I visited a ONE OF A KIND hotel in CUSCO | Casa Sapantiana

Introduction to Casa Sapantiana

0:03 Okay, look at Casa Sapantiana. Can I fight how Sapantiana means? Can I fight how Sapantiana means Sapan? It's only Indiana. It's where you can sit. Yes, but in Quechua, it means the only one. The only one. Yes, the only one. The only one. Yes, the only one is like, uh, the Inca. You, yeah, this is the only one, the Inca. The only one. This place, this area means that because, remember, Cusco is like a puma, and this area is the neck. And here is this area is very important. It's very unique. Very unique because behind those trees, there is the house of the first Inca. You remember the story about the people who came from Titicaca Lake? Yes, yes. That was the first house. Wow. It's for that this area is very, very important. Yes, it's the only one.

1:17 Yes, so for those who may have missed out, Freddie explained to us that when you were spent, you were in Inca times, there was only one Inca. It's a mistake to say 'the Incas.' The Inca was the leader, and he's the only Inca. And everyone else would be referred to as Quechua.

The Unique Ambiance and Amenities

2:15 This is gorgeous. This is one of a kind. This is really a one-of-a-kind type of experience. So for my viewers who haven't quite been to Cusco yet, this is amazing.

2:36 I mean, it's just stunning. You can hear the running water, it's so relaxing. You can see the city below. You're very close to the city, and yet you have a sense of privacy here. Yes, yes. You don't feel like you're in a, uh, you're surrounded by people. It's quiet here. It's very quiet. For example, this area, it's for every guest because the people can make some tea or maybe cook something here because it's for the guests. And my rooms, it's with a private service, private bathroom, hot water. Everything, it's a good quality thing. And it's very quiet because the people who came, for example, from Lima, they're tired of the noisy, for something. And here is a relaxing place. A relaxing place. Oh, it's so relaxing. Yes, it's beautiful here.

3:34 But I only have seven rooms. He only has. He only has seven rooms. So this is something that if you want this kind of experience, it's recommended to book in advance. Yes, some people can find on the internet, Casa's Airbnb booking. So, so he has a big variety depending on whether you're a fan of booking or Airbnb or all these other types of sites. It's Casa Sapantiana, and located in Cusco, Peru. And this is really a one-of-a-kind place.

Historical Significance and Local Insight

4:07 Just to show you kind of the outside here. It's very gorgeous. And something else to consider that if you do stay here, if you're looking to visit Saksaywaman, then you can absolutely hire Freddie. Freddie's also a really wonderful guide. He has some really unique local insight. It's not going to be your standard, uh, tour. It's going to be really, really special and meaningful.

4:31 And I mentioned it to Freddie before, but while I think that this place is obviously beautiful, anybody can see a picture of Cusco and they can see that you're in a gorgeous place, it's also a place with incredible meaning. It shouldn't be understated that this is a very, very special place that has a lot of beautiful history. We've talked about the Inca, we've talked about the Quechua people, we've talked about the agriculture, the engineering, the astronomy, the different ways that the Inca were particularly respectful of other religions. And in a time that that wasn't necessarily, you can't really, you didn't have the internet at the time. So now we know it's good to be tolerant, but hundreds of years ago, that was a relatively novel idea.

5:23 I'd say if you are relaxing, you have a good day, every day. Yes, you are quiet. You always listen. You can talk slowly. You can talk with everybody slowly, without problems, because you're relaxing here. That's something I want to thank Freddie for mentioning, because I came to Cusco from Bogota, and my first few days in Cusco, I was, oh, go, go, go, go. Because in Bogota, there's so much traffic, there's so many people, nine million people in Bogota. And I felt that, but then really quickly, I noticed, oh wow, the local people here are very, very easy-going, and I need to slow it down because I'm in their place. They're not in the United States, I'm in Peru. And I'm so glad that I did, because I feel so much healthier. For those who don't know, I did see a doctor before I left the States because it was so noisy and stressful, I was starting to have concerns about my cardiovascular health. And she definitely recommended making some lifestyle changes. And so, if you're somebody like me that doesn't like the stress of the city and you want to slow down, here is the perfect place for that.

Exploring the Guest Rooms

6:35 Can I show you my room? Sure, sure. Take these. Take the mic if you. Thank you. Okay. This is the high level. It's the most beautiful view here. You can see the city from this area. It's nice too, and it's quiet. Now, the low levels, I'll show you my rooms. Okay. So this is this.

8:12 And you get the fresh breeze. It smells so refreshing. So sometimes in the United States, you see like a Dawn commercial, soap commercial, or Bounty soap. It feels like I'm in a soap commercial. Such a clean and warm. And he has gorgeous artwork here. This, of course, this, of course, he has a bathroom.

8:45 Yes, it's hot water all day, all day, because it's with the system of gas. All day, you have hot water. And we have a nice internet Wi-Fi. So you do have Netflix and Wi-Fi. All the conveniences that a lot of travelers really, really enjoy and really find requisite for a complete, uh, visit. A modern television, flat screen. It's going to have a lot of this entertainment that if you're too tired from having your busy day, then you'll be able to relax here and sit on the bed. And yes, you can. Oh, that's comfortable. Yes. Oh, it's a comfortable bed. Oh, I'm so used to staying on. This is a nice bed too, I have to say. I always like to be honest about the bed when I stay somewhere, and I can recommend this place. Shout out to Dave and Tanya again. They're really great about doing those bed tests. I don't have time for one of those right now. Of course, I'm not renting this room, but this is a really comfortable bed.

Handcrafted Furniture and Artistic Details

9:53 Important because I make this. You made the chair. I made these chairs. They're beautiful. Yes, I wanted to ask you about this. I'm glad you mentioned something because look at that, and it shows symbology, very important. Yeah, it's very important. This is the sun. This is the llama. You remember we talked about the llama? The way. And here is an Inca. But if you put two chains next to the one, it's a face. Please, incredible.

10:42 But this is different because this is a sleeve, and this is very heavy. But you can see the differences. And where did you get this idea, Freddie?

11:15 My name in this room. I feel this. I feel the Inca history. I feel all of my ancestors. And I think in the chase. And I place my fill here. In this chase. This is all you can see. Only these chairs. Only in Sapantiana. They're so beautiful. Yes, it is. They're so beautiful. So beautiful. It's heavy. Try, try moving.

11:52 So I lift a lot of weights. For those who don't know, and this chair is heavy. That's, that's, that's a heavy chair. Yes, it is. How many kgs do you think? I think. Yeah, yeah, that sounds about right. So that chair, it's a 50-pound chair. It's not going anywhere. And these kinds of things are really unique to here. I like to accentuate the unique aspects of different places that I stay. The advantages. And this is something that I have not. It's not just an advantage of staying at Zappantia, but it's also a very unique thing. You're staying here at a very, very close to a very, very special site, Saksaywaman. And you're also interacting with people who know the traditions and they're living the traditions. And they incorporate this beautiful expression of tradition and heritage through this hard work. This is really not easy to do.

12:54 I worked in arts and crafts sales for a long time before I started getting into engineering. And I would, I was not selling or working with art of this caliber. This, this is something that's very rare. I see things like this that have so much love and attention put into it, and yet they're also very functional. People can sit here and enjoy many meals. They're sturdy, so a lot of people will enjoy sitting here and utilizing these chairs. And the table is also traditionally carved.

Authentic Cusco Experience

13:50 One week to make one chair. Yes. And you're a hard worker, so that's a full week. Not just one or two hours here and there. It's so you got up every day and that until you went to bed, that was the project. It was a big project because we once built this house, but we rebuilt in around one year. One year for the bills? No, on the rooms. For everything. And my job was this, the chairs and the tables. One week, one chair. I have two chairs and one table in every room. Wow. So he didn't just do this one time. He did this for all seven rooms in this place. And I'm sure there's some for his family that they can enjoy as well. But that's the thing is, you're not, when you book a place here, it's not, 'Oh, I lucked out and got this room.' Every room has this attention and detail and love and care. And his blood, sweat, and tears in this. And it's so much different. I mentioned I traveled to a variety of countries. A lot of hotels are sterile. You know, you go in, it's like you're in America. I don't, there's a lot of things I love about America, but America, everything looks the same. And when you go to some hotels, they want to copy the American style. And it's, everything's got to be stone, polished, mirrors, TV. And here it feels local. It feels like I'm in Cusco naturally. You want to have running water, you want to have a toilet, shower. Nobody wants to go without that. But that being said, you don't feel like you're in just another hotel here. You feel like you're really in Cusco. You feel the Incas looking over you, the Quechua looking over you. And it's really inspiring. It, I feel like for people who may be struggling with spirituality or philosophy, this is something that could really help in that journey. And understanding these, understanding the ingeniousness of these people is something that I'm going to take away with me for the rest of my life.

Inca History and Symbolism

16:04 And yeah, I can't, I can't thank you enough, Freddie. This is really, really special. And look at that. That it's Khipu. People, the system of accounting. Wow, like an abacus. Same, but this is special. Only the Incas know how they use this. Only the Incas. It's very, very special. It's the name, it's Khipu, and the material they make it from.

16:37 Yes, yes, it's very, very important to keep in Inca's.

16:50 It was very important to keep in Inca's time. Time was very important, and you need to feel that if you stay in Cusco. That detail, the Kipu, the table, the chairs, it's very important for us to pay respect to the ancients. It's very, very important, and you need a good bed, you know, a comfortable bed where you can sleep like a baby.

Proximity to Cusco's Attractions

17:32 It's very important for us, and I do want to make clear to the audience that we're not very far from the town. Even though you feel here that you're very peaceful and very quiet, and you have privacy, you're also within a short walk of the old city. So you get the best of both worlds.

17:51 It's the best choice because we are next to the main square, maybe four blocks away, a 10 or 12-minute walk from the main square. And look, you have a special place here next to the mountains and the river, with the birds singing in the morning. If you go out, it's the city; you have the city in front and the mountains behind. It's special.

18:27 It's perfect for that because I think sometimes in the old city, I feel like I'm in the hustle and bustle because it's very popular. But here, we're blocks away from that, and yet you feel like you're in your own private sanctuary. Even though we're really close to the city, it's extremely rare that you don't feel the things you don't like about the city.

18:51 If you want the energy, you just walk a few blocks, and you're in the middle of town, in one of the most popular areas for tourism. There are going to be a lot of things to do there. It's a very good location combined with a very good setting, and this is really special.

The Lesson of Respect

19:11 So, if there's one thing that you would want people watching this to learn or consider when they come here to the place of the Quechua, the place of the Inca, what kind of lesson do you think your ancestors would want them to learn?

19:43 First, about respect. Respect for the people, the Incas. Because respect is the one thing in life. If you respect your body, you can respect other people. That's the most important thing.

20:10 It makes so much sense. Yes, because after respect comes everything else. The base is respect. The Incas always respected everything: the natural world, the people, the new tribes. Everything.

20:35 That is the most important thing for the Incas, and I think it's true. Just think, if you respect everything, people will respect you. That makes so much sense. That's why I fit in here.

20:49 That's something that I admire so much about the people here. It seems like there's this fundamental value of respect, where people are saying, 'We need to operate from the premise of respect.' A lot of things can be built on respect, but without respect, you can't have the other things anyway.

21:11 I apologize for cutting you off, but that's something I've been thinking about for weeks. Why do I like it here so much? Because anytime I like a place, I'm always questioning in my mind, 'Is it just vacation, or do I really like it?'

21:27 Anyway, could you speak a bit more on respect? Yes, it's very important because, for example, if you feel bad, if you hate something in your body, you don't respect yourself. You need to respect yourself, even if you have three hands or something unusual. You need to respect yourself because you are in your body.

22:01 You mean if you respect yourself, you can respect other people? It's the base of civilization. It's the primordial, the one thing for me. For the Incas, the Incas respected everything. For example, they respected the mountains, the water, Pachamama, the mother earth, the sky, the lightning, everything.

22:39 That's why they could grow so fast, in just 400 years. Other civilizations maybe took a thousand years and were smaller. Why? Because maybe they fought or didn't use respect. They didn't operate on respect.

23:04 But the Inca civilization, they seem very smart. That was the most important thing in the empire. And I understand now because about 10 years ago, my life was awful. I didn't have life because I hated my friends, or I don't know what I was doing, but I had a big problem. I was going to the div, I wanted to kill my body.

23:47 Then I understood I needed the past, I needed respect, then I could grow again in my life. I think now I respect everybody. I try because it's very hard. It's very, very hard. It's complicated, but you need to try everything.

24:18 It's difficult, but if you try every day, you can. And for me, that's the best. And for the Incas, that was the best, the primordial thing.

24:38 That's really heavy, but thank you so much for sharing. I'm going to take that lesson with me for the rest of my life: to continue to remember to operate on respect.

Respectful Tourism and Local Cuisine

24:48 And also, that's what I love about this place because I don't feel like I'm getting respect for being a tourist. I feel like I'm getting respect for being respectful. I try to show people respect and use respect in language, and I feel like that gets reciprocated. That's been really validating for me.

25:12 Because sometimes, when you are a tourist, you feel like you're looked at as money bags and nothing more. And here, I don't feel that way. A little bit in Plaza de Armas, but that's in every single city around the world. Any time you go anywhere similar to Plaza de Armas, that's not the fault of Peru; that's just part of the industry. You have to understand that's how people make a living.

25:35 I used to be in a similar line of work, so I can understand the people who are wanting to sell their wares and stuff. But even then, it's much more respectful, even there, than some other places where people don't take no for an answer. Even there, people take no for an answer, and people here take no for an answer sometimes.

25:54 Somebody invites me to a restaurant, and I don't have time, I say 'No, gracias.' They aren't getting upset with me. Some places you go, 'Oh, how dare you!' But here, 'Oh, okay, I understand.' And then sometimes I pause, turn around, and go and eat because I think, 'Ah, they were so nice,' and I'm sure the food is good because we're in Peru. Every single place, all the food is good.

26:16 And then it turns out, 'Oh, now I'm eating in a local restaurant, and I'm surrounded by people that live here.' And I know the food is good because people that live here wouldn't eat here if it wasn't good.

A Dream-Like Peruvian Experience

26:25 And also, this place is a dream. The best way that I've conceptualized coming to Peru, it feels like I'm still asleep, and I want to pinch myself because I didn't think any place could have all the things that I like, but in one place. Every time I've gone somewhere new, I'm like, 'Oh, but it doesn't have this.' Here, it has everything, and I'm still dumbfounded over that.

26:49 Yeah, thank you very much. It's a pleasure. It was a pleasure to walk with you up here in Cusco.

27:03 I like working, I like to explain something. It's a pleasure. What's the place for me? You are a good person. Thank you so much, Freddie. Thank you.

Contact Information and Farewell

27:14 Before we wrap up, I want to wrap up because I know that you have some obligations. Your name is Freddie Alvarez. So if they're looking to contact you, they'll ask for...

27:27 People can contact me with Sapantiana. And I do apologize, if somebody was wanting specifically for your guidance... Yes, specifically for the guidance.

27:53 So the branding here is Sapantiana. That's the name. Okay, good. I want to clarify because sometimes people ask how they can get in contact with them or how they can meet them. I want people to be very clear: they're contacting Sapantiana. So, wonderful. Thank you again so much, Freddie.

28:08 No, thank you too. I see you on WhatsApp. Perfect. Perfect. Links in Instagram and Facebook, so I'll definitely be including those links. So for those who are planning a trip to Cusco, if you want to get in touch with Freddie, and maybe you have specific questions, you can contact him on WhatsApp and book both his accommodation and his tour services. Like I said, very affordable and highly recommended.

28:36 I hope everybody has enjoyed this, and we'll talk to you soon.