December 22, 2008

LATIN AMERICA | PERU | URUBAMBA

Altitude Adjustment

By Grace Bastidas

Breathe in the beauty of Urubamba.

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Cusco may be the most popular gateway to Machu Picchu, but at 11,600 feet up in the air, the Andean city is capable of inducing both awe and altitude sickness. Luckily, there’s Urubamba. Also known as the Sacred Valley of the Incas, Urubamba is not only 4,000 feet closer to sea level but also another hour nearer to the ruins. And now, thanks to a hotel boom, the sleepy region is poised to live up to its legacy as the preferred R&R spot for Incan nobility.

Travelers will soon breathe (and sleep) easier at such five-star chains as Aman Resorts, Chile’s Explora and Peru’s Libertador, which in a recently formed alliance with Starwood opens later this year as the first Luxury Collection property in Peru. Though they are yet to open, these big-shot brands will have to compete with newcomer Rio Sagrado Hotel, a 21-room, two-villa compound that welcomes its first guests at the end of January.

Owned by private investors, the boutique hotel is set amid eucalyptus trees by the winding Urubamba River, and incorporates water — in the guise of falls, fountains and pools — throughout. Guestrooms have heated floors, leather-bound beams across the ceilings, Peruvian marble bathrooms and riverfront terraces. The property also has an organic garden from where picky eaters can hand-select vegetables and fruits, with names like agauaymanto and frutilla, for a hardy salad prepared by the chef.

The goal is that guests will linger in and around the five-acre estate before and after checking Machu Picchu off their been-there list. Chances are you may not need much persuading after taking a morning ride aboard the on-site hot air balloon. The tour of the valley includes pastries and breads from the hotel bakery. And though you’ll soar high, you’ll return to the same comfortable altitude that brought you here in the first place.