Palacio Nazarenas, A Belmond Hotel, Cusco
Cusco's 17th-century convent turned Belmond hotel, built over Inca stonework
Guests enter through walls of Inca stonework into a cloistered courtyard, its stone fountain dating to the 16th century. The building has served as an Inca temple, a private palace from the 1500s, and, from 1644, a Jesuit college and convent, before Belmond restored it and reopened it in 2012. It is Cusco's only hotel with an outdoor pool, heated against the altitude and set among gardens planted with herbs and native flora. Fifty-five suites are enriched with oxygen to ease the effects of the city's elevation, and each comes with its own private bar for mixing pisco cocktails with fresh-picked ingredients. The Palacio Suite, at 130 square metres, occupies a corner of the historic wing with its own terrace; the Nazarenas Suite keeps its original hand-painted, vaulted ceiling as the former room of the Mother Superior. Chef Pía León runs Mauka, the hotel's Andean restaurant, while Senzo Bar serves cocktails and small plates by the pool. Hypnôze Spa draws on Inca and Andean traditions, and a butler service extends to herbal baths and afternoon tea in a walled garden. It is a 20-minute drive from Alejandro Velasco Astete Airport. Check-in runs from 2pm.
