Best Hotel Bets

Miraflores Park Hotel, Lima (tel. 01/242-3000): The top business traveler's hotel in Lima, this oasis of refinement and luxury is still small enough to cater to your every whim. The Park Hotel is the height of style, with handsome, spacious rooms; huge bathrooms; and an elegant restaurant and bar. There's a small pool and a gym/sauna on the top floor, overlooking the malecón, parks, and the coastline.

Country Club Lima Hotel, Lima (tel. 01/611-9000): A revived hacienda-style hotel from the 1920s, this grand estate is luxurious and has plenty of character, but it remains a relaxed place that's good for families. Given its high standards, it's not a bad deal, either. At this good retreat from the stress of modern Lima, the country club aspect isn't neglected: Golf and tennis are both available.

Libertador Palacio del Inka, Cusco (tel. 084/231-961): This distinguished luxury hotel in Cusco is just a couple of blocks from the Plaza de Armas and right across the street from the Inca Temple of the Sun. Elegant and traditional, with excellent service, the Libertador inhabits a colonial house where Francisco Pizarro once lived. Full of art and antiques, the rooms are refined with colonial touches.

Hotel Monasterio, Cusco (tel. 084/241-777): Extraordinarily carved out of a 16th-century monastery, itself built over the foundations of an Inca palace, this Orient-Express hotel is the most dignified and historic place to stay in Peru. With its own gilded chapel and 18th-century Cusco School art collection, it's an attraction in its own right. Rooms are gracefully decorated with colonial touches, particularly the rooms off the serene first courtyard.

Casa Andina Private Collection, Yanahuara (tel. 084/976-550): The Sacred Valley is exploding with new upscale accommodations, and this is one of the best, a large, mountain-chalet style hotel. Its lovely setting has great mountain views and is complemented by gardens and a new pool and spa. The best rooms are the two-story suites with private balconies.

Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge, Machu Picchu (tel. 084/246-419): Peru's best-known hotel benefits from one of the world's most enviable locations, perched high on a mountain, just paces from the ruins of Machu Picchu. Remodeled and now charmingly rustic, with a nice restaurant and spectacular gardens boasting jaw-dropping views of the Inca citadel, it is always in high demand, even though it costs a very pretty penny for the privilege of a stay. It's one of those places where if you have to ask the price, you probably should consider alternatives.

Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel, Aguas Calientes (tel. 084/211-122, or 084/245-314 for reservations): It's not next to the ruins, but this rustic hotel, a compound of bungalows ensconced in lush tropical gardens and cloud forest, is full of character and by far the nicest place in Aguas Calientes. With loads of nature trails and guided activities, it's a superb retreat for naturalists. And after a day at Machu Picchu, the spring-fed pool is a great alternative to the thermal baths in town. Junior suites, with fireplaces and small terraces, are the most coveted rooms.

Casa Andina Private Collection, Puno (tel. 051/365-992): A brand-new, upscale hotel perched on the banks of Lake Titicaca, this small but smart hotel has style and excellent service to go along with its stupendous views of the lake. If you can manage it, check out the fabulous luxury suite, with some of the most enviable views anywhere.

Sonesta Posada del Inca Lake Titicaca, Puno (tel. 051/364-111): Gracing the shores of Lake Titicaca, this hotel is warmly designed, with a roaring fireplace and lots of Peruvian art. Rooms are spacious and comfortable, and many have great views of the lake. Families might be especially interested in the tiny version of a Lake Titicaca floating community.

Colca Lodge, Coporaque (tel. 054/202-587): A handsome Colca Valley ecolodge that hugs the banks of the river, this rustic hotel is large enough to accommodate groups but sensitively designed enough to ensure privacy and serenity. That's especially true if you find your way to the beautiful stone thermal pools, which no other hotel in the zone can match.

Hotel Libertador Trujillo, Trujillo (tel. 044/232-741). One of the finest hotels in northern Peru, the Libertador boasts a coveted location overlooking Trujillo's lovely Plaza de Armas. It inhabits a striking colonial mansion and features nice extras, like a courtyard patio, good restaurant, outdoor pool, and both dry and steam saunas. Best of all, it's a very good value.