Las Casitas, A Belmond Hotel, Colca Canyon

Las Casitas sits in the Colca Valley in the Peruvian highlands, three and a half hours by road from Arequipa's Alfredo Rodriguez Ballon Airport. The canyon — one of the deepest in the world — is a forty-five minute drive away, and most guests leave before dawn to reach the Mirador Cruz del Cóndor in time to watch Andean condors rise on the first thermals of the morning.

The property holds twenty casitas, each with a private terrace and plunge pool. Nineteen are standard casitas — each one hundred and twenty square metres, with a fireplace, stone floors, beamed ceilings, and local textiles — split between valley-view and garden-view orientations. The Presidential Casita is two hundred and forty square metres with a private garden. All casitas have personal hosts.

The restaurant, Curiña, works with local and seasonal produce to cook Peruvian highland food. Breakfast runs to herbal teas, local fruit, and regional cheeses and meats; lunch and dinner draw on traditional dishes with some contemporary adjustments. The Puccq'io bar serves pisco sours and other cocktails. The property also offers alfresco and picnic dining. Samay Spa handles wellness treatments, and there is a cultivated vegetable garden, a restored on-site chapel, and resident llamas and alpacas on the grounds.

Hiking trails, horseback rides, and birdwatching are the main outdoor activities. The village of Yanque is ten minutes away by road.