The Tambo Del Inka Resort, Urubamba, Peru

As we pulled into the Tambo Del Inka (TDI) it was just coming on dark and almost 24 hours since we’d left home. Needless to say we were a bit road weary but the beauty of the resort was evident as soon as we got out of the car. Soaring wood ceilings and a giant fireplace greet you (as well as friendly door men) as soon as you walk in. We were met by a reservation concierge, and rather than checking in at a “front desk” we were brought to seats in the lobby, offered tea, and the check in process was done there.

Because of our SPG Gold status we were upgraded to a Deluxe Room from a Superior Room. As far as I can tell the only difference is that the Deluxe rooms are on the ground floor and open out onto a private patio with lounge chairs. Superior rooms are up one level and have what looks like an enclosed “balcony” but you can’t get outside.

 Above, our room. Below, our patio.

The room is huge with a king sized bed, walk in closet, sofa, desk, and two chairs set in front of the terrace doors with a small round table. The bathroom has three separate areas with double sinks and mirror in the center, a frosted glassed-in toilet room, and a clear glass “wet room” with tub and separate shower. Our room was on the river side of the property, and while we could hear it, it was only slightly visible through the foliage.

The grounds of the hotel are beautiful as is the pool. I never used the pool but David did once and said it was heated and nice. Half of the pool is inside and half extends outside.

We never ate in the restaurant for dinner and because our room did not come with breakfast, we ended up ordering a room service Continental breakfast each morning (which came with enough for two people). On the first morning we added eggs for  “full breakfast” but they really weren’t very good. I also ordered extra yogurt to supplement the breakfast which was better than the eggs. On our last morning we ate at the breakfast buffet, but for the cost, I wasn’t really impressed.

The bar, on the other hand was fabulous. This is where we had our first Pisco cocktails, shortly after checking in, and every day thereafter. My favorite was called the “oh Gooseberry” and was made with Pisco, lemon syrup, fresh gooseberries and fresh basil. They have a tasty bar menu and bring complimentary freshly fried potato chips.

On the hotel’s grounds sits the only train station in Urubamba. There is one train per day which goes up and returns from Aguas Calientes/Machu Picchu Publo which the the base town to get to the Machu Picchu Ruins. The trip takes about 2.5 hours each way and if you’re staying at the hotel, makes it very convenient. The hotel asks guests to meet them in the lobby so that they can walk everyone over to the train, but I figured we could find it ourselves. The afternoon before our morning train departure, I walked the grounds, just so I could get the lay of the land. I discovered t that we could exit from a different door (next to the elevators) closer to our room, walk though the back side of the hotel which has a giant water feature and save ourselves 10 minutes of having to go out through the lobby.

Below are the closed up retail shops which line the way to the train. The only thing open in there is a train ticket office. As far as I can tell, the shops are empty all the time.

 Above, the train station, without train. The one you see there appears new and still had the seats wrapped in plastic.

Below, our train on the morning we visited Machu Picchu. For more on how to plan a visit to Machu Picchu, see this post.

 We stayed at the TDI 4 nights and while we were here we visited Chinchero, Morey and Maras, Ollantaytambo and Pisac and took the train from the hotel to visit Machu Picchu. What we didn’t have time to do was enjoy the resort facilities of the Tambo del Inka or visit the town of Urubamba itself other than for dinner. If I had to do it again, I would build in more down time to enjoy the hotel, the spa and the town.

The view from the front of the hotel with a glacier in the distance.

Disclaimer: As always, I received no compensation for this post and paid for my stay out my own pocket (or in this case, with points and cash).