This lovely lodge is an oasis located in the Urubamba Valley in the historical town of Chinchero. We (a group of 9 family members) were picked up at the airport by our guide Jose who works with Antonio Zevallos (owner of La Casa de Barro). Even though Chinchero is slightly higher than Cusco, we decided to stay there instead of Cusco for the first night and we do not regret it. We arranged for Jose to give us a tour of the main sites in our way to the lodge for a separate fee and it was all worth it! Since we were all slightly affected by the altitude since we landed in Cusco and had two people with colds in our group, Jose showed us the right amount of sites from strategic sightsee points in the city to allow us to appreciate their beauty without having to exert ourselves more. The tour included Sacsayhuaman ruins. Additionally, he helped us with the purchase of tickets to Machu Picchu, boleto turistico, water and other misc items. In all, he picked us up at around 1:00 p.m. and got us to La Casa de Barro in Chinchero at around 6 p.m. Keep in mind that the direct route from Cusco to Chinchero is about 1 to 1.5 hours (~40 Km) depending on traffic. At our arrival, we were warmly welcomed by Antonio. He provided some instructions on how to deal with the altitude and showed us the different lodge areas. Our rooms were very clean, colorful and tastefully decorated in a rustic style. The bathrooms were new with lots of hot water and excellent water pressure! Additionally, the rooms were equipped with wall heaters which is a must in this area after sun down. The restaurant has a bar area with great ambiance and soft music. We order some food to the room and we must say that it was exquisite (modern/ecclectic cuisine with great presentation) at a fair price. La Casa de Barro has an area to watch TV and access to a computer. Antonio invited us to view a film about the stone work done by the Incas and other pre-Inca cultures. It worked as a great introduction to our trip to Machu Picchu and Ollantaytambo. The sleeping quality at this hotel was great. It was very quiet and we felt very safe. The room price includes a Continental breakfast. This was just perfect as we knew we should not eat a lot (once again) due to the altitude. It included local bread (delicious), juices, hot beverages. Some of us had scrambled eggs and lots of mate de coca. La Casa de Barro is surronded by well kept gardens and mountains and it is entirely fenced. The morning after we continued our way to Ollantaytambo and asked Jose for another tour of the area. Once again, we were not dissapointed :). This tour included: Chinchero town with a wonderful demonstration of the weaving techniques, market, church, streets, shops, Maras town , Moray town, Salineras de Maras (amazing!) and Ollantaytambo town, ruins and market from 9:30 to 6 p.m.
Feel free to ask for the confidential price affectionately named as the "Cossette price" (my sister's name) for the hotel/tour package. We think is a great value due to the quality of the service both at the lodge and from our guide. Don't be fooled by the street in which it is located (unpaved, rather rustic) because once you enter its garden, you will feel in an oasis in the heart of Urubamba valley.
We had a great time in this portion of our trip. Thanks to Antonio and Jose!
