Peru - Lonely Planet Publications [220]
Sumaq Machu Picchu Hotel (21-1059; www.sumaqhotelperu.com; Hermanos Ayar s/n; s/d with some meals from S1312/1593; ) From the outside, Sumac bears an unfortunate resemblance to Fred Flintstone’s house, but the inside is a wonderland of hushed, pampering luxury. Light-flooded, white-walled spaces with playful splashes of bold color give this new hotel a modern, stylish look: it’s luxurious without being pompous. Rooms boast views of either river and mountains, or a hillside with miniwaterfalls created for your viewing pleasure. There are multiple eating and drinking areas, and a full spa (treatments from S176). Room rates include breakfast, afternoon tea and either lunch or dinner.
Eating
There’s a depressing sameness about restaurants in Aguas Calientes. To get away from pizza and overpriced, underspiced menú turístico (set meals for tourists), either head to the area around the football stadium for cheap local food, or check out the following.
Café Inkaterra (21-1122; Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel; mains from S25; 11am-9pm) A high-class spot for a filling Peruvian fusion spread, this restaurant is hidden behind the train station. With flickering votive candles and a chilled-out soundtrack to match the tantalizing novoandina menu, the atmosphere here is truly an escape from the masses.
Tree House (21-1101; Huanacaure s/n; mains from S27; lunch & dinner) Part of the hotel Rupa Wasi, aptly named Tree House’s woody ambience provides just the right laid-back setting for its food. Lovingly prepared and locally focused, this is what novoandina cuisine is all about – recipes that combine international influences with fresh, distinctive local produce. Alpaca loin with bacon and chimichurri (a salty, flavorsome sauce of local herbs), quinoa risotto, and lúcuma (an earthy Andean fruit) caramel are some lip-smacking examples.
Indio Feliz (21-1090; Lloque Yupanqui 4; menú S50, mains from S38; 11am-10pm) Multi-award-winning Indio Feliz’s French cook whips up fantastic meals, which have made this place deservedly popular, and ‘world famous’ in Aguas Calientes. The S50 menú is an extremely good value for a decadent dinner. Indio Feliz has good wheelchair access.
Also recommended:
Govinda (Pachacutec s/n; 3-course menú from S15; h9am-9pm) Trusty Hare Krishna vegetarian standby.
Drinking
There isn’t much nightlife in Aguas Calientes. Big Brother, at the top of Pachacutec just before the hot springs, is a good spot for a quiet beer, with pool tables and an open-air 2nd-floor terrace. Nearer the plaza, Wasicha (21-1282; Lloque Yupanqui s/n) is a popular discoteca with dancing till the wee hours. Capitán Bar (Lloque Yupanqui s/n), attached to Indio Feliz restaurant, is for grown-ups. It’s a colorful nautical-themed bar – just the place to sip a fine brandy and enlarge on your achievements on the Inca Trail.
Getting There & Away
There are only three options to get to Aguas Calientes, and hence to Machu Picchu: trek it, catch the train via the Sacred Valley, or travel by road and train via Santa Teresa.
TRAIN
To get to Aguas Calientes directly from Cuzco (actually, from Poroy, 20 minutes away by taxi) by PeruRail (www.perurail.com) takes about three hours, and you have two options.
The Vistadome service (S227.20 each way) leaves Cuzco at 7am each day and returns at 3:25pm.
The fancy Hiram Bingham costs S1881.60 and includes brunch, afternoon tea, entrance to Machu Picchu and a guided tour. It departs Poroy at the civilized hour of 9am and gets you back there at 9pm, and gives you three to four hours at Machu Picchu. It runs daily except Sunday.
It’s a lot cheaper, and at least 30 minutes quicker, to catch a combi to Ollantaytambo,