Palacio Nazarenas Cusco

Belmond Palacio Nazarenas

We arrived at the Palacio Nazarenas after our flight landed at Cusco at 15:35 hrs. It definitely lived up to expectations. The hotel is beautiful. Everything is bright, clean and modern while still managing to maintain the character of the original convent and palace. Daniel was our Butler.

Z Collection Suite

We were up-graded from our regular suite to a Premium Z Collection suite. The bed and bedding was very comfortable and the room very quiet. It was huge at 900 sq ft and ran about the length of the ancient part of the hotel. The large marble bathroom was fully equipped with the large shower stall containing both an overhead rain and wand showers. The fully stocked mini-bar and Pisco station was included with the room.

Living Room

We primarily ate breakfast at Senzo here, which has a delicious hot and cold buffet The background Inca harpist provided just the right andina sound to start the day.

Plazoleta  Nazarenas with View of Palacio

The hotel location is ideal. It is located in beautiful Centro Historico of Cusco. it’s on the little Plazoleta Nazarenas, a small square up the hill from Plaza de Armas. 

On the Plazoleta is also the Museo de Arte Precolumbino and the MAP Cafe. El Museo is a highly rated Pre-Columbian Art Museum and the  Cafe is a wonderful restaurant that’s  highly recommended also. There is so much to see and do in this ancient area. We enjoyed both places.

Suite on the Upper floor

The Palacio Nazarenas stands on the site of a former Inca building and reuses stones that were used in the original Inca construction. Shortly after the new building’s completion as a private home in the mid 1500s it had a succession of owners, including the famous warrior and gambler Mancio Serra de Leguizamón, the last conquistador to die in Peru. He is recorded to have gambled and lost the gold Inca image of the sun from the temple of Qoricancha.

In 1644 the Jesuits acquired the property and used it as a school. In 1650 Cusco suffered a devastating earthquake and the building required extensive repairs. It continued as a school until 1673, before being sold to a private owner in 1687.

Bathroom

In 1715 it was turned into “beaterio”, a type of convent for what was considered to be a “lower order” of nuns. By 1977 the last ones had moved out and the building was leased to the Peruvian government who transferred the lease to Orient-Express (Belmond) Hotels.

Following a complex restoration project it opened as Palacio Nazarenas in 2012. The hotel has the first outdoor swimming pool in Cusco. This is the place to stay in Cusco. It has both history and luxury and is wonderful.

Highly recommended!

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