Palacio Nazarenas, A Belmond Hotel

Palacio Nazarenas stands on Inca foundations. The building was reworked as a private palace in the 1500s, became a Jesuit college in the 1600s and later a convent, and Belmond reopened it as a hotel in 2012 after years of restoration. Original Inca stonework and colonial frescoes are still on show. All 55 rooms are suites, set around quiet courtyards and gardens, and the suites have oxygen-enriched air, which helps with sleep at about 3,400 meters. There is also a heated outdoor pool, rare in Cusco.

The hotel shares Plazoleta Nazarenas, a small square a few minutes' walk from the Plaza de Armas and close to San Blas, with its sister hotel, Monasterio. That makes Cusco easy to see on foot: the cathedral, Qorikancha, the San Blas lanes and the restaurants in between. Mauka, the restaurant, is led by chef Pía León. Most guests put Cusco at the end of a Peru trip, after the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu, arriving from the Hiram Bingham train or from the airport about 20 minutes away.

It suits couples and anyone who wants a quieter, more personal stay than a big hotel, with butler service and a spa to come back to after a day of walking. Mark has stayed here, and it is the Cusco hotel he recommends most. The honest caveats: it costs more than most of Cusco, 55 suites fill quickly in the dry season, and the oxygen helps you sleep but does not replace a few easy days lower down in the valley first.