Orient-Express Hotels on April 15 will open
Las Casitas del Colca, a 20-room lodge in the Colca Canyon of
southern Peru.
Guests will be able
to select vegetables for their meals from a garden; there's also a
prickly pear orchard as well as an on-site farm that is home to
horses, baby alpacas, cows, chickens, guinea pigs, rabbits and
trout ponds.
Orient-Express said
all accommodations were designed to meld with the environment and
incorporate natural local materials whenever possible, such as Laja
stone from the nearby Arequipa region for all floors and
terraces.
Each casita's
amenities include heated flooring, a working open fireplace,
wireless Internet access and an outside terrace with a private,
heated plunge pool. Bathrooms will be accessed through separate
dressing rooms and feature large soaking tubs, both indoor and
outdoor showers and glass ceilings.
The Spa Samay
(meaning "rest" in the ancient Incan language of Quecha) at Las
Casitas del Colca has sweeping views of the valley. The spa will
feature a sauna, two single treatment rooms, one double treatment
room and a treatment suite complete with a soaking tub. A range of
treatments inspired by the Andean culture will be offered, using
local products from the Colca Valley and the highlands of
Peru.
Orient-Express said
Las Casitas del Colca will employ strict environmental standards.
Organic refuse will be used as compost for the vegetable garden and
farm; waste water will be sent to a treatment plant.
Volunteer work can be
organized for any guest wishing to be involved in the nearby
Mission of Sister Antonia, which operates a soup kitchen in the
Yanque marketplace every morning, providing 600 breakfasts a day to
people in need. The mission is run purely on donations from
tourists and anonymous benefactors.
Nightly rates for Las
Casitas del Colca start at $500 per person, double, and include all
meals and beverages as well as the following activities: Peruvian
paso horse riding, hiking tours, mountain biking, fly fishing and
cooking lessons.
Visit www.lascasitasdelcolca.com for details.