Las Casitas, A Belmond Hotel

Las Casitas stands on a hillside estate at Yanque in the Colca Valley, above one of the deepest canyons in the world, in the homeland of the Cabana and Collagua peoples, whose small colonial villages still keep their crafts and festivals. Belmond runs it as a low-impact lodge of 20 freestanding casitas, each of 120 square metres with a fireplace, a marble bathroom whose glass roof opens the bath to the night sky, indoor and outdoor showers and a private terrace with a heated plunge pool; the Presidential Casita doubles that space. Llamas and alpacas graze among the cottages, and an organic garden supplies the kitchen. At Curiña, Arequipan and Andean cooking is built on produce grown on the estate, and the Puccq'io bar mixes nightcaps from mountain fruit. Samay Spa is built around a stone said to bring energy and fertility, with rituals using heated basalt and coca leaves. Guides lead Peruvian Paso horse rides, hikes and bicycle outings, and at dawn they drive 45 minutes to the Cruz del Cóndor viewpoint to watch Andean condors. There is also a heated outdoor pool and a restored chapel.