Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel

Machu Picchu… one of the seven world wonders…. for many people it’s a dream destination, to put on their “bucketlist”. I can honestly say, visiting Machu Picchu was a dream come true. The town at the bottom of Machu Picchu, is called Aguas Calientes, a place where travelers from around the world gather before and after their visit to the ancient Inca citadel.

Aguas Calientes is filled with hostels and hotels in every price range. There’s only one that will take your breath away though… and that’s Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel! This ecological resort has 81 small "casitas" and 2 private villas scattered over the terrain (12 acres), making it feel as though you were in a little Andean village.

You are in the middle of the cloud forest here. There are many types of tropical birds, including the tiny but oh so beautiful hummingbird. Furthermore, Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo has the world’s largest native orchid collection (372 species). A few of them are pictured here.

Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo hotel is located at an altitude of 2020 meters / 6627 feet above sea level. The hotel is part of the ecological Inkaterra chain, which was established in 1975. It now includes 6 eco-friendly properties near Cusco and Puerto Maldonado.

The casitas and public areas (restaurants, bar, lounges) are all decorated with traditional materials and furniture. At night, there are candles and fireplaces lit everywhere, making it an incredibly romantic place to stay. My casita even had its own fireplace; a bellboy came to lit it at night. Pure bliss!

There’s a spa, a jacuzzi with spring water and a small shop with beautiful handmade souvenirs. Everything is sustainable, in fact the water used in the bathrooms is real rainwater! A small card in your room explains exactly how it is obtained and warns you that in case of heavy rain fall, the water might appear slightly muddy. That doesn't sound too atractive, but I can guarantee you, that the hotel feels very clean and luxurious.

To me, Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo hotel was a perfect place to stay, beautiful, authentic and very romantic. It's also an oasis compared to the busy town of Aguas Calientes. It’s only a 5-minute walk from Machu Picchu Pueblo train station to the hotel. Trains run daily from Cusco to Machu Picchu (3 hour ride) and from Ollantaytambo to Machu Picchu (1 hour 20 minutes).

For more information about the hotel, please visit:
http://www.inkaterra.com/inkaterra/inkaterra-machu-picchu-pueblo-hotel/the-experience
For more information about Peru:
http://www.peru.travel

Happy International Day of the Orchid

September 1st has been declared the International Day of the Orchid. For the occasion, streetstyle and fashion photographer Daniel Bruno Grandl, also known as The Urban Spotter, was invited to portray 12 different types of personalities (or archetypes) and their matching orchids.

The photo exhibition ‘Show who you are' was inaugurated August 31st at 5&33 Gallery, inside the art'otel Amsterdam and will be open to the public for two weeks. The exhibition will be shown simultaneously in London, Paris and Berlin.

After introductions by Henk van Dongen, who spoke on behalf of the growers, orchids ambassador and TV host Vivian Reijs & photographer Daniel Bruno Grandl, it was time to check out all the different arche... and orchitypes!

And of course I took the test myself to discover which orchid suits me best. Guess what...? My favourite orchid came out as a result!!! Incredible... it's the Oncidium, with lots of little yellow flowers (shown in the first picture, in front of Amsterdam Central Station).

I loved the exhibition! It was a great way to discover new orchids and to meet new people. By the way, did you know there are 25,000 different types of orchids? Definitely more than enough to go with any kind of personality and every type of home decor.

During the vernissage I had a chance to speak with the lovely Vivian Reijs, who owns a healthplatform, VivOnline and to talk with Daniel; more about his work will follow soon.

For more information, please visit:
Orchids info https://www.orchidsinfo.eu/en/
Orchids test https://www.orchitypes.eu/
TheUrbanSpotter http://theurbanspotter.com
Vivian Reijs http://www.vivonline.nl

A big thank you to Nienke & Hafida of Weber Shandwick.

Photos (without logo) courtesy of Weber Shandwick for Orchidsinfo.eu.