Antigua Casona San Blas
Cusco, Peru
Where Incan Foundations Meet Andean Hospitality
Set within San Blas, Cusco’s oldest continuously inhabited neighbourhood, this hotel occupies a casona first built between 1750 and 1800 and painstakingly restored under the guidance of Peru’s Ministerio de Cultura. Adobe walls mixed with cactus and straw, hand-carved wooden balconies, and salvaged roof tiles preserve the building’s colonial character, while radiant heating and soundproofing bring quiet modern comfort to rooms finished in hand-kilned clay brick and Amazonian hardwood.
An unhurried, activity-rich pattern, found throughout the property, presents guests with a selection of pursuits each day. Mornings might begin with a vinyasa class in the heated Exhala Yoga studio, its Amazonian hardwood floors framed by twisting vines, before a session in the hyperbaric chamber to help the body adjust to Cusco’s 3,399-metre altitude. Afternoons invite a stroll down the Cuesta San Blas, past the iconic Twelve-Angled Stone, into the artisan quarters, galleries, and coffee shops that define the neighbourhood, or an active outing along ancient Incan road networks and onto the water by paddle board, framed by the Urubamba mountain range.
At Piedra & Sal, breakfast is made to order from local ingredients, with dishes such as orange-scented french toast, while dinner turns toward contemporary Peruvian recipes including aji de gallina al batán, best enjoyed fireside in the courtyard over an Apasionada cocktail. The in-house spa rounds out the day with steam baths, salt rubs sourced from a local quarry, and Andean herbal massage.
Sustainability runs through every layer of the stay: filtered water in place of bottled, solar-heated laundry and kitchen water, biodegradable packaging, and a tree planted for every guest through the Valle Sagrado Verde reforestation project.
You will love
- Piedra & Sal restaurant & courtyard bar
- Spa with steam bath, jacuzzi & massage treatments
- Hyperbaric oxygen chamber
- Exhala Yoga studio with daily classes
- Gardens & wrap-around colonial balcony
- Airport pick-up (with advance booking)
Let us design your perfect itinerary.
An absolutely fantastic travel company - every one of the many trips they have organised for us over 22 years have been faultless and fabulous.
Judith & Roger Williams
Would do it all again and not change a moment. Best holiday ever!
The McGowan Tribe
It certainly was the best trip we have EVER had. The experiences were mind blowing. We want everyone we know to experience Africa - the animals, the people - magical.
Jo-anne & Dean Mifsud
The Classic Safari Company is the best I have dealt with. Extremely knowledgeable & professional, friendly, patient & understanding of first timers to Africa.
Annette Whiley
Classic Safari Company were brilliant - 10/10
Di & Kingsley Yates
Classic Safari is the place to go to for "top end" adventure travel.
Ron & Alison Guthrie
If you want the most sensational experience in Africa let Julia and the staff at Classic Safari Co plan it for you! Their knowledge, expertise and enthusiasm for their job means your every wish will be fulfilled.
Miriam & Joseph Harrison
Their experience and knowledge of Africa is evident and we couldn't have been happier with the total package. This has given us a taste for Africa - now we are ready for more.
Andrew & Pip Stevens
Classic Safari Company has done it again! A unique experience that ticked all the boxes - wildlife, culture and dining experience. A dream come true!
Ros Wheeler
Absolutely everything was first class & so well organised.
Simon & Jackie Adams
The trip of a lifetime, couldn't have dreamt of a better adventure if I tried.
Emma Jeffcoat
You can't improve on perfection. I had my best birthday and holiday with my family celebrating my 80th birthday in Africa. Everything that Julia organised was perfect and the whole trip was a highlight!
Buckingham Family
Everything was perfect! Advice and information on destinations and activities hit everything I had hoped to experience. I contacted the Classic Safari Company upon recommendation and have now, in turn, recommended to others.
Tim Bradley
Very knowledgeable and patient. Our trip was all that we hoped for. Wonderful!
Jane & Robert Happell
Thank you for making our trip to Africa so spectacular. The attention to detail really made it special. It really was the trip of a lifetime.
Paul Cozzi
An amazing experience - the best family holiday we have ever had. We were extremely impressed by the meticulous attention to our itinerary. I can't speak highly enough of all the elements of this exciting journey!
Sheryl & Robert Taylor
We loved it all. Our son wants to go back tomorrow. We would ALL go back again!
Laurence & Remi Cunningham
Classic Safari are the people who genuinely know other culture and offer incredible insight to perfectly meet your expectations.
Melanie McMillan & Iain Jones
The trip exceeded my expectations and was the best family holiday I have ever had. Our children simply loved it and now I know more about African wildlife than they do about our own farm animals.
Rowntree family
We are so happy we put our trust in CSC, we had an amazing adventure and would recommend them to anyone.
Kim & Brad Balance
Julia you did a fantastic job - everything was first class. Well organised, efficient and stress free. We all agreed it was the best holiday we've ever had. Cant wait to travel with CSC again.
Milford family
We wanted the opportunity to see as many wildlife parks as possible and the Classic Safari Company provided an action-packed itinerary that included six, with 11 tiger sightings and nine leopard. This was overlaid with an introduction to Jaisalmer, Jaipur and the 'real' India. Pench and Panna were the hidden gems of a really great trip, very well organised, seamless and enjoyable. As a solo traveller I felt incredibly safe at all times. I want to go back!
Mark Taylor
Exellent and wonderful, reaching way above expectations.
Elizabeth Mackintosh
Thank you for putting together the ancestral adventure of a lifetime. I cannot speak highly enough of the trip.
Jenny Kidd
