El Albergue Hotel
Tucked right behind the Ollantaytambo train station, El Albergue Hotel is a beautiful and restful oasis after a day touring the Sacred Valley. If you are taking the morning train to Machu Picchu, you can check out and step right onto the train platform.
The hotel grounds consist of several small buildings including a restaurant and bar, with guest buildings arranged around flowery courtyards. The entire complex is surrounded by a tall thick wall, adding to the sense of quiet isolation with a peaceful view of nothing but trees, mountain and sky.
My room was modern, clean and comfortable and smelled great from all the wood cabinetry. The windows and door swung wide open to let a cool breeze in on the warm afternoon. Water and fresh fruit were provided. The towels and bedding were very nice.
In the back of the guest quarters there is a small gate that opens up onto a narrow alley, stretching a long way in both directions. Not far up that path another gate in the opposite wall leads to the farm. El Albergue grows much of its food on site. I saw acres of crops, and a couple of cows in the field. There was also an area for children’s education, and several dogs lounging in the sun, each of which I greeted.
I ate at the restaurant for dinner and lunch. Dinner was a lamb/alpaca burger with a fresh salad grown on the grounds with all kinds of exotic greens I never had before. I also tried Chicha Morada, a purple corn juice that tastes somewhat like weak grape kool aid, but better. Breakfast the following morning was excellent. The quinoa pancakes were the best pancakes I ever had, and I filled up on fresh fruit, breads and juice to fuel up for my afternoon at Machu Picchu.
You might anticipate the negatives of staying at a train station. Yes there were whistles, but they didn’t go on late. Worse was when I arrived as a train was unloading and had to push myself upstream through a sea of people to get back to my room. You also have to pass a security guard at the station entrance to enter the area, but that’s not a problem once you have a key to wave. It might even be a feature. None of these change my recommendation, this was a neat place to stay.
El Albergue would be my first choice to stay in Ollantaytambo, a town which is worth spending some time in despite being mostly known as the place to catch the train to Machu Picchu. Visit the hotel website below, or ask about it as part of a vacation package from Inca Expert Travel, which I also recommend.