Casa del Sol Machu Picchu Hotel Boutique

This Peruvian-owned boutique sits right alongside the rushing Vilcanota River, a two-minute stroll from the train station. With only 28 rooms dressed in polished wood, Andean textiles and slate-stone bathrooms, it's reassuringly intimate. The fern-filled Manka restaurant does a surprisingly accomplished multi-course dinner using local ingredients, breakfast is a generous spread served from the crack of dawn (essential for early citadel starts), and the K'intu Spa (river-view jacuzzi, anyone?) is exactly what tired legs need. The warm staff and that constant soundtrack of rushing water make it one of the most comfortable bases in town.