Hotel next to Macchu Picchu

[gringo from uk]

Hi to all.

If anyone knows what is the name of the hotel right next to the entrance to Macchu Piccu?
Thanks.

[alan]

Belmond.

http://www.belmond.com/sanctuary-lodge-machu-picchu/

[gringo from uk]

thank you Alan.

[alan]

Are you planning on going? Pricey place, but location, location, location! A memorable experience to be sure. We had the chance to use the outdoor hot-tub one afternoon, complete with waiter service and of course a knock-out view of the mountains. I thought "I could get used to this lifestyle".

[vivaperusurf]

my humble opinion....there is something evil afoot in the town of aguas calientes.

stay at this fat cat hotel if you can afford it, or if it is not booked up. higly reccomended. alan, lucky you getting in to use the hot tub

no offense if you work in aguas calientes or are from there, but the people all seemed to be from other parts of the sierra and were just in this town to work, or to suck much needed dollars/soles out of innocent gringos who had come to enjoy a place extremely unique on this earth.

they seemed to be ' generally ' more hostile than welcoming. it was almost sad as it is such an amazing place yet before you go you get suckered into spending a night in this armpit of a town. i hope the vibe you get is not the same at the belmond.

the exception is that there are hot springs (i guess that is why they call it aguas calientes) that are cheap and a great place to socialize with people from around the world.

the worst part about going to visit macchu picchu was that lousy town.

it is cool there is a way to go and avoid that misery there. everything is so overpriced to begin with, it is better to just spend the extra money anyway and stay at this belmond place. skip aguas calientes unless you want to check out the hot springs there too.

there are a couple belmond hotels in peru, you should try to check em all out,

http://investor.belmond.com/our-company ... otels.aspx

[alan]

Okay -- but just clarifying -- the Belmond Hotel is up the hill, just outside the gates of Macchu Pichu, not in the town of Aguas Calientes. (The nice hotel in Aguas Calientes is Inca Terra). You're right though, the town itself isn't very attractive. It's a real jumble of construction.

Alan

[teamoperu]

Okay. Just to clarify. If you had been in Aguas 20 years ago, well, it was a mudhole. But a welcome one. After days of hiking the Inca Trail, to go down to the hot springs to soak the aching muscles was a real treat. But I understand what you are saying, have done stopovers over the years it has become touristic, many hotels and shops. Just say it has its own character in a constant state of construction.

I will disagree about the folks there. Of course, most were not born there, but my interactions with them have been quite pleasant and respectful. I do not treat them antagonistically seeing them as mercenaries, rather I see it as it is, them trying to earn a living. That is the workers, you rarely see the owners.

Thinking about it, last visit last January I remember sitting on a patio hiding from the rain drinking a great hot cappuccino waiting for the train, it was actually quite pleasant.

[vivaperusurf]

yes alan thanks for clarifying, and that is what i was saying.

better to NOT be in the proper town, but up the hill away from the negative energy.

teamoperu, you have a good point i never went 20 years ago, just reporting on recent conditions. i can imagine how back then it was different. probably also more of a spiritual thing, just the arrival part, and that was only 1995/6? I cant imagine 1911 now more than 100 yrs ago as stated here
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-hist ... discovered
"Traveling on foot and by mule, Bingham and his team made their way from Cuzco into the Urubamba Valley, where a local farmer told them of some ruins located at the top of a nearby mountain. The farmer called the mountain Machu Picchu, which meant “Old Peak” in the native Quechua language. The next day–July 24–after a tough climb to the mountain’s ridge in cold and drizzly weather, Bingham met a small group of peasants who showed him the rest of the way. Led by an 11-year-old boy, Bingham got his first glimpse of the intricate network of stone terraces marking the entrance to Machu Picchu." <--------actually by mule in those days im sure was fat cat luxury for peru.

also i am sure you dont mean that i personally treated them antagonistically??? but whatever lo que sea - as if you knew me in person, you would know I am a very kind, friendly, generous, and outgoing person. Rather the opposite, I felt they were hostile towards me. I travelled with a group/family of peruvians from lima and the north and all said they encountered the same sensation, so yeah I understand they are just there to work, but a good attitude goes a long way.

Next time for sure Ima stayin at the Belmont. Just need my sugar momma to pay..... what a super lux place, as are some of their other properties.

[Sergio Bernales]

I can't say I've ever been a fan of Aguas Calientes and after getting eaten alive by insects when I went to the thermal waters, I probably wouldn't want to stay in the town again. Best reason I can think of for staying is if you want to get up to Machu Picchu really early when it's quiet or to climb Wayna Picchu. Still there is a raw energy to the town, but certainly nothing spiritual or scenic.

My best experiences have been when I've stayed in Ollantytambo. Although I love being in the town itself, the better hotels all seemed to be outside it. The town itself is amazing, with a really special atmosphere, when it's quiet. It does lose some of that magic when the tourist buses and the Machu Picchu train come in, usually mid-afternoon, but I'd certainly recommend staying there over Aguas Calientes. In the mid-to-upper range, if you can't afford the Belmont, but still want something splish, there's a reasonably good Casa Andina about five miles away, with a spa and a nice restaurant.