Location: Ollantaytambo| Rating: 3 star + | Rooms: 15 | Pool: no

Ollantaytambo is one of the most beautiful towns in the Inca heartland and El Albergue is the perfect hotel for where to explore this historical gem. Originally opened in 1925 under the name of hotel Santa Rosa, El Albergue is a historic hotel built as part of the train station that takes you up to the base of Machu Picchu.

The comfortable and charming rooms of El Albergue are painted white with dark, varnished wooden floors and beams. They are decorated with brightly coloured paintings and tapestries hanging from the walls. The hotel is not luxurious, but what it lacks in luxury it more than makes up for in charm and customer service and we always receive fantastic feedback about the staff that work here.

The gardens of the hotel are visited by hummingbirds and engulfed by the aroma of fuchsia, passionflower, peaches and avocado trees. During your stay, you may spend days visiting the archeological sites of Ollantaytambo, Pisaq and Moray; river rafting; biking; horseback riding and enjoying the beauty, cuisine and culture of the Andes - or simply relaxing in the hotel’s hammocks and sauna.

Why we work with them

As well as being a Historical building, El Albeurge runs a farm and organic garden, both of which supplies products to its own restaurant, Cafe and also to the surrounding communities. The hotel is also passionate about ancient Inca cooking techniques and keeping the traditions alive. Their Pachamanca lunch is an opportunity to savor the history of Andean agricultural culture where you will be able to participate in the burial of your lunch into their underground stone oven. During the cooking, you will be given a tour of their organic garden and their support of sustainable farming techniques, before returning and unearthing of the food. You will than take the cooked food to the country dining room of the Hotel’s organic farm, which is located on an Inca terrace with a wonderful view of the archaeological complex of Ollantaytambo.