The Villas are located in a secluded setting overlooking Inkaterra Machu Picchu's orchid garden and the Vilcanota River valley.

Visiting Machu Picchu is a unique experience that will allow guests to enjoy not only a spectacular World Heritage Site, but also a village, a natural park, and a variety of attractions. The Villas at Inkaterra, gracious private villas built in Inkaterra's unique "Andes-Colonial" style, bring to the heart of Latin America the kind of pampering and luxury usually available only in the world's most exotic and hidden-away retreats.

Cozy one or two-story whitewashed cottages of Inkaterra Machu Picchu are constructed from local materials which line the stone pathways, giving this intimate 85-room hotel the look of a lovely Andean village.

Colorful local crafts and authentic pre-Columbian artifacts in the public rooms bring the local culture and history to life. Miles of trails lace the grounds, winding past waterfalls and through the forest, and wandering through gardens rich with a dazzling array of native orchid species, birds, butterflies, and other natural wonders.

ACCOLADES

Read Luxury Travel Magazine article: A visit to Machu Picchu, the Lost City of the Incas By J.S. Fletcher and Kathy M. Newbern

Inkaterra Machu Picchu is a member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World

- Travel+Leisure – Top 500 World's Best Hotels 2009
- World's best ECO Spa, Unu Spa, Inkaterra Machu Picchu, Conde Nast Magazine, Concierge.com, Sept. 2008
- Top Ten Environmentally-Friendly Accommodations, Tripadvisor

- Top 5 Most Eco Friendly Hotel Virtuoso Awards 2007
- Best Practices Award for Sustainable Travel, National Geographic TRAVELER, May-June 2002
- American Orchid Society (AOS) Magazine May 2001
"Inkaterra Machu Picchu: The largest orchid collection that is open to the public. In all probability, it is also the world’s largest orchid species collection set in a natural environment in a private facility."

AMENITIES

ROOM AMENITIES

Decorated with local crafts and exposed eucalyptus wood beams
Private balconies with various property views surrounded by lush cloud forest
Separate dining area
Fireplaces plus room heaters
Stocked refrigerator/mini bar
CD/DVD/I-Pod player
Free Wi-Fi Internet
Plasma-screen satellite TV in some units
100% cotton bedding, anti-allergic pillows and colorful, custom spreads of traditional Andean textiles
Rainfall shower head in stand-alone, seamless-door shower
Some rooms has separate soaking tub
Double vanity marble basins
Stand-alone wardrobe with full-length mirror
Kimono-style bathrobes and Andean slippers made of recycled material
Signature bathroom amenities and citronella bug repellant, all environmentally friendly
Hair dryer

HOTEL SERVICES

Nature interpreters on staff and manned library
Inkaterra Gallery gift shop with handcrafted silver jewelry, crafts, clothing, guidebooks, souvenirs, postcards, films, postal service, toiletries and aromatherapy sets plus hotel logo wear
Three-times-daily maid service including evening turndown service
In-room safe
Multi-lingual staff
Concierge service
Luggage porterage to/from the train

DINING

- Dining Room and Bar (70 guests / 18 tables)
Features creative fusion cuisine, and views of the Urubamba River and surrounding mountains from the glass-walled restaurant with optional outdoor terrace dining. Reservations upon arrival recommended
- Cafe Inkaterra
Andean cuisine and architecture with regional-craft décor and a contemporary approach to innovative, fusion-style fare. Casual dining under a traditional Amazonian thatched-palm roof overlooking the Vilcanota River. Reservations upon arrival recommended
- Casual poolside dining available
Tea Time 4:30 daily at Café Inkaterra
Eco Media Center - Books and magazines on nature related subjects and book exchange of novels (mostly in English)
High-Speed Internet - Free at Cafe Inkaterra and in suites
International telephone service available with operator assistance from the hotel's rooms at competitive rates
Private interpreter in French, Italian or Portuguese for a maximum of eight people (fee and arrange in advance)
- VIP Service - Room pre-check-in, souvenir Inkaterra, special greeting card for guest, VIP toiletries, room check-out

LEISURE

SPA & FITNESS

The UNU Spa, named for "water" in the Quechua language, is small but efficient and often incorporates the native coca plant, long revered here as sacred, magical and healing powers. (Tea from its leaves helps altitude sickness).

Located in one of the casitas, the spa houses two massage beds in curtained areas and a small outdoor, private relaxation area with two-person lounge and cement hot tub secluded amid the cloud-forest foliage.

Like all the rooms, there is a Spanish-colonial feel - exposed log ceiling beams, white stucco walls, tile-and-stone floors and fireplace. Also, scented candles and bouquets of native eucalyptus leaves perfectly light and scent the room. The décor is simple yet elegant and super "green" – in fact, 100% carbon neutral.

The don't-miss spa treatment is the Andean Sauna – for Westerners, more aptly described as a "sweat lodge."

The "sauna" structure is actually an igloo-shaped, bent, tree-limb shell covered in thatch and lined inside with eucalyptus leaves. Guests stoop to crawl in through a hinged door. Inside are a wooden floor; two low, benches covered with towels; six lit pillar candles, and a rock circle containing a pit of hot rocks the attendant brings in at the start of the treatment. A pan of water contains a bough of eucalyptus ready for dipping and splashing.

The smell is amplified when the bough is dipped in the water and swung, dripping, over the hot stones. Immediately, steam rises toward the eucalyptus walls where a wonderful scent is emitted.

Other spa treatments:
- Foot Therapy
- Reflexology
- De-Stress Massage
- Dual De-Stress Massage (for couples)
- Andean Hot Stones
- Machu Picchu Exfoliation
- Inka Purification
- Inkaterra Therapy
- Reiki

The property can arrange flexible itineraries, including Inca Trail and Machu Picchu options and quarter-day, half-day and full-day excursions.

Free activities include:
- Guided Nature Walk
- Guided Orchid Walk among the world's largest private collection of indigenous orchids – a whopping 372 species – including the vibrant, fuchsia-colored Waqnaki and the legend of a lovesick Inca princess whose sadness was transformed into its teardrop petals.
- Guided Birding Tour - 160 species of endemic birds
- Twilight Walk
- Spectacled Bear Project - an effort to recover bears that have been negatively affected by human impact, and reintroduce them into their natural habitat. Once common throughout the Andes, the spectacled bear is now critically endangered. Arrange in advance
Add-on excursions for a fee include:
- Mandor, a two-hour walk along the Vilcanota into the Mandor Valley
- Museum & Market tour through Machu Picchu village (formely Aguas Calientas)
- Putukusi mountain hike culminating in a spectacular view of the Machu Picchu citadel from the far side of the Vilcanota valley
- Machu Picchu & the Inca Trail - A one-day trip to walk the Inca Trail and visit the important Inca archaeological remains and capture your first view of Machu Picchu from Inti Punku, the Sun Gate
- Machu Picchu & Wayna Picchu – Guided tour of the Reserve with key areas of interest, including Intihuatana (the Sun Dial), the Sacred Plaza and the Temple of the Sun
Apu Machu Picchu - Hike the Machu Picchu mountain for two and a-half hours from the archaeological site, and reach the Summit of Apu Machu
- Poques Mountain – Three-hour hike from the hotel up the Poques Mountain range through three different ecological systems: premountain cloud forest, mountain cloud forest and elfin forest. Observe six archeological sites: Choquesuysuy, Wiñay Wayna, Chachabamba, Inti Punku, Putukusi and Machu Picchu village
- Evening illustrated talks on the flora and fauna of the Machu Picchu Historical Reserve, including orchids, birds, bromeliads, butterflies and other species
- Pay the Earth Ceremony - Ancient ritual for giving thanks to the Andean gods, performed by a shaman from the region. Prior reservation; subject to availability and for 15 people maximum
- Vow renewal with a shaman from the region.
- Musical performance of 8 -10 musicians from 90 minutes to two hours. Prior reservation; subject to availability.

ATTRACTIONS

The Machu Picchu Historical Reserve is, of course, "the biggie." Named one of the New Seven Wonders of the World, the site is surreal: 15th-century stone-fronted terraces, stone temples, stairs, walkways and streets. "Machu Picchu," meaning "ancient summit" or "old mountain," is mysterious, full of wonder and awe inspiring.

To enter the site, you'll need the equivalent of $40 in local currency, cash only. You can get a Machu Picchu stamp in your passport just inside the entry gate, so be sure to take it along (safely tucked away).


Erick Torres, manager of Inkaterra's sister property in Cusco formerly worked here in Machu Picchu. He says of the sacred site: "It fits your soul somehow. It doesn't matter what it is, but you feel it. Once you're there, you feel it. It takes your breath away."

GETTING THERE

Airport: Fly to Teniente Alejandro Velasco Astete Airport in Cusco, Peru (CUZ), then take the train (about 4 hours)

Train: PeruRail trains run daily from Cusco to Machu Picchu (www.perurail.com). The luxury, 84-passenger Hiram Bingham train operated by Orient-Express departs at 9 daily from Poroy, a 20-minute taxi ride from Cusco. Visit www.orient-express.com and click on luxury trains, or call 800.524.2420


Buses: Local buses, $12 roundtrip, make the 20-minute trip from the town of Machu Picchu to the Machu Picchu Historical Reserve about every 30-40 minutes, 5:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Return buses run 10:30 a.m.-5:45 p.m.

Book accommodations well in advance.