“A tropical oasis located in the Sacred Valley of the Incas, where grand luxury meets community sustainability.”

Luxury travel and lifestyle journalist Luke Abrahams recently visited Sol y Luna for Elite Traveler magazine, a leading guide for sophisticated travellers navigating the world of high-end luxury living, who described the hotel as a “South American luxury with a big heart”, as a result of the support it provides to the local community.

Force for good

Sol y Luna has long captured the imagination of visitors, skilfully straddling as it does the line between traditional luxury hotels with the service, culinary experience, excursions and accommodation that is naturally expected, combined with its own unique raison d’etre – supporting the Sol y Luna Foundation to fund a school, home and special needs facilities for underprivileged and disadvantaged children from the surrounding villages.

“Founder and owner of the hotel Petit Miribel built the resort to help fund local projects and support communities”, Luke writes in his piece for Elite Traveler, explaining the origins of Sol y Luna. “Over the years, the successes grew, and the hotelier quickly learned that the best way she could best help the people of Urubamba (the hotel’s home) would be to build a school, and so the Sol y Luna foundation was born.”

The fact that the hotel – 43 luxury casitas dotted around flower and butterfly-filled gardens, all connected by winding stone paths in the shadow of the Andes mountains – supports such a worthy cause is often quoted by guests as one of the main reasons their stays are so enjoyable.

“Sure, it’s beautiful and Andean to a tee, but the joy of staying at Sol y Luna is, without doubt, the fact that your bucks go straight to a cause that instantly goes back into supporting the locals and traditions that make this part of the world so special” explains Luke.

“It is, best summed up, a luxe hotel doing good.”

Stay

Of course, whilst the hotel supports the Sol y Luna Foundation, it is also an incredible luxury hotel in its own right, something that Luke is quick to appreciate, starting with the picturesque and peaceful setting itself.

“Palms, cacti and a profusion of kaleidoscopic flowers spring up at every corner of the Relais & Chateaux resort with bees buzzing, butterflies fluttering and birds chirping over its stone clad casitas day and night”.

The casitas themselves, individually hand decorated, high ceilinged, standalone villas with private terraces and huge, comfortable beds, provide fresh, peaceful spaces ideal for resting and relaxing after a day exploring the Sacred Valley.

“Expect your own living quarters decorated in florals, a private reception, an open fire, mammoth bathroom (slick shower and tub included) and a garden with mountaintop views.”

Explore

And as for exploring the Sacred Valley, there are a host of excursions available to Sol y Luna guests. “Guides are on hand for cycling tours and horse-riding excursions atop Peruvian pasos for trips around the city or to nearby ruins” writes Luke.

In addition to cycling and riding, our guides can also accompany guests to nearby villages such as Chinchero and Ollantaytambo, as well as Incan ruins and terraces, salt mines and a host of other fascinating Incan, pre-Incan and colonial sites within easy striking distance of Sol y Luna.

We also offer hiking, all-terrain vehicles, kayaking and stand up paddle boarding, and even paragliding; plenty to keep even the most adventurous entertained.

And of course, top of many people’s lists when visiting the Sacred Valley is a day-trip visit to Machu Picchu, the pièce de résistance when it comes to Incan sites, and one of the most iconic tourist destinations on the planet.

For guests looking for a more relaxing time, or for anyone wanting to put their feet up after a day out and about with our guides, there is plenty to do back at the hotel.

“R&R comes courtesy of the large spa” writes Luke, where a host a spa treatments and some specially designed spa packages are available for guests, as well as a sauna and yoga on request.

Guests can also make use of the gym, pool and hot tub, visit our ranch and separate restaurant Wayra for horse shows and cultural performances, or take part in cookery and pisco sour lessons with our chefs.

If you would like to experience Sol y Luna, please feel free to contact the team and we would be happy to organise your stay.