Danielle, in Aracari's marketing team goes to visit Atemporal, a small boutique hotel with the intimacy and warmth of a B&B that leans towards luxury with its style, service and attention to detail. Atemporal – the new (but old) kid on the block It’s not often that a new hotel in Lima opens that meets the calibre that Aracari requires for our discerning guests. So I was excited to check out Atemporal hotel, opened in August 2016, on an inspection visit with Aracari’s travel team. We recognise the building’s unique façade from photos before getting out of our taxi. Housed in a revamped 1940s mansion in the chic Miraflores district, there’s no sign revealing that it’s a hotel – Atemporal's intention is to remain discreet and private for its guests. As we enter, we're greeted by the Maître de Maison and the General Manager. There’s no front desk as you’d expect on arrival at a hotel – just a beautifully decorated and welcoming entrance hall befitting a stately home. The elegant and eclectic décor is a sign of what’s to come. The ‘timeless’ hotel Atemporal lives up to its name. Meaning ‘timeless’ in Spanish, throughout the hotel there’s a bridge between the old and new, making it hard to place it in a particular era. Antiques and collectables are comfortably combined with state of the art technology for an aesthetically pleasing yet uncompromisingly comfortable stay. The smooth combination of old and new is no accident. Atemporal hotel comes from the same design team behind the award-winning Hotel B, in the neighboring district of Barranco, and Titilaka, the luxury hotel on the shores of Lake Titicaca. The nine rooms are spread across two floors; there are two categories on offer with approximately 28 square metres or 18 square metres respectively. Each room is slightly different and
Danielle, in Aracari’s marketing team goes to visit Atemporal, a small boutique hotel with the intimacy and warmth of a B&B that leans towards luxury with its style, service and attention to detail. Atemporal – the new (but old) kid on the block It’s not often that a new hotel in…
Culinary Travel in Peru Aracari’s Peru Gastronomy expert and PR advisor, Maria Julia Raffo, tells her part of the Aracari story. She shares what it's like to scope out new products and great places to eat for guests, constantly in search of new experiences, as we look back on 20 years of Aracari. I met Marisol in 1986 in London. She had just graduated and was working in Finance in the city. We were both living in London, had mutual friends and have basically been good friends ever since. When she told me she was moving back to Peru and shared her plans for Aracari, I was really excited and fully supported her. What Marisol started doing was completely different. There was some tourism here in Peru, but in those days it was very traditional tours, taking people to tourist traps. Marisol really was a pioneer in sustainable tourism, engaging with projects and individuals who were seeking to develop initiatives that really uplifted the communities. Over the years I’ve been involved with Aracari in different guises. I travelled with Aracari as a client in 2006. It was a wonderful trip showing my homeland Peru to my daughter. It was great to experience the Aracari offering as a client and to see Peru from the perspective of a visitor. As expected, everything was taken care of and the most thoughtful touches made it an incredible experience. I particularly remember Fernando Silva, our wonderful guide in Cusco. Later, when I moved back to Lima, I started to get more and more involved with Aracari as Marisol asked for advice and assistance here and there, particularly with Peru culinary travel. I've done quite a few trips with Marisol as well, testing products and seeking out the best for Aracari's clients. Then eventually she suggested we
Culinary Travel in Peru Aracari’s Peru Gastronomy expert and PR advisor, Maria Julia Raffo, tells her part of the Aracari story. She shares what it’s like to scope out new products and great places to eat for guests, constantly in search of new experiences, as we look back on 20 years…
Expert guiding in Peru We're celebrating the people that are part of the Aracari family throughout our 20 year history. Here's a spotlight on Fernando Silva who offers expert guiding in Cusco and Machu Picchu who first connected with us over twenty years ago! Tell me about yourself and how you got involved in tourism? I’m from Cusco – born and bred and have lived here all my life. I’ve been involved in tourism for over 26 years – I started as an assistant cook, then a cook, then an assistant guide and now I’m an officially registered guide in Cusco. And how did you meet Marisol or get involved with Aracari? I met Marisol more than 20 years ago on one of her trips to Cusco. I was actually her guide on the Inca Trail and we discussed her ideas and vision for starting a travel company to bring people from all over the world to visit Peru. I really agreed with her perspective and drive to do something unique with a focus on authentic experiences and ethical, low-impact tourism and wanted to be part of it. Tell us about those early years and what was different about Aracari Aracari really was the pioneer in the type of experience they offered guests. Marisol scoped out unique places and experiences that no other company took visitors to. I often take guests to Hacienda Huayoccari and tell them that Marisol came here and fell in love with it, and discussed with the owners the possibility of bringing guests here for lunch. Now many other companies have followed suit and the place is very popular. And what’s it like working with Aracari clients? Aracari clients do their homework! They read up beforehand, and also get a lot of information from the Aracari librito (welcome booklet) which
Expert guiding in Peru We’re celebrating the people that are part of the Aracari family throughout our 20 year history. Here’s a spotlight on Fernando Silva who offers expert guiding in Cusco and Machu Picchu who first connected with us over twenty years ago! Tell me about yourself and how you got involved…
Over the years Aracari's founder and CEO Marisol has scoped out and tested the best hotels and hideaways to recommend to our guests. As part of our 20th anniversary celebrations, we catch up with Martha Giraldo, a personal friend of Marisol and owner of Suasi Island on Lake Titicaca, a property Marisol and Aracari have worked with from the beginning. Suasi Island - Lake Titicaca Tell us about how you ended up at Suasi Island? I bought Suasi island from my grandmother, 28 years ago. I wanted to replenish the natural habitat because eucalyptus was everywhere, overrunning the island. The idea was to bring back Andean trees and flora from the area that would lead to hummingbirds and other animals and insects from the region returning to the island. Now there are lush trees and native flowers blooming all over Suasi Island - it's beautiful. How did you first meet Marisol? We met in Puno in the early 90’s when Marisol was visiting the Yavari Ship on Lake Titicaca. Marisol was travelling around Peru on the look out for exciting places to recommend to guests, in order to start her dream of opening an authentic luxury travel company. How has Aracari been involved in Suasi Island over the years? Marisol visited the lodge on Suasi Island when it was still under construction and sent her first clients soon after. We hosted those guests when only two of the now 24 rooms were finished. They enjoyed it, and Marisol and Aracari have been promoting Suasi Lodge ever since. What has changed on Suasi since the Lodge first opened? What future developments are in the works? Casa Andina (hotel chain) took over running the lodge from 2005 to 2015. Now that it is back in our hands, we are continuing our focus on sustainability and promoting low impact trips to Peru
Over the years Aracari’s founder and CEO Marisol has scoped out and tested the best hotels and hideaways to recommend to our guests. As part of our 20th anniversary celebrations, we catch up with Martha Giraldo, a personal friend of Marisol and owner of Suasi Island on Lake Titicaca, a property…
Aracari offers guests unparalleled insight into Peru's rich history and culture with our specialists guides - experts in their fields offering unique perspectives and wonderful company. Here we catch up with Lisy Kuon, a true expert on art and history in Cusco, who has been part of the Aracari family for many years. Lisy guides exclusively for Aracari in Cusco, accompanying guests on the Andean Baroque Route and to Cusco's city highlights such as Belmond Monasterio, sharing her knowledge and insight on colonial art and Antrhopology in Peru. Specialist guide in Cusco Lisy Kuon Can you tell us a bit about your background and the focus of your work? I studied Humanities and Anthropology at the National University of Cusco and the University of Washington in Seattle, specialising in expressive anthropology, now known as visual culture, of the Southern Peruvian Andes from the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries. My focus for the last 40 years has been on colonial art from Cusco and Puno. I have presented my research as cultural presentations as well as publications in books and articles in Peru and abroad. How did you first meet Marisol and when did you first start working with Aracari? I met Marisol through mutual friends in Cusco more or less ten years ago. We started talking about art and history in Cusco, and Marisol suggested that I could showcase some of the hidden gems of the city to Aracari guests with an interest in learning more about art and history in Cusco.. Can you tell us about the visit you take Aracari guests on to Monasterio? What is special about the building and why do you like taking visitors there? I thought that Aracari guests would be interested in a visit to the former seminary of San Antonio Abad, one of the colonial buildings that most represents the Cusqueño
Aracari offers guests unparalleled insight into Peru’s rich history and culture with our specialists guides – experts in their fields offering unique perspectives and wonderful company. Here we catch up with Lisy Kuon, a true expert on art and history in Cusco, who has been part of the Aracari family for many years. Lisy…
As Aracari reflects on 20 years of offering bespoke luxury trips to Peru, Bolivia and the Galapagos, Danielle speaks to Raul Varela, the company’s longest serving employee. The phone rings in Aracari’s office and Matt, our Sales Manager, answers. It’s a woman who travelled to Peru with her family in 2003 with Aracari. They’re considering another trip and she wants to speak to Raul. Thirteen years later the name, the face and the impression stuck. For most Aracari guests, Raul is the face of Aracari customer service and the official 'welcome to Peru'. As our Customer Service Representative, he’s the one waiting at the airport in Lima whether its 2pm or 2am – the first smiling face that greets guests, sorts out any problems, and gets their vacation started. When asked about his job and what he enjoys, Raul said: “I love my job. My wife says that my face changes when I’m getting ready to go to work. Even if it’s at 1am to collect someone from the airport. I just love it meeting people and getting their vacation started. I’ve travelled the world without leaving Lima!” Raul is one of Aracari’s longest serving employees, and has watched the company grow and evolve over the decades. He reflects fondly on the small office with seven employees that he joined and talks about pioneering a customer service charter in the early days. Many things have changed over the years, but Raul is confident that the level of service provided and focus on customers has remained constant through the years, and true to the values and ethos held by Aracari. “Luxury travel Peru starts with me at the airport”. He’s proud to declare that after all these years, he’s never said ‘no’ to a guest. “Sometimes I have to say ‘maybe’ or ‘I’ll
As Aracari reflects on 20 years of offering bespoke luxury trips to Peru, Bolivia and the Galapagos, Danielle speaks to Raul Varela, the company’s longest serving employee. The phone rings in Aracari’s office and Matt, our Sales Manager, answers. It’s a woman who travelled to Peru with her family in…
