Palacio Nazarenas, A Belmond Hotel

Cusco's only all-suite hotel. The statement, plain as it is, explains why Palacio Nazarenas occupies a category of its own. A sixteenth-century Dominican convent preserved almost intact: original frescoes beneath the dados, colonial adobe laid upon Inca stone, and a cloister that once served as a novices' garden and now holds the city's first heated outdoor pool. Private butler service — discreet, precisely trained — is a rarity within the Andes.

The Junior Suites in the renovated wing are the natural starting point — generous rooms with fireplaces and courtyard views — and for special occasions, the Palacio Suite, with its separate sitting room. The restaurant Senzo, built on an Andean-highland concept, works with producers from Sacred Valley communities and offers a menu that shifts with the season of quinoa, oca and native corns. The seven-course tasting is the route to take.