Sumaq sits on the edge of Aguas Calientes, the small town below Machu Picchu, on the banks of the Vilcanota River. It has around 60 rooms and suites, most of them deluxe rooms, and more than half face the river and the steep green peaks around the valley. Rooms have goose-down duvets and marble bathrooms, with Andean textiles and pre-Columbian art in the decor. There is a family room that sleeps up to eight, plus junior suites and an Imperial Suite with jacuzzis.
Most guests are here for Machu Picchu. The train station is close, and the buses up to the site leave from town, so an early timed entry is easy to manage. You still need your own entry ticket, so book it well ahead. Back at the hotel, the restaurant serves modern Peruvian food built on Andean ingredients, and there are cooking classes, pisco sour lessons and a spa with a sauna. Some stays can include a pachamanca meal or an Andean offering ceremony.
We like Sumaq for travelers who want comfort and good food in town rather than a forest lodge. It works well for a first visit, for families, and for anyone arriving on a late train. The honest caveat is the setting: Aguas Calientes is busy, built-up and full of day visitors, and this is a town hotel, not a retreat. Ask for a river-view room, and note that the hotel does not offer cribs or extra beds in standard rooms.
Sumaq is a polished, comfortable base in Aguas Calientes, right on the Vilcanota River and about a 10-minute walk from the train station. It suits couples and families who want a good bed, a proper dinner and a calm night before an early start at Machu Picchu.
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