll see the looming, craggy peaks of Huayna Picchu as well as the Urubamba River valley—with its 300-odd species of orchids—from your personal garden-side deck.</p>

AS FEATURED IN...

From Travel + Leisure , NOV 2008

Machu Picchu's remote mountaintop ruins feel amazingly accessible...MORE>>

– Kathryn O'Shea-Evans Best High-Altitude Hotels

From Travel + Leisure , FEB 2002

Built in the 15th century but not rediscovered until 1911...MORE>>

– 50 Romantic Hotels

Last updated November 2008