 Although Hotel Monasterio is
undoubtedly one of the highest of high-end properties, its lofty position is not
without a downside: Guests at the Orient-Express hotel, which sits at 11,000
feet in the Peruvian Andes, may be susceptible to altitude sickness. Thus, along
with colonial-style furnishings, the Monasterio enriches most of its 126 rooms
and suites with oxygen.
Still, the Monasterio’s setting—within a national monument in
the ancient Inca capital of Cuzco—maintains a rarefied air. The property unfolds
throughout the cloisters and courtyard of a former Spanish monastery, built in
1592 to house priests in the then–newly conquered land. (To drive the point
home, the Spaniards constructed the monastery on the ruins of a former Inca
palace.) Guests of the hotel can meander through the cloisters or take shade
under the courtyard’s centuries-old cedar tree. But a visit to Cuzco is incomplete without exploration, and
Monasterio’s 16th-century Chapel San Antonio Abad—a Baroque church with ornate
gilded walls and intricate altarpieces—provides an ideal starting point. From
here, you can walk roughly two blocks to Cuzco’s picturesque square, the Plaza
de Armas, to view other Spanish colonial treasures as well as Inca ceremonial
sites. The Inca world’s most famous sites, the ruins of Machu Picchu, lie just
50 miles to the north and are easily accessible via trains that depart Cuzco
several times daily.
Should your oxygen-enhanced accommodations fail to restore
equilibrium after a day of exploration, you may well find a cure in the
Monasterio’s elegant lobby bar. Here, below 18th-century oil paintings depicting
saints, demons, and aristocrats, the bartender will doctor up a Coca Sour. The
libation’s infusion of coca leaves—a popular Peruvian remedy for altitude
sickness—is certain to put you right. LOCATION
Adjacent to the Plaza de Armas in the city’s historic center.  ACCOMMODATIONS
The hotel’s 126 rooms and suites include two Royal Suites,
each with its own private terrace, and three presidential suites with separate
living rooms.
FACILITIES
A 16th-century chapel, as well as two secluded patios, can be
reserved for special events and conferences. A spa that will occupy a former
convent on the site is scheduled to open early next year. DINING
Peruvian haute cuisine at El Tupay restaurant, in the former
seminary’s rectory. Adventurous souls can try grilled fillet of alpaca at
Illariy, a torch-lit outdoor venue in the property’s
inner cloister. CONCIERGE RECOMMENDS
A private tour of Cuzco that includes visits to
Koricancha (the Incan Temple of the Sun) and the city’s 17th-century,
Renaissance-style cathedral, which contains historic paintings, sculptures,
and wood carvings. RATES
From approximately $435 to $1,240
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