Background
For our visit to Machu Picchu, we decided to stay 2 nights in the nearest town, Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu Pueblo). We stumbled upon the El MaPi because the rates were quite reasonable at approximately $200 a night, and it included breakfast and dinner. The El MaPi Hotel by Inkaterra has a total of 164 rooms and is positioned as a 4-star hotel, though I felt it was more of a 3-3.5 star. The Inkaterra brand was founded in 1975 and has 8 properties across Peru, spanning from luxury to lifestyle. El MaPi by Inkaterra is positioned as the affordable, contemporary, and value-oriented property within the Inkaterra portfolio.
Takeoff Points
Pros: Solid breakfast and dinner, convenient location, and friendly staff.
Cons: Rooms are basic and have poor insulation.
Takeoff Point: The El MaPi hotel can be an efficient home base to see Machu Picchu, with solid food options, but the rooms could be improved upon.
Arrival & Location
After our Inka Rail train got to the Aguas Calientes station, two hotel representatives met us (and other guests) at the exit to assist with our luggage. From the train station, it was only about a 5-minute walk to the hotel. The El MaPi is conveniently located in the town, surrounded by plenty of restaurants and shops. It is also only a short 3-minute walk to the bus stop that takes you to Machu Picchu.
We arrived around 7:30 pm, and the front desk was fully staffed to check in guests. Everything was quite manual, and they had large printed spreadsheets of paper. Our room keys were standard plain key cards, with an oddly loose taped piece of paper to show the hotel name and room number. It looked a bit unprofessional, and if you didn’t return the key card, you would be charged $30. But, all the staff was attentive and friendly!
In the lobby, there is also a cute gift shop.
Room: Superior Deluxe King
After we finished checking in, a kind associate escorted us to the room and brought our bags up. The room was decently spacious, with an extra-large king bed (very wide), two large nightstands, and a small chair that had seen better days. A small TV was provided with plenty of DIRECTV channels that were mostly in Spanish. The bed was decently comfortable, which helped before a long hiking day. Wi-Fi was available, but spotty.
The biggest quirk of the El Mapi is the insulation. The door to the hallway is super thin, and you can hear everything from doors slamming to guests talking in the room across the hall.
There was an open-air closet with 2 hangers, 2 umbrellas, and a spot for luggage. A small mini fridge for personal use was included as well. Two bottles of water were provided. The room was clean overall, at least, and the towels were too.
Bathroom
The bathroom was very basic, a standard three-piece that included a stand-up shower. Two bottles of water were provided, which was nice.
Water pressure was fine, but on the first night the shower never got fully hot. Thankfully it was working on night two. And it was annoying that there was no stand to put toiletries/soap.
Shampoo and conditioner were provided and a bar of soap for the sink, but no body wash or soap for the shower, so I had to use the soap provided for the sink. The bar of soap did not have the best scent, and it was wrapped in paper that said not to drink the tap water, so I suggest you bring your own body wash/soap.
Also, no tissues were a definite negative. And, in my friend’s room, they didn’t replenish the toilet paper with the housekeeping service, so we had to call for more. Thankfully, they delivered it quickly.
One unfortunate situation was that the power went out the morning after our first night, and didn’t return until about 5 pm. It looked like it affected about half of the town, but many restaurants seemed to have power; I was not sure if they perhaps had a generator.
Dining and Amenities
La Cafeteria was the main restaurant where breakfast, lunch, and dinner are served.
Breakfast
The breakfast was buffet style and had a decent variety of hot and cold items. Made-to-order omelets were also included and tasty.
Dinner
The included dinner was quite good, and you were able to order an appetizer, main course & dessert from the menu. Drinks were the only extra cost. They had different seatings at 5, 7:30, and 9 pm. We opted for the 7:30 pm seating for both nights.
El Bar offers drinks as well as snacks/tapas.
Spa Del Bosque is the spa onsite, which features 4 private treatment rooms, including a pine sauna, hydro massage showers, a heated plunge pool, and a hydration zone.
The Verdict
Overall, the El MaPi by Inkaterra in Aguas Calientes was a good spot for my group to use as a base to go to Machu Picchu. The breakfast & dinner included was a major plus, while the rooms could use improvement, especially with the poor insulation from noise.
Have you stayed in Aguas Calientes to visit Machu Picchu before? How was your experience? Comment below!
Happy travels,
Ty
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