Machu Piccu and Torre Dorada Hotel Review

Recently named one of the New Seven Wonders of the World, Machu Picchu has gained increasing popularity since achieving that title in 2007. "The Lost City of the Incas" continues to amaze not only visitors but historians as well, especially as to how the Inca Civilization, without the use of modern technology, was able to build such an impressive architecture in a well-hidden location in between two large mountains, Machu Picchu and Waynanpicchu.

Getting to Machu Picchu is quite arduous, although it definitely adds to adventure of the excursion. It requires a four-hour train ride to the Aguas Calientes train station and then a 20-minute bus ride up the mountain where the entrance to the historic site of Machu Picchu is located. The other option is to hike the Inca trail, which requires any where from 2 to 4 days camping throughout the trek. Either, way a visit to Machu Picchu usually starts off at the city of Cusco, which is about an hour flight from Lima, the capital of Peru.

My time in Cusco was the best part of visiting Peru, aside form actually visiting Machu Picchu. This was in large part due to the hospitality that the people of Torre Dorada showed my friend and I even before our arrival to the city. As soon as we booked our flight to Cusco and provided them with information on which day we would like to visit Machu Picchu, the staff at Torre Dorada took care of the necessary arrangements, including booking the train ticket, bus ride, and admission fee to the historic site. In addition, they already arranged for a chauffer to pick us up from the airport. We were pleasantly surprised to find out that not only was there a chauffer to and from the airport, but to and from the hotel to anywhere in the city we wanted to go. The staff informed us that a driver would take us and pick us up from anywhere in the city if we just phoned them. In fact, one of the staff members introduced us to his friend, who appeared to be a taxi driver but doubled as a personal tour guide to the historic ruins around Cusco (Saqsaywaman, Q'Enqo, Pukapukara, and Tambomachay). Within a matter of less than 5 hours, he drove us, got us in, gave us a brief and personal guide around each site, and drove us to the breathtaking viewpoint above Cusco. All these services were included in the price of the hotel, which was $65 per person for a very comfortable double bed room with one of the nicest bathroom and shower you can find in Cusco. You can't beat that!

Furthermore, the hotel provided full breakfast, with various types of cereal, juices, coffee, tea, pastries, and eggs made to order. The staff even went above our expectations when they packed us lunches for our excursion to Machu Picchu. Inside a cute lunch box, they had packed two sandwiches, banana, and cookies for each of us to eat during our 4-hour long train ride. Again, all this was included in the cost of the hotel.

All of this made the trip to Cusco that much more welcoming and convenient, and made it easy for us especially as we were getting acclimated to the high altitude. Aside to from recommending and providing coca tea known to help alleviate the light-headedness and slight nausea (symptoms of altitude sickness), the caring staff of Torre Dorada offered oxygen inhalers to compensate for the thin air in the city. All this personal attention and services we received from the people and the convenient location (less than 10 minutes from the center of Cusco and the station from which the train headed to Machu Picchu departs) of Torre Dorada make this hotel unbeatable and makes it the perfect compliment to visiting one of the most popular historic sites of the world.

Because there have been a growing number of visitors to this historic site, there have been talks of possibility limiting the distance of how far visitors can come close to the actual ruins and ceasing to allow tourists from actually walking around the ruins in touching proximity of the building. Hence, for those individuals who are seriously considering visiting Machu Picchu, I recommend doing so within the next several years, since in addition to putting limitations on how much of the ruins visitors can walk up to, there is a likelihood that the cost of admission will increase, which including the train ride and bus ride, can add up to $185 per person. But it is definitely worthwhile as the sight Machu Picchu and the feeling you get as you gaze down to the ruins is indescribable and will leave you breathless. Looking at photographs of the beautiful site is one thing, but actually being there and seeing it for yourself with the naked eye is another.