We had one night here and arrived late afternoon. The staff on duty at reception did not speak English, but were cheerful and friendly. The room was small, but had large comfortable beds and a tv. The bathroom was large and well appointed. There was no heating or cooling, but the late afternoon sun streaming through the window kept the place cosy.

Great location, in the centre of town and easy walking distance to everything. And yet it was peaceful, with very limited street noise.

Plenty of hot water in the afternoon to wash off the Colca canyon dust. However, major disappointment at 5am, when we got up to catch an early flight - absolutely zero hot water. Not sure if this was an isolated case, but a significant black mark from me. I live for hot water. Having said that, I'd possibly stay here again. Can't comment on breakfast as we left before the dining room opened.

I stayed at the Crismar for one month (got a job in Arequipa for the summer), so I think I know what I am talking about. The Crismar is a basic, nice hotel. Location is great (walking distance to most of the Arequipa highlights: Plaza de Armas, Catedral, Iglesia de los Jesuitas, Convento de Santa Catalina, calle San Francisco, etc.); Price is great (around $40 USD for a renovated room: nice, clean, big, comfortable beds, cable TV, free Internet, modern bathrooms, tons of hot water); Staff is great (really nice and helpful).

El Libertador is a better hotel by far, BUT if you want to stay in a nice centrally located hotel (for one-third of the price), I would recommend the Crismar. As I said, it is nothing more than a 3 or 2.5 star hotel, but it is a really decent place to stay.

I went to Arequipa on business. My husband came along with me. We stayed at the Crismar Hotel following a colleague's recommendation. The rooms have been recently renovated. We found everything very clean and comfortable. The location is fantastic; we could walk almost everywhere: the Plaza de Armas, stores, the main restaurants. Breakfast is good and the staff really goes out of their way to please you. Friendly and service oriented staff, although not all of them speak English. Free wireless Internet in the room. We had stores and a pharmacy within 20 meters from the hotel. Tons of hot water in the shower. Excellent experience that I would love to repeat every time that I go to Arequipa. Highly recommendable.

The Crismar hotel in Arequipa is very comfortable and clean. The breakfast was average (eggs, coffee or tea, buns and jam). The location is very good (1 block from the main plaza), and the views from some of the upper floors of the Cathedral would be amazing. My only complaint about the hotel is that the staff did not speak english (except for one lady that was occasionally there during the day). I would highly suggest this hotel to anyone that is fluent in Spanish, and I would stay here again after taking more spanish lessons! However, this is the only hotel in Peru that we encountered that did not have a reception that spoke english. I think the Crismar hotel is more of a business hotel, than a tourist hotel.