On our latest trip to Peru, we anonymously reviewed seven hotels, paying the full rate and never disclosing our identity. We checked in on three previously recommended properties — Rio Sagrado, A Belmond Hotel; Sol y Luna; and Inkaterra La Casona — all of which continue to merit our endorsement. Of the four new hotels we tested, only two made the cut: chic CIRQA in Arequipa and the more traditional Las Casitas, A Belmond Hotel, in the Colca Canyon.

It was especially exciting to be able to recommend two properties in such beautiful places. CIRQA occupies a historic building in the colonial heart of Arequipa, a beautiful old city that has yet to become touristy. Belmond’s Las Casitas has a contrasting countryside location, set amid the Colca Canyon’s sculptural Inca and pre-Inca terraces, a short drive from condor habitat.

These videos were taken during our stays at these two lovely properties, and they give you a sense of what we experienced in the hotels as well as on our excursions. We won’t soon forget our time in Arequipa or the Colca Canyon.