Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel

Part of the Inkaterra organisation, this trend-setting ecolodge has a tropical garden setting where 15 acres of cloud forest shelter rustic cottages connected by hand-hewn stone pathways. Everything is beautifully done in nouveau Andean style. However, the quality of service often disappoints.

This hotel gets so much fawning press, it's hard to believe it all, and you shouldn't. True, there are many things to love here, from the bamboo and eucalyptus sauna, to woven alpaca-wool blankets on the guest beds, to the bountiful orchid gardens in which over 300 species thrive. Inkaterra's eco-consciousness goes more than skin-deep, as the hotel farms its own trout to serve at the coSy Café Inkaterra, and guest slippers are fashioned from used tires. Many guests complain about the property's management, however. Hotel staff can be haughty and unsympathetic when any problems arise. And at prices like these, service should be flawless. That said, you'll have a far more relaxing, peaceful stay here than at some so-called luxury hotels.