Luxury Hotels Atlas / Places / Peru / Cusco / Monasterio, A Belmond Hotel, Cusco
Monasterio, A Belmond Hotel, Cusco
Cusco, Peru · Belmond · Grand Luxury
Monasterio was built in 1595 as the Seminary of San Antonio Abad atop the Inca palace of Amaru Qhala in Cusco, Peru. Severely damaged in the earthquake of 1650, it was rebuilt in Spanish Baroque colonial style, including a small Baroque chapel, and operated as a seminary until it was converted into a hotel in 1965. Orient-Express Hotels began a meticulous restoration in 1999, preserving the stone cloisters, Norman arches, and a 300-year-old cedar tree in the courtyard. The hotel houses one of Cusco’s finest collections of 18th-century colonial religious art, with more than 300 oil paintings on display. Set on Calle Nazarenas facing the Plaza de las Nazarenas in Cusco’s UNESCO World Heritage historic center, the property sits minutes from the Twelve Angled Stone, Cusco Cathedral, and Qorikancha. Rooms can be equipped with oxygen-enriched air for high-altitude acclimatization.
- 117 rooms
- Opened 1965
- Neighborhood: San Cristóbal
- Rooms from 205 sq ft (19 m²)
- Architect: 16th-century Spanish colonial seminary over Inca palace foundations; restored 1965 as hotel
About Monasterio, A Belmond Hotel, Cusco
- It holds official status as a Peruvian national historical landmark.
- Robb Report named it among its 50 Greatest Hotels on Earth, and World Travel Awards called it South America's Leading Heritage Hotel, both in 2025.
- Altitude-acclimatization muña tea and oxygen-enriched rooms help guests adjust to Cusco's 3,400-meter elevation.
- Entry-level rooms start at 205 sq ft (19 m²).
History
The Seminary of San Antonio Abad was raised in 1595 on the Inca palace of Amaru Qhala, two blocks from Cusco's Plaza de Armas, a school for clergy after Trent. The 1650 earthquake wrecked it. Rebuilders gave it Spanish Baroque cloisters and a small Baroque chapel that still holds mass. A cedar in the courtyard is some three hundred years old. More than three hundred colonial religious paintings hang on the walls.
The seminary moved out in 1965 and the complex became a hotel. Orient-Express began a careful restoration in 1999, keeping the stone cloisters and Norman arches. In 2014 the house took the Belmond name.
Rooms can be fed with oxygen-enriched air against the 3,400-metre altitude. You sleep in a national landmark, on Inca foundations, with a chapel next door and the cedar still in the court.
The setting
Monasterio, A Belmond Hotel rises at Calle Nazarenas 337 on the foundations of Amaru Qhala's Inca palace, in Cusco's UNESCO World Heritage historic centre. The cobblestoned lane opens onto Plaza de las Nazarenas, four minutes from the Plaza de Armas, two minutes from the Twelve Angled Stone, Cusco Cathedral, and the Inka Museum, and eight minutes south to Qorikancha, the Inca Temple of the Sun. Originally the Seminary of San Antonio Abad, the 16th-century complex was rebuilt after Cusco's 1650 earthquake — gaining its splendid Baroque chapel — and is now a national landmark. A cluster of landmark luxury properties on the same plazoleta cements this cobblestoned quarter as the city's most storied address. 7 km from Puka Pukara.
Restaurants and bars
- Illariy Restaurant — Restaurant · Peruvian
- El Tupay Bar — Bar
- OQRE — Restaurant · Chef Jorge Muñoz
Experiences
- Celebrations and ceremonies — Candlelit ceremonies beneath ancient arches and starlit gatherings in courtyards, including honouring Inti Raymi.
- Opera night at El Tupay — Three times a week, El Tupay stages a vibrant opera night featuring Cusco's finest tenor and soprano.
- Live jazz and blues at the Lobby Bar — Live jazz and blues three times a week at the Lobby Bar.
- Cusco Festivals — Guests can discover Cusco's events throughout the year, from Inti Raymi to the festive period.
Amenities
- Baroque chapel (active, with daily mass)
- Cloistered courtyard with 300-year cedar tree
- 18th-century colonial art collection (300+ paintings)
- Oxygen-enriched rooms available
- Altitude acclimatisation tea (muña)
- Spa
- Pet-friendly
Awards
- Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star (2026)
- MICHELIN One Key (2026)
- Peru's Leading Hotel 2025 (World Travel Awards) (2025)
- Robb Report 50 Greatest Hotels on Earth (2025)
- South America's Leading Heritage Hotel 2025 (World Travel Awards) (2025)
- Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star
- National historical landmark (Peru's National Institute of Culture)
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