Hotel Casa Andina Premium Arequipa (Arequipa, Peru)

Restored to its original grandeur, this storied sillar (white volcanic stone) colonial mansion is the only 5-star hotel in Arequipa’s historic center - and is as much living museum as it is hotel. Inhabiting the 1794 former Casa de la Moneda (Mint House)-a National Historic Monument -it is Arequipa’s finest hotel and one of the most sumptuous hotels to stay in all of Peru. Meticulously restored and remodeled in 2008 after more than a century of neglect, the hotel features high vaulted ceilings, 2 ample colonial courtyards, and an elegant gourmet restaurant. The lengthy restoration unearthed numerous surprises, including original frescoes, reliefs, and even a chapel long hidden from view. Five spectacularly large suites have unrivaled Republican-era flavor, yet the historic mansion has also been ingeniously adapted: a unique architectural skylight shields the main courtyard from Arequipa’s intense sun, and 36 new rooms occupy a sleek modern adjunct structure off a second interior patio. Brilliantly illuminated at night, the hotel is in the heart of Arequipa’s historic quarter, just around the corner from the magnificent 16th-century Santa Catalina Convent and only 3 blocks from Arequipa Plaza de Armas.