HOTEL SUMMARY

Where 16th-century colonial grandeur meets Incan foundations, Inkaterra La Casona in Cusco stands as Peru's first Relais & Châteaux property, transforming a historic manor into the city's most distinguished luxury boutique hotel. Built atop the original Warakos Academy—the elite Incan army training ground—this extraordinary property seamlessly weaves together five centuries of Peruvian heritage with contemporary sophistication.

Founded by visionary José Koechlin von Stein in 1975 as part of his pioneering sustainable hospitality mission, Inkaterra La Casona represents a five-year labor of love led by award-winning holistic designer Denise Guislain Koechlin. The painstaking restoration preserved original Incan stone walls while celebrating the colonial architecture that housed Spanish conquistador Diego de Almagro and later, liberator Simón Bolívar. This remarkable provenance earned the hotel recognition as Best City Hotel in Central and South America, ranking fourth worldwide in Travel + Leisure's prestigious World's Best Awards.

Just eleven individually designed suites comprise this intimate sanctuary, each featuring heated floors, working chimneys, and extra-large soaking tubs that provide welcome respite from Cusco's mountain climate. Original murals grace the halls while Pre-Columbian textiles and colonial furnishings create an atmosphere of refined authenticity. Every suite overlooks the tranquil Plaza de las Nazarenas through windows that frame cobblestone streets steeped in history, offering guests front-row seats to Cusco's living cultural theater.

The culinary experience celebrates Peru's rich gastronomic heritage through locally sourced ingredients prepared with reverence for traditional techniques. The intimate dining room, housed within the original colonial structure, provides an atmospheric setting where each meal becomes a cultural journey. The exclusive Yacu Therapy Room offers bespoke spa treatments utilizing indigenous products and ancient wellness traditions, while the hotel's central patio—designed in classic Spanish colonial style—serves as a peaceful retreat where guests can contemplate the remarkable convergence of civilizations.

For discerning travelers seeking more than mere accommodation, Inkaterra La Casona delivers an immersive cultural experience that has attracted luminaries including Mick Jagger, Bono, and Antonio Banderas. The hotel's commitment to heritage preservation and sustainable luxury creates an unparalleled opportunity to sleep within living history while enjoying impeccable Relais & Châteaux service standards. Book the most historically significant suite for the ultimate Cusco experience, ideally during the dry season when clear mountain skies enhance the magic of this extraordinary cultural capital.