We ascended the grand staircase, stopping to appreciate the colours and design of the massive stain-glass window on the first landing before completing the stair climb where we found ourselves in a huge open plan dining room with very high ceilings with a double-glazed roof which added masses of light to the room.
Beautifully laid out before us was a buffet breakfast display with the biggest rang e of breakfast/brunch foods that we'd ever seen: The choice was fantastic: here are just some of the foods on offer; fresh fruits of every description, warm, plump cobs of corn of various colours (some we'd never seen before) I shades of white, yellows, reds and even purples, cornbread "to die for", other breads, corn porridge, cereal grains – some new types, jams, spreads, cold meats, eggs cooked on the spot, fresh creamy yogurt, corn pancakes, fresh cream, tomatoes and cucumber, freshly squeezed corn juice, orange, mango, passionfruit juices and tea or freshly brewed coffee. Whew! We sure had an appetite when we saw such a beautiful presented display of food. We sat at small tables and spent at least an hour relaxing, talking and eating our buffet breakfast. We lost count of how many trips we made to the buffet but we enjoyed every morsel of food on our first morning in Peru.
It was great to just relax, chat and drink in the atmosphere and enchantment of Inkaterra La Casona.
It was encouraging to learn that this historic lodge has strong ties to the local communities in and around Cusco and has chosen to hire its entire staff from the immediate area, bringing a range of professional opportunities to local job seekers.
Inkaterra La Casona also organizes donation campaigns for surrounding rural villages, providing them with clothes, school supplies, and other needed commodities and it also works with nearby schools, hosting environmental conservation workshops for students and connecting them to relevant activities.
But there were more surprises in store for us at this historical site.
