I have stayed at Orquidea Real Hostal perhaps 6 - 8 times since 2007, and I have also stayed in other hotels in Cuzco for comparison. My daughter and I stayed there in 2009 until my wife arrived, then we all moved to another "upscale" hotel, to accommodate my wife's passion for upscale hotels, but when my wife left Cuzco, my daughter and I moved back to Orquidea Real because we felt "more comfortable" there. "Comfortable" is difficult to define, but for us, it means clean, well-located and safe, good shower, decent bed, inexpensive enough to stay awhile and unpretentious. When I travel, I like to blend in as much as possible, not look like a rich American tourist.

The hotel is old Cuzco "rustic," which described an aesthetic, not a state of age or disrepair. It's the kind of place you remember because of its character. The hotel is built upon Inca foundations, as others have said, and it is atop a daunting stone staircase with a grammar school still higher above the staircase, but the location is splendid, five minutes from the Plaza de Armas along safe streets with modestly priced restaurants and shops on all sides. There is a great day laundry a few steps beyond the staircase. The location is convenient to San Blas and elsewhere in Cuzco. I regularly stay in both hotels and hostals, and Orquidea Real is clearly a hotel with all private rooms.

The included breakfast is basic bread, jam, eggs upon request, coffee, tea or mate, but it is completely adequate and served in a clean, sunny breakfast room. It's the kind of place a budget traveler looks for because he's there to see Cuzco, not to spend his day in the hotel room. The staff is friendly and informative, as you would expect. I was there again in September, 2010, and I was ill with an infection that I contracted elsewhere in South America. The staff could see I was ill, and they went out of their way daily to check on me, to inquire whether they might do anything to assist. They cared about me. You don't get that feeling in a big, impersonal tourist hotel with all the "amenities."

It's difficult to describe Orquidea in a single word or two. "Rustic" fits if you see rustic in a good sense, the opposite of run down, but l think "character" fits better. It has character and is memorable. It's the kind of place a frequent , self-guided traveler looks for and returns to repeatedly. A four-star hotel, tourbus traveler would probably be more comfortable in a place with more amenities, but he'd pay three times as much per night, and he'd miss the essence of what Cuzco and Peru is all about. I agree with another reviewer who said, essentially, when I'm in Cuzco, I'll stay at Orquidea Real.

And by the way, if you do stay there, don't miss the little "picarones" (Peruvian donuts) shop at the bottom of the stairs, across the street on the left . . .

I stayed at this Hostel (hotel) on three separate nights. The beds were comfortable, the shower was hot, the lock on the door worked, I had clean towels and the breakfast was nice....what more could you ask for? The View from the breakfast room overlooks the entire city. The hotel is only 3 block from the Plaza so you can easily walk everywhere. The staff is very nice and speaks wonderful english. It's not fancy, but hey, you're in Peru!

We stayed at the Orquidea Real for 3 separate nights as our base hotel. The staff was wonderful and extremely friendly and attentive. The young staff all spoke English and graciously worked with our 'work in progress' Spanish.
Our room was small, but well kept and clean. Our beds were comfortable with nice down comforters to keep us warm. We had a small television with many channels and even a few in English. Our bathroom was clean and bright. On our second night, we had to ask them to turn on the hot water for us, but once done, we had more than enough HOT water for two full showers.
The stay included breakfast, which was served in a back dining room on the second floor and we were served, cooked to order eggs, fresh rolls with butter and jelly, and fresh coffee and juice. The view of Cuzco was extra!
We were surprised to learn that the hotel offered free wifi access in the lobby, so we'd spend a little time each evening, on the couch in the lobby, checking email and Facebook.
When we went on our 2-day trek to Machu Picchu, they kept our large packs secured in the storage room. When we returned, our packs were waiting for us in our room.
The location of this hotel is perfect. No more than a 5 minute walk from the main Plaza and also from many great restaurants and markets.
We will definitely stay here again when we return.

I stayed at this hotel as part of a package from Gateway travel. Taking into account that Cusco suffered a terrible rain season at the begining of 2010, this hotel (hostal = hotel not hostel as indicated by other guests) needs major renovations before it charges the rates that it is asking for right now. I stayed there for three nights. The first night I was too tired to notice much, and was out in the Sacred Valley the next day. But the second night I noticed that ceiling above my bed was completely coming apart (photo attached). Also, they were in the process of repaving the internal courtyard and the whole place looked like a construction site. The staff is very helpful and very friendly, but the management and Gateway Travel should not host guests in hotels that do not respect basic code rules. The location is great, but the news is there are plenty of hotels around, including one right across from this one that I wish I stayed at.