Sauce Hostal Ollantaytambo Sacred Valley. Sauce Hostal is located in the heart of, a quaint village of 10,000 in the Sacred Valley. Ollantaytambo is a great base to explore the valley and also a great midpoint between Machu Picchu and Cusco. In fact, I made Ollantaytambo my home base for three days to explore the area and to get acclimated to the higher elevation of the region (Ollantaytambo is at a lower elevation than Cusco). Check out how I spent my three days in the Sacred Valley.
Ollantaytambo, set in a valley surrounded by mountains and Incan Ruins, is easily walkable. In fact, Sauce Hostal makes it home adjacent to Plaza Ollantaytambo and a brief walk to the Incan Ruins, whose terraces cascade down the side of the mountain. Some of the rooms at Sauce Hostal provide an eagle eye’s view of the ruins. Ollantaytambo is comprised of restaurants, bars, shops, and is full of history. It is a low- key place to relax for several days.
Sauce Hostal is a family run business and during my time there I was able to befriend family member, Ivo, who hosted me at his hotel. The first floor of Sauce Hostal serves as the lobby, dining area, and lounge. The second floor contains six comfortable guest rooms.
After a day of walking in the high altitude of Ollantaytambo, it was time to relax on the plush couches, sip coca tea (great way to battle altitude sickness), and surf the net. In the morning, I was met with farm fresh jams, honey, milk, eggs, and other organic foods from the nearby organic farm for breakfast. Sauce Hostal has a commitment to the environment beyond its farm-to-kitchen breakfast. Sauce Hostal is comprised of local, natural materials from the eucalyptus and clay used in the roof, to the wood battens of the floors.
It is a near requirement for visitors of Peru to imbibe their national drink Pisco. Pisco is a brandy made by distilling fermented grape juice into a high proof alcohol. It was developed by 16th century Spanish settlers. On my last night, Ivo invited me for a private tasting of fruit-infused Pisco from his personal stash.
It was a perfect ending to a great stay.
Disclaimer: I was an invited guest of Sauce Hostal. My opinions are true and I loved my stay there.
Sauce Hostal Ollantaytambo Sacred Valley
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I always look forward to armchair-travelling with you, Gaz. The hotel sounds wonderful and where we would stay if we are fortunate to make it to Machu Picchu. I hope you bought one of the beautiful colorful hats there.
It was a great experience in the Sacred Valley and Sauce Hostal was a great home away from home. Unfortunately, no hats…just the picture. 🙂
Hostal Sauce is really just a tremendous find. It’s in a perfect location on at least four fronts: (1) Ollantaytambo, a charming and picturesque village… every direction is a view that is more and more breathtaking; (2) within the town of Ollantaytambo, right in the center of town – minutes from the Ollantaytambo ruins, the train station, the main town square, and plenty of nice restaurants; (3) hiking and sightseeing throughout the Sacred Valley – including visits to Pumamarka, Moray, Maras,…; and (4) getting to and from Machu Picchu. It’s a great way to acclimate to the altitude as it’s lower than Cusco. The service team are wonderfully warm and welcoming and great resources to help with recommendations on everything from activities to food to local customs. The breakfast food is wonderful and my room, quite literally, overlooked the Ollantaytambo ruins. It’s the best kind of secret
Wow, thanks for the feedback and it sounds like you had an awesome trip!