The hotel is gorgeous. It sits in a valley with a river cutting through the middle. There are hot springs and an amazing spa. Cute alpacas and llamas. This place is picturesque and extremely relaxing. The view is incredible. Waking up every day with this view is an absolute pleasure. On top of the view, the geothermal springs were amazing. We also had a private hot tub. The spa also has a pool that overlooks the river. Everything about this place was magical.
The staff at Colca Lodge is exceptional. My boyfriend and I had a reservation here the day the COVID-19 quarantine first went into effect in Peru mid-March. We were the only guests at the property during the mandatory quarantine. This was a really stressful time - the border suddenly closed. No commercial flights in or out of Peru. The cities were blocked off by military checkpoints. Our one week stay ended up extending to two weeks.
The staff took care of us like we were part of their family. I'll never forget their hospitality. They went above to make sure that we were okay. Thank you, Nagib (and Lucky), Ramon, Dianina, Mayerling, Beatrice, Luis, and Alan. I had altitude sickness the first few days here. The hotel had an oxygen tank that really helped me adjust.
Nagib, the hotel manager, set up transportation to take us to Arequipa when we were able to get repatriation flights back to the US. To make sure that we could travel unmolested, he arranged the local Ministry of Tourism in Chivay to drive us to Arequipa (3 hour drive). When the transportation letter from the U.S. Embassy didn't include my name and passport number, Nagib followed up with the U.S. Embassy and drafted a supplementary letter to make sure we would be able to get through the military checkpoints. The trip was as smooth as it could be. This will certainly be a memorable trip for us and I want to go back.
