El Albergue Ollantaytambo

This really is a very nice and special special place, in the old railway building right on the platform of the trains to Machu Picchu. Outside of the high season, the hotel will make a point of not putting guests in the rooms next to the trains. The garden rooms are absolutely lovely and finished to a high standard. Most are little bungalows with one ground floor and one top floor. We were there in November, low season. The reception is also Vernice, especially Luis at the front desk. Good breakfast too. The restaurant is not really so super, especially compared to other restaurants we ate at in Peru. They also offer a “Pacha Mama” meal in the garden, which is sort of a BBQ with hot stones underground. Nice enough, but quite expensive for what it is. It also includes a visit to the very small coffee roasting and distillery operations, which is of little interest. Neither was operational at the time although staff said they were but when I came back the next morning to check there was no sign of activity. There is a great garden in the back, and school for local kids. Owner Wendy has created a very special place here, hopefully her kids will maintain the tradition.

We loved our stay at El Albergue! First off, we were very happy that we decided to stay in Ollantay during our visit to Machu Piccu (rather than Agua Calientes) which is an incredible location in its own right, with beautiful old town, great restaurants, and fantastic archeologic sites. El Albergue is located at the train station which made if very convenient, but also a romantic old-school vibe which we appreciated. We did also take advantage of their distillery and coffee experience and loved both. The staff here were so kind and helpful, couldn't have asked for better. The room was large, clean and comfortable and everything worked great. We ate at the restaurant one night and thought the food was great. We didn't find the sounds of the trains overly intrusive, but we did look for a room facing away from the tracks and that is probably a good idea.. Highly recommend this hotel!

Staying at El Albergue Ollantaytambo was genuinely one of the best decisions we made on the trip, hands down.||First off, the location is perfect. Ollantaytambo itself is a fascinating town with a history to match—it’s the only one still using the Inca grid system! Plus, it offers two great, fun treks: the ruins and the granaries. But the real boon is its position right AT the station, making it the ultimate base for Machu Picchu. Getting up a couple of hours earlier than everyone else for the trek is great, but there's nothing better than coming back and immediately checking in instead of having to deal with another grueling 2-4 hour bus ride back to Cusco. It's also much more comfortable being at 9,500 ft instead of the 11,500 ft elevation of Cusco.||Beyond the incredible convenience, El Albergue is simply an exceptional hotel in its own right. The service is beyond reproach; everyone on the property was so incredibly friendly and attentive. It truly makes the entire experience. The rooms are impeccably designed and wonderfully comfortable. I have to specifically shout out the gorgeous art throughout the rooms and common areas—it’s stunning, and seemingly much of it is from the proprietor, Wendy Weeks.||The on-site amenities are another huge plus. The restaurant has exceptional food, and breakfast starts early (6 a.m.) with a great variety. You absolutely MUST book the wonderful Pachamanca lunch beforehand. They also have a local coffee roastery and a distillery right there; we had a great tour at both and really enjoyed the products, especially the Matacuy. Oh, and there are the most adorable dogs on the property, too!||The only negative isn't even truly the hotel's fault: the smell of diesel. The train sound never bothered me because it only starts after 6 a.m., but the accompanying diesel smell can sometimes be grating. We were pretty close to the entrance, though, so this might be less of an issue deeper into the property.||Overall, El Albergue was one of our favorite stays in Peru. We had a great time and are genuinely looking forward to coming back.

Staying at the El Albergue in Ollantaytambo was an amazing experience! We felt so lucky to find this gem. It is such a charming property with an ideal location (attached to the train station, along the tracks, very unique and special)! Close enough to town for an easy walk, but at the same time separate enough to feel like you are in your own oasis that El Albergue exudes. It offers excellent food, an attentive and friendly staff, and an absolutely beautiful environment. The rooms are set around an exquisite garden, beautifully appointed, including some original artwork created by the owner. Plus, the property owns their own organic farm, coffee roasting facilities and distillery, adjacent to the hotel. All of which supply provisions to their restaurants; including the main dining room, the cafe which opens to the train platform, and the amazing Pachamanca feast offered near the farm if you are able to participate in during your time there. We had an absolutely wonderful time staying here, and if we find ourselves lucky enough to travel back to Peru, this will be on the top of our list to visit again.

We stayed at El Abergue 2 nights (split between a trip to Machu Pichhu) and it exceeded expectations! The hotel is so convenient right at the train station, and the grounds and mountain views are beautiful. We loved the onsite restaurant which had great ambiance with trainspotting during the day and candlelit dinners in the evening. They use vegetables sourced from the organic garden, have unique entrees, an open view kitchen, and the staff were great. Our room was cozy and clean and the fresh flowers were such a nice touch. We also used the sauna (so nice) and loved that we could walk from the hotel to the ruins and into the town square. One of the highlights was the Pachamanca meal- highly recommend making a reservation! We learned so much about the Sacred Valley and fully enjoyed the experience and wonderful meal. We also recommend having the hotel arrange transport to Cusco- it was a more relaxed ride than a collectivo. Thank you El Abergue!

I meant to write this review a few years ago. But, I just have to now! My husband won't stop talking about it. The front desk gave us some clay bull statues to wish us luck in having a baby and now that we have her we may just come back. ||My toxic trait is finding super special small luxury hotels the world over and this has been one of my most favorites. It's clean. Wonderful staff. Cute rooms. Even more amazing views. The most romantic dinner with the train in the background, I could go on.|| I'm in the middle of planning a trip to Asia at the moment and I'm struggling because of just how awesome our trip to Peru was and how staying here was one of the highlights. Every time I see photos of our stay I just get a huge smile. ||Just book it!

We booked this hotel not knowing much about it, but it turned out to be a pretty interesting place. It's right on the train tracks, so very convenient if that's where you're coming from, although it will be a 15-20 minute walk to the main square. They have their own farm, which we didn't have a chance to visit, but we did enjoy dinner and breakfast at their excellent restaurant. Everyone was very friendly and helpful....I'd highly recommend it if you want something a little unusual.

We loved this hotel in a really quaint, vibrant town. A really lovely hotel literally on the train station platform. Don’t let this put you off as the trains do not run at night so there is no noise from that and to be honest you cant really hear them in the day either. The hotel has beautiful gardens, has a wonderful design aesthetic, delicious food and very friendly staff. The hotel has a farm, coffee roasters and distillery which you can visit and meet lovely people who tell you everything. As mentioned above Ollantaytambo is also a great little town and has a great buzz with lots of people arriving by train. We loved this hotel. They also have a great restaurant in the centre of town called Chuncho which we loved.