In honor of International Women’s Day, Aracari is celebrating women who dedicate their lives to leading responsible businesses connected to tourism in Perú. Here, you’ll meet Petit Miribel of Sol y Luna.
Petit Miribel is the owner and creator of Sol y Luna, one of the most beautiful hotels in the Sacred Valley, and a Relais & Chateaux property. Sol y Luna was founded in the mid-’90s, and is a treasured benchmark for locally inspired luxury in Perú. Petit is originally from France. She and her husband Franz, who is Swiss, were living Perú in the ‘90s when they decided to move to the stunning natural area where Sol y Luna was born. They were drawn to the beauty of the location and their love of the outdoors.
“The place itself is paradise, gardens filled with flowers and hummingbirds, the high Andes Mountains surrounding us and the original, vibrant art throughout the casitas and restaurants,” Petit says. “All these things are the unique face of Sol y Luna.”
Empowering The Community
Sol Y Luna Hotel is intimately connected to the Sol y Luna Foundation, a school providing primary and secondary education to underprivileged children and children with special needs in the area. “This project is something that started with a dream – my belief that education should be for all – and has turned into a reality that I could never have imagined when I started out. Our school and foundation is a real-life example of my definition of sustainability. What could be more sustainable than giving children education? It is like giving them a key which they can decide how to use, and which doors to open.”
Sol y Luna doesn’t stop there, though: the hotel is also dedicated to environmental sustainability. “Reducing one-use plastic to minimizing waste in our restaurants, which brings me back to my first definition [of sustainability], as our kitchen team also feeds the school children and workers so there is not too much opportunity for waste!”
“Sol y Luna was created by my husband Franz and me, and there are so many feminine aspects,” Petit explains. “We have a pink restaurant, for example, painted the same color as a rose that I love, but also I believe there is a balance of masculinity there which reflects Franz. In the end, I think we all have feminine and masculine elements so it’s important to have both in our property so that it feels balanced.”
“I am a huge believer in empowering anyone who has a dream to try and fulfill it. For this I provide education at the Sol y Luna School. It’s for women and men, and differently-abled children as well. I believe we are all of equal standing and should be given the same opportunities.”
For Petit, luxury is sharing a moment with her family, surrounded by nature in its most pure and untouched form. Petit and Franz live with their children, the wonderful Thomas and Melanie, at Sol y Luna most of the year.
Learn more about Sol y Luna here or contact us today to start planning your next trip!