Most hotels have one, a bit like the theatre seat that is behind a pillar and obstructs the stage...

The hotel lobby is up 39 steps, and the person below who made the comment about 'no more than you would find in a Mall', was obviously not having a problem with altitude sickness, even after staying there for 7 nights I could not make it up all 39 steps in one go although there is a convenient stone bench at step 19....

As with all Peruvian hotels there are porters on hand to deal with luggage, and of you are doing the side trip to Machu Picchu for one night they will look after your big bags as you only need a small one for the overnight stay at Aguas Calientes.

You get a cup of coca tea when you arrive gasping from getting up the steps, and in fact the water boiler in reception is going all day for this purpose,

Reception staff are polite and helpful, the breakfast is a big spread of fresh fruit, cereal, toast, ham. cheese, scrambled eggs, bread rolls and so on.........You can eat as much as you like so it will last you until the evening if you want.

The room I had was not too big, but then it is in the middle of Cusco, handy for the main square and museums etc. after you have fought your way through all the girls (and a couple of guys) offering massage, the record for this during my stay was 22 times on the 10 minute walk to get to the main square, Cusco really needs to put a stop to this....

The beds are on the hard side of firm and so are the pillows, but everything is nice and clean and the linens are changed daily.

But back to the room......All the rooms starting with 2 with the exception of 202 - 207 (I think), open directly on to the breakfast area so even if you do get a chance to have a lie in you will be woken by the sounds of crockery rattling.

Room 201 is next to the kitchen and at 10pm, when you are trying to have an early night because you have to be up at 5am, you are treated to the dishwasher going and the chef chopping up fruit for breakfast the next day, and if he doesn't do it then he does it a 5am in the morning, which saves you setting an alarm I suppose.

The window to room 201 is almost directly over the main entrance and the steps outside are actually a way through to the street above, in addition there is the doorway to a hostel directly opposite and they can see straight into the room, so you get people passing by and talking at all hours of the day and night.


Have I said enough??

I had a night away during my stay and did ask for another room on my return, they did find me one on the next floor up, but as I was already gasping for breath getting that far I declined.....

This little, cozy hotel was perfect for my solo trip. It was just 2 blocks off of the Plazas de Armas and within the San Blas artisan district. There were 2 flights of stairs to the front door and more to your room, which tries one's high altitude breathing and endurance. It was worth it for the view of the terra cotta colored roof tops and the various church spires. On the street in front of the hotel (Ruinas) there were some good restaurants, a music club (The Frog?), places to buy handmade boots and art, as well as the inexpensive bottle of water (1 sol).

The continental breakfast in the morning was of decent quality; there were many choices of which the chocolate con leche was the best.

The room was clean, and sheets were refresh (my mark of a clean room). There were enough blankets, which you need there in their winter. And enough pillows. The hot water worked and didn't run out!!!! A huge coup! The towels were not plentiful.

The challenge for me was the Internet access. It was intermittent, at best. Sometimes, it just wasn't available. When it was available, it would allow you to be on for 10 minutes and boot you, or an hour and boot you.

1st off, I see some complaints about the steps to the hotel. It’s the equivalent of 2 flights of steps, like in a typical mall. If you’re complaining about that you shouldn’t be in Peru; everything is steps. Everywhere you go you’ll be going up and down hill. The staff does not speak English but they at least try to accommodate you/understand you; use hand signals. As soon as you arrive they give you a hot cup of coca tea; that was very nice. And it’s always set up in the lobby whenever you want it you can simply grab some. The free breakfast was nice; all the basics but they did have the best bacon I have ever had one morning!!! They also have the typical cold ham and cheese, yogurt, fruit coffee, juice, pastries, etc. They have the voltage convertors and blow-dryers if you need to borrow them. In the hall way on each floor and in the dining area they have computers with internet so you can jump on whenever you want; free of charge, that was supper cool since we had not emailed our family the 1st week of the trip. No Wi-Fi that I know of. You can walk down the street and right into the plaza arms (main square) ;5 min walk)

The only bad thing is there is a bar right next door that plays music all night and starts up again early in the morning. You definitely need ear plugs, sleeping pills or something if you’re a light sleeper…which I am. I’m a ridiculously light sleeper so I was very glad I had Ambian…you can also wash it down with some cold beer from the corner store and you’ll sleep like “A Chicken”, as they say in Peru. Careful with the windows, they open but they are tricky. The last day my husband went to open the window and the entire glass pane fell out and crashed to the alley below (no one was there, thank God!); this happened and we knew how to open the window (you must left in 2 spots before pushing it open). The front desk was very cool about it; we were not charged for damages…

At night, at the bottom of the stairs there is a lady who sells meat or egg empanadas…hot meat or egg filled pastry for 1.20 soles (about 44cents American), they were soooo good that we ate them whenever possible instead of going out to dinner. If you go right on the 1st street once you step off the steps of the hotel there is a place about 2 blocks down with pictures of famous Americans eating gyros; they have great food in there for cheap!

We stayed one night here and yes, there are a flight of stairs to climb before reaching the entrance of this place. They served coca tea upon arrival. It's a nice, clean place though and the breakfast buffet was okay (juices, coffee, yogurt, cereal, scrambled eggs, sausage, cold cuts, fruit). There was a portable heater in the room as it does get a bit chilly at night. Location is a few blocks from the main square so it's good except for the stairs. There were two computers available for guests to use and never a wait. Walls are thin and you can hear the tv down the hallway. The staff was pleasant, but most aren't fluent in English. All in all, a satisfactory stay.