Belmond Palacio Nazarenas

contained within an historic Spanish convent

Set two blocks to the east of the Plaza de Armas, Belmond Palacio Nazarenas is a high quality hotel which is contained within an historic Spanish convent dating back to 1595.

The hotel is arranged around a series of seven cloistered courtyards, one of which contains the city’s first heated outdoor swimming pool.

A personal butler will be on hand help unpack and pack your luggage, prepare refreshing cocktails, provide top tips on where to go and what to do in the town, book any tours, make reservations at restaurants, coordinate laundry, arrange wake-up calls, assist with room service and help with check-in and check-out.

The property also includes an impressive baroque chapel where weddings can be hosted and is adjacent to sister property the Belmond Hotel Monasterio.

The hotel offers a full 24hr concierge service and facilities including the extensive Hypnôze Spa.

Rooms

Guest accommodation is in a total of 55 rooms and suites, most of which have been created out of the original dormitories for the Jesuit nuns. The rooms come in two specifications …

• Studio Suites : 40-60 sqm / 431-646 sqft
• Junior Suites : 30-37 sqm / 322-398 sqft

Interestingly the rooms here can be supplied with additional oxygen in order to offset the effects of altitude.

Activities

• historic city tours
• hiking trails
• cultural interaction

Cusco is usually visited at the end of a week-long exploration of the Inca Highlands. It is usually preceded by the Valle Sagrado, which is at lower altitude, enabling acclimatisation before heading up here.

Seasonality

The best time to visit Cusco is generally considered to be during the Apr-Sep cool dry season.

Cusco has a subtropical highland climate, which is generally dry and temperate, with two clearly defined seasons.

During the Apr-Sep winter conditions are usually cool and clear, with lots of sunshine. The peak daytime temperatures are usually around 20C/68F, with the nighttime lows regularly plunging to 1C/33F, with regular frosts. Average sunshine is up around 7-8 hours per day, peaking in July.

During the Oct-Mar summer the weather is often cloudy and wet, with rainfall around 100mm (4”) per month. The peak daytime temperatures usually climb to around 27C/80F, with the nighttime lows holding up around 6C/44F. Average sunshine drops to only around 4 hrs per day in February.

Like many of the high elevation locations in the Andes, the ultra-violet radiation is extremely high, so sun protection is essential.

Getting there

Cusco is usually accessed by air from the capital Lima, with there usually being several flights per day in each direction.

There are also regular flight connections with Puerto Maldonado in the Tambopata area of the south Peruvian Amazon and Iquitos in the north Peruvian Amazon.

The areas of Valle Sagrado, Machu Picchu, Lago Titicaca, Colca Canyon and Arequipa can all be connected by guided overland road transfer or by rail (with both regular PeruRail services or luxury Pullman services).

Locations further afield, both in the north of the country and down on the coast are usually reached by air via Lima.

Cusco is a truly remarkable historic city