Sometimes You Just Have to Splurge

After escaping from our nightmare tour, John and I were keen for some relaxation and solitude. So we checked ourselves into the Aranwa Hotel & Wellness in the Sacred Valley near Cuzco.

A trail of flowers led us from the front door to our king-sized bed.

Sometimes we forget we're still technically newlyweds, but here we were reminded.

The beautiful pool and chapel

From the moment the front gates swung open and welcomed us, we felt the stress and worries of the last couple of weeks melt away. For two days we would do nothing but wander around the grounds, eat delicious food and indulge in treatments at the largest spa in South America.

We toured the fabulous Machu Picchu Orchid Garden, which is full of beautiful flowers, succulents and bonsai trees.

We explored every romantic nook and cranny on the property.

The resort has its own museum, art gallery, library, cinema, orchid garden and gorgeous gardens with koi ponds. On our first walk around the property we discovered two beautiful macaws in some trees. How did we find them? The blue and yellow bird was calling out to us, "Hola."

His less chatty amigo

Peacocks and alpacas also roam around here. And if we weren't encountering quirky little animals, we were greeted with smiles by the staff everywhere we turned. The people at the resort really made the experience for us. While some resorts promise excellent service, Aranwa really delivered. Our every need was attended to and employees went out of their way to make sure we had total luxury. When we entered a room we were greeted immediately and attended to at all times. While we've stayed in many high-class places, we've never had such perfect service at every turn.

One of the staff members at breakfast ensured we tried local specialties like this fresh elderberry jam.

On our second day we arranged for treatments at the state of the art Unno Spa. We spent an hour in the thermal pools, sauna and steam room before John had a deep-tissue massage, foot treatment and another special massage for his lymphedema. I finally tried hot stone massage therapy and also had a moisturizing wrap and manicure.

John really enjoyed alpaca in Peru. Here is his dish from Pukawi restaurant, which means "romantic meal" in the Quechua language.

For dessert we enjoyed one of our favourite South American treats: tres leche cake!

While we had already visited Machu Picchu, we can highly recommend that visitors stay here and let the activities department arrange a tour to the site. This resort is located about an hour and a half from Cuzco, so those who don't want to do the Inca Trail or other hikes can still beat the crowds in the morning.

We also dined on one of Andrea's favourite treats: sushi at the Kusi Pisco Bar.

Sashimi was served in the oriental fusion style, similar to Nobu. We also tried different types of Pisco in delicious cocktails.

Even the club sandwich at this resort is unique.

We didn't want to leave, of course, but Lima was calling us. While this indulgence was completely unplanned and over-budget, we don't regret a thing. Sometimes you just need to spoil yourself when travelling.

When is the last time you splurged while travelling? What was your experience?