Without hesitation, our six nights at Casona les Pleiades will be repeated when we return to Cusco.
This small hotel with probably eight modest but clean, comfortable and attractive rooms has a staff that is welcoming, solicitious and helpful. If you need assistance with tours, a guide or reliable information on how to make your own trip arrangements in and around Cusco they are excellent and patient resources.
Most rooms have an exceptional view of Cusco and are located on several floors around a center courtyard. Also, there is a common room with books, TV and internet. Wifi is also available and worked perfectly during our visit. In the dining room a very nice breaksfast is served every morning.
The Casona is conveniently located on a narrow, winding cobblestone pedestrian-only street like many in the San Blas neighborhood. Reaching Cusco's main Plaza requires a straight ten minute walk or for a less steep version you can take a kind of a circle route. Since San Blas rises above the city walking around is sometimes good aerobic exercise. However, Cusco and the San Blas neighborhood are such fascinating areas that a little huffing and puffing seems almost worthwhile.
If you are taking a taxi from the airport or the bus station to the hotel, be sure to have the taxi drop you off at Plaza San Blas in front of the church. From there it is a very short walk up some stairs to Tandapata and then left a few feet to the hotel. Tandapata is a long pedestrian street and taxis may drop you off at the wrong end of the street. Then you could be in for a long luggage dragging walk.
We split our trip into two three day stays with a trip to Machu Picchu in between and the hotel graciously kept our bags secured until we returned. There are many magnificent cultural and historic sites around Cusco but try not to miss the salt pans in Salinas and the Inca ampitheater site in Moray.
We couldn't have enjoyed our stay in Cusco more thanks in large part to the attention we received at this pleasant little hotel. We couldn't recommend it more highly. A superb value.
