Palacio Nazarenas, A Belmond Hotel, Cusco — Hotel in Distrito de Cusco

I am sitting down to write this in the second Belmont Hotel (Monesterio) next door. After spending a delightful week at the historically significant, and rather exquisite Palacio Nazarenas. I am fortunate enough to be able to review 2 of the rooms in the hotel as I spent the first 4 nights in one of their deluxe city suites. Then I spent the last 3 nights in the signature Nazarenas suite.

The hotel itself is exquisite, you can travel the globe, but the opportunities to stay in historical buildings as immaculately restored and maintained as Nazarenas are quite rare. The hotel is very quiet and tranquil and I got myself lost several times following the stone pathways and narrow passages that made up the original convent.

My journeys around the property found appropriately named secret gardens, where numerous fresh herbs used in the bar and restaurant grew. Quiet secluded tables perfect for sitting with a book or a quiet cup of tea. Everything is beautifully maintained every surface gleamed, every piece of metal shone and the garden was a delight.

I enjoyed a quiet evening seated on comfortable padded chairs in the bar. Outdoor pool seating on the sunny days was also a great option. A library offering chocolate chip cookies, drinks and a selection of books was also very cozy. I noticed a games room with a full sized Billards table, but never did more than look.

The spa gets a special mention. I spent over 4 hours there all with a therapist who’s name is Lucia. She’s amazing and I asked for her every-time. The spa is lovely, cool drinks or teas, steam room, outdoor sunning area, and quiet therapy rooms with excellent beds and seperate showers. There is a changing room with lockers keys, and you are provided robes, slippers etc. I partook of body exfoliating, and tried reflexology, deep tissue and relaxation massage. World class spa and I loved the little gift bag after my visit.

So all that remains was the service and staff. No matter where you are in the hotel you are greeted with a smile and an opportunity to chat if that’s your desire. The staff are impeccable with service whether it’s dining and drinks, or tea service. The on call butler will attend to any request you have. They are responsive and I had the feeling I could ask for anything and it would have been done right away.

Concierge was brilliant making reservations in busy restaurants, providing suggestions for places I needed things and even making a dental appointment.

The staff genuinely wanted my stay to be as special as it could be. I enjoyed every interaction and it was lovely to see how much they enjoyed working there. A huge thank you to the entire team who made my stay great.

They take all the work out of travel and make everything seamless. I hope to return soon, it’s well deserved of its...

The hotel is centrally located and very beautiful. Service is very friendly. All of the positive things you have read in the prior reviews is true, so I have little to add. I will weigh in with a few thoughts: ||||Palacio Nazarenas vs. Monestario: As you probably know, Palacio Nazarenas and Hotel Monestario are both managed by Belmond and located immediately next door to each other. Both hotels are beautiful and very well maintained - I can’t imagine being disappointed with either. While we did not stay at the Monestario, we did go over for a look and a drink. The main thing that struck me about Monestario was the vibe - it seemed significantly more busy with both the bar and restaurant having more of a buzz. At Palacio Nazarenas, by contrast the vibe was more quiet and chilled - we were the only ones at the bar and the restaurant was pretty quiet. From an architectural perspective, Monestario has a very large central courtyard with nice seating options and a place to sit and have a drink. The Palacio Nazarenas has a series of smaller courtyards, by comparison, filled with fountains. The Palacio Nazarenas has a heated pool that we used during our stay - the water was sublime and a nice way to relax after all of the sightseeing - it was chilly getting out, have a robe handy :-). Again, I think anyone would be happy to stay at either… ||||Oxygenated Rooms: We stayed in a room that was pumped with oxygen. I have to admit, I am not sure we notified any benefit. Maybe others feel differently. Luckily, none of suffered any severe altitude issues, but give the altitude (approximately, 11,500 feet), the people in our group only slept about 3-4 hours per night. I highlight this to encourage people to manage expectations. If you need oxygen, they can get you a...

If I could rate this hotel 10 stars out of 5, I would do it. That's how amazing this hotel was. We invest a lot of our travel budget to nice/high-end hotels because we've learned it helps us keep our energy up to explore when we have a nice place to rest and recover. So we have stayed in a lot of 5-star hotels. Palacio Nazarenas will be in the top 2 of all time for us, and I doubt anyone will come close to unseating them. The rooms the balance of historical decor and style with all of the modern ammenities, the location within Cusco (a 5-minute walk to the main square), the top-notch service, the grounds... everything was literal perfection. As critics only rarely say... I have no critiques to give. I'll be writing a separate review for the restaurant Mauka, as we had dinner there and would rank that meal in our top 2 of all time as well. So if you come here, don't assume eating at Mauka is just your typical "I'll just eat at the hotel" experience. It is not. The balance between fine dining and local ingredients is stellar, and the craftsmanship, creativity, and most of all, flavor, was perfection. It's the meal we still talk about weeks after leaving Peru. Their breakfast is not the largest quantity or variety of the hotels we've stayed at during this trip, it's a little more narrowed down. But they clearly decided on quality over quantity because their quality was once again, perfection. Try their extract shots from their breakfast menu, they are great immunity boosters and tasted amazing. Back to the hotel and rooms - this is by far the most we spent on a hotel room during our trip. It was expensive. But if you have room to splurge somewhere during your travels, and you're wondering if it's worth it to do so here, my answer to you is YES, it absolutely was worth...