A Journey Through Exotic Peru This Month
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OCTOBER 2017 | Since 1979 AndrewHarper.com TRAVELING THE WORLD IN SEARCH OF TRULY ENCHANTING PLACES MEMORABLE HOTELS, INCA RUINS, MAJESTIC LANDSCAPES, FLAMBOYANT CUISINE COVER PHOTOGRAPH Hiking trail and Veronica (19,394 feet), overlooking the Sacred Valley / PHOTO BY ANDREW HARPER A JOURNEY THROUGH EXOTIC PERU THIS MONTH ew countries are as endlessly fascinat- standard, they tend to be concentrated LIMA, CUSCO AND THE ANDES ing as Peru. A succession of ancient in Cusco and the adjacent Sacred Valley. I Following a spell in Lima, we flew to the Inca Fcultures can be dated as far back as have long tried to find a suitable property capital, Cusco. After staying at an exquisite new 3200 B.C. And in the 16th century, the Incas close to the famously enigmatic Nazca palace hotel, we hiked beneath snowcapped administered what was probably the larg- lines etched into the southern desert but mountains in the nearby Sacred Valley, before est empire in the world at the time. When have so far drawn a blank. And although boarding a new luxury train to Puno. .......... 1-7 their last stronghold, Vilcabamba, fell in there are a number of jungle lodges, none 1572, Peru’s gold and silver became the is exceptional, and the best way to see the HAMBURG AND THE BALTIC foundation of Spanish wealth and power. Peruvian Amazon is still on a river cruise Having sampled the pleasures of this newly vibrant German city, we drove to the unspoiled Today 45 percent of the country’s people operated by Aqua Expeditions (see box, coast of Schleswig-Holstein. ...................... 8-11 are still Amerindians, who continue to page 6). Politically, Peru is volatile, and its speak the native languages Quechua and economy is relatively weak. In some areas, Find additional stories, video and more Aymara. Peru’s terrain rises from stark shocking levels of poverty persist, and photography at AndrewHarper.com. coastal desert to the glaciers of the Andes on my recent visit, I was inconvenienced — Peru has 37 peaks over 6,000 meters by several strikes called by poorly paid Andrew Harper travels anonymously and (19,685 feet) in height — and then descends public-sector workers. pays full rate for all lodging, meals and steeply to the Amazon jungle. In addition, the country’s capital, Lima, related travel expenses. Since the launch of this newsletter in 1979, the featured hotels Alas, Peru is not an entirely straightfor- is an acquired taste. True, the historic and restaurants have been selected on a ward country in which to travel. Although center contains grand Spanish Colonial completely independent basis. there are hotels that meet the required architecture, and the districts of Mira- Full-service travel planning is available to members at (800) 375-4685 or [email protected]. For comments and inquiries concerning The Hideaway Report, please email [email protected]. Our Atelier room, lobby, and guest lounge at Hotel B, Lima / PHOTOS BY ANDREW HARPER flores and Barranco offer some vibrant (Museo de Arte Contemporáneo - Lima) of noted chef Oscar Velarde. His menu restaurants and galleries, but from April also debuted in 2013, on Avenida Miguel combines Peruvian and Mediterranean to November, the city is usually covered Grau, a 10-minute walk from the hotel. flavors, with many of the ingredients by a foggy drizzle known locally as garúa, Housed within a stately white Belle coming from his own farm. Expect appe- the result of the cold Humboldt current, Epoque mansion, Hotel B created an imme- tizers such as charcoal-grilled octopus, which flows up the Pacific coast of South diately favorable impression. The reception and crostini with avocado and anchovies, America to mingle with warm water at the staff were genuinely friendly and hospi- and mains like pork loin medallions with Equator. Only from December to March table, with none of the self-congratulatory escalivada (grilled vegetables), and excel- does the sun reliably put in an appearance. hauteur familiar at some other “design” lent grilled fish from the Pacific. When the weather is sunny in Lima, hotels. The spacious, high-ceilinged lobby, Hotel B is a fashionable and stylish cloud and intermittent rain descend on the with its long sofas and striking modern boutique property that will appeal to those Andes. There, the high season is June to art collection, had clearly been designed who don’t normally care for such places. October. July and August provide cloud- to provide a social center for the neigh- I devoutly wish I could discover many less skies and epic views, but this is when borhood. To one side, I glimpsed a library more such imaginative and distinctive the crowds in Cusco and at Machu Picchu — where a colorful breakfast buffet was small hotels. are at their most overwhelming. If I had set out on a long wooden table — and an to choose one period in which to travel to adjoining leafy patio, while to the rear of t is an 80-minute flight from Lima to the Peru, it would probably be in September the ground floor, a bar with a substantial Andean city of Cusco, the former capital and October. counter (a peerless spot for a pisco sour) Iof the Inca empire, which lies in a valley For many years, my recommended led to an intimate dining room with round at an elevation of 11,200 feet. There are hotel in Lima has been Belmond Miraflores marble bistro tables. numerous daily departures aboard modern Park. Located in an upscale residential The hotel’s 17 accommodations come in Airbus aircraft, though their cabins can be neighborhood, on a cliff overlooking the three categories. I suggest that you opt for rather scruffy, and on my plane there was Pacific, it remains a good base, with com- one of the four “Ateliers,” which surround only coach-class seating. Cusco’s present fortable, if slightly utilitarian accom- a peaceful and attractive private lounge on airport is small; a new one is planned, and it modations — insist on an ocean view — the second floor. These come with 16-foot will be able to accommodate larger aircraft a small rooftop pool and a pleasant indoor- ceilings, as well as king-size beds, separate from international destinations. However, outdoor restaurant, Tragaluz, serving sitting areas, writing desks and vintage as Cusco (population 430,000) already Asian, Mediterranean and Peruvian cuisine. armoires. Our Atelier featured a contigu- receives more than 2 million visitors a On this occasion, however, I decided to ous white-marble bath, at the center of year, this potential development inspires try Hotel B, a boutique property that which stood a glass-enclosed steam shower. in me profound misgivings. Thirty years opened in 2013. It is located in Barranco Despite being unconventional, I found the ago, Cusco was an otherworldly place; (Spanish for “ravine”), which was developed room to be comfortable and aesthetically now it is a bustling city that is expanding in the early-20th century as a seaside pleasing. Some would doubtless be unhappy rapidly beyond its historic core. retreat for the Limeño aristocracy. After at the lack of an entirely separate bath. The heart of Cusco is the grand Plaza a long period of decline, Barranco is once Hotel B has few amenities aside from a de Armas, formerly the Huacaypata, or again prosperous, fashionable and home to roof terrace with loungers, kelim-covered “place of tears.” Each territory conquered many of Peru’s leading artists, musicians, decks and a view of the neighborhood. by the Incas had some of its soil taken to designers and photographers. MAC Lima The restaurant is under the supervision the Huacaypata to be symbolically mingled 2 HIDEAWAY REPORT OCTOBER 2017 with the earth there. Today the square is public areas are enlivened by Andean dominated by a massive early-17th-century textiles, restored frescoes and hand- Baroque cathedral. The surrounding painted furniture. The accommodations LIMA RESTAURANTS historic city is a network of narrow cobbled come with fireplaces, tapestries and ith its exotic ingredients and colorful mix of streets, with colonial buildings constructed surprisingly lavish modern baths. There influences — Inca, Spanish and Japanese to atop massive Inca stone foundations. To are no amenities other than a small but W name but three — Peruvian cuisine has become the north of the plaza, a steep hillside rises excellent restaurant, serving dishes that a global phenomenon. Gastón Acurio opened to the grand Inca ceremonial center of fuse modern cooking styles with tradi- the firstAstrid y Gastón in 1994, and in the Saksaywaman, overlooking the city. tional Peruvian ingredients. La Casona will intervening years it has become a restaurant Just a few blocks from the cathedral, appeal to those who prefer smaller hotels. franchise throughout South America and Europe. the Plaza de las Nazarenas is a peaceful Indeed, it doesn’t really seem like a hotel at And Virgilio Martínez Véliz, the owner and chef of public space, with two modest expanses all, rather an exceptionally romantic and Central, now has two restaurants in London, one of grass, a dozen trees and a scattering atmospheric private house. of which was awarded a Michelin star in 2014. of wrought-iron benches. Amazingly, it On this trip, I chose to stay at Belmond is also the location of three hotels that Palacio Nazarenas, which opened in Astrid y Gastón I enthusiastically endorse. Belmond 2012. Built on Inca foundations — the site Acurio has returned to the kitchen in Lima, where Hotel Monasterio is housed within a is thought to have been occupied by the his famous flagship restaurant is now housed converted 16th-century monastery, at the family home of the Inca emperor Huayna within a 17th-century hacienda.