Peru

Cusco is the practical starting point for Machu Picchu. The train alone takes four hours, so we stopped treating it as a layover and stayed a few days. JW Marriott El Convento is a former convent, which meant we got some of that history without leaving the hotel. Inkaterra La Casona, also in Cusco, sits closer to why Machu Picchu pulls people in at all — not just the ruins, but the unanswered question of why anyone built a city on top of a mountain.

Lima surprised us. Eight and a half million people, and one of the best food scenes in the world. Most visitors base themselves in Miraflores, the walkable beachside suburb where we stayed. Maido puts that food scene on full display, built on ingredients that don’t grow anywhere else — Andean mountain crops, Amazon produce, and a long Pacific coastline.