You have to put this hotel in context and consider that it is located in a very remote, hot and humid part of the world. At the same time, calling it 5-star conjures up images which it cannot and does not match.

Iquitos is a busy, small, dirty, hot, sweaty, lively, noisy-with-hustle-and-bustle kind of place. There are roaches on the street, "tuk tuks" everywhere and kids working hard to sell you souvenirs. I loved the place but I realise more delicate people won't want to leave the refuge of their hotel. This one is in a great location in the main square with shops, restaurants etc all on its doorstep and Eiffel's Iron House close by. The street frontage is nice and stylish if I recall correctly but once inside you already start to think, "5-star? Are you sure?" as everything looks quite drab.

Our room on the 4th floor was fairly big and had almost everything we could need including a little lounge/TV area with a sofa and coffee table, a safe, a minibar, large wardrobe (no iron though) and a sizeable bathroom. It was let down by the tired decor, thin walls (we could hear our neighbours' heated discussion) and the view overlooking an unoccupied building but we were very comfortable.

The pool area is lovely as others have described. The restaurant is an atmosphere-free cafe - there are lots of better options nearby if you are happy to explore a bit. The bar tucked along a side wall is also fairly unappealing. The lobby offers surprisingly little respite from the heat as it is atrium-style and almost feels open-air. The staff are friendly and helpful and I'm assured this is the best hotel in Iquitos.

I stayed at this hotel after 8 days in the jungle camping. We needed air conditioning and a great shower and bed. Obviously I have no problems roughing it.

We arrived and were checked in - I specifically asked about the air conditioning and was told they had it. We were escorted to our room which was adequate - and the bell man turned on the air conditioner and told us about the temperature control. We set it at the coldest setting and went to dinner.

On our return at 9 pm the room was still hot. I called to the front desk and was told it was broken and they were working on it. I asked for a fan to be sent to our room as the windows did not open. At 10 pm no fan - and the room was 32 degrees celcius. I called down and was told that they did not expect the air con to be fixed but the would send a fan. At 10:20 pm I went in person to get a fan or get moved. I was told that the air con had not been working for several days. I asked for the manager who eventually came after 20 minutes. He finally suggested that he would move us to his sister property a block down. We agreed and also asked for a concession on the rate. He offered 30% off which we agreed to.

By now it is after 11 pm and we have packed up and he cannot figure out how to give us the discount. He offered us a late check out (which we did not need). My husband was so pissed off and exhausted that he agreed so we could get some sleep. The next day at the new hotel we discovered their rack rate was at leat $60 cheaper. We had to leave for the airport and did not have time to argue.

Overall not a great experience and the service levels left much to be desired.

First of all, this is not really a 5 star hotel in the general sense, it is a 5 star hotel for Iquitos, Peru. This hotel is basically a nice, clean, attractive, and safe place right at the Plaza Mayor of Iquitos. The location seems to be convenient for most things to do in Iquitos. The rooms are clean and respectably furnished, the closest you’ll get to a sure thing in Iquitos. Hotel provides free van service TO the airport.

Rooms are equipped with a safe/strong box - ours was key operated although it appeared it used to be number-based but had broken so they installed a key. My guess is most rooms have a number-based strong box. Air conditioning was quite adequate. Hotel has laundry service at reasonable prices.

Breakfast (on the pool patio) is good with usual fare: omelets available by request, fruit, cheeses, pastries. Staff are helpful and very friendly. Hotel has free internet but we were never able to get it. We don’t know if it was just our computer or if it’s a general problem.

What I liked most about this hotel was the swimming pool. It is very attractive with swim-up bar and we enjoyed swimming in the afternoons or evenings and drinking beer by the pool side. One negative, in late 2009 there is what appears to be an abandoned building right next to the hotel, and it is really tall. So if you are at the pool and look up, that’s what you’ll be looking at. I don't want to scare you off, Iquitos is not a city of luxurious hotels, but this is about as close as you'll get.

There is a grocery store 1 block away (exit to the left, around the corner, down 1 block) where you can buy water, snacks, drinks, and just about anything else you’ll need at normal prices.

The “Boulevard” is about 1 block away (exit left, go straight 1 block). This is basically a sidewalk area along the riverbank (no cars). There are a number of touristy restaurants on this block, places to have a drink, karaoke, etc. Also find the river down here. This is nice in the evenings as local folks gather in this area to have fun and relax (see my Iquitos review).

There are offices of a number of Amazon resorts nearby (exit straight, 1 block, then left). You can visit the various offices and choose a resort package. We got a better price by waiting until we arrived to book. Of course you also run the risk of availability, but this was not a problem.

The El Dorado hotel (as opposed to the El Dorado Plaza) is ½ block away (exit right, ½ block) in case you have an interest in that less expensive hotel. My understanding is guests at the El Dorado can use the pool at the El Dorado Plaza.

Basically, this is a good higher end hotel. This hotel is substantially more expensive than others in Iquitos. If you don’t mind paying the extra $$ it will serve fine. Maybe not as shiny as it once was but still a good bet in Iquitos. .

See my review for Iquitos, Peru and things to do for more info.

I stayed here before my two-night trip into the Amazon in April 2010. The El Dorado Plaza Hotel is apparently the only 5 star hotel in all of Iquitos, however it seemed to be more comparable to a 3 star hotel in the United States of America. I have traveled enough to understand us Americans have some very high standards, but just don't walk in expecting a Ritz Carlton.

It was clearly obvious that this property had recently received a very nice remodeling, since the lobby had what appeared to be brand new sofas and chairs. All hard and soft goods around the property appeared new and in good shape, along with the beautiful pool area and patio. The hotel does feature one elevator that services its 6 floors and free wifi Internet in every room along with a small computer lab downstairs with free computers.

We stayed here the first night of our trip in a room on the 3rd floor. If I were to review this hotel based on my first night I would have given it 5 stars and high marks in everything. This room was beautiful! A large king sized bed with what appeared to be a new comforter, more pillows then I could count on my bed, a very nice flat panel TV, new dressers and cabinets and upgraded bathroom. My mini-bar was also fully stocked.

While we loved the Amazon, my group joked the entire time about returning to the El Dorado Plaza because of how awesome our first room was. However our second stay we were given rooms on the 5th floor, and these rooms obviously had not been remodeled yet. These rooms looked straight out of a Motel 6, with mismatching furniture, old bedspreads and all together looked outdated. Oddly enough, some rooms on this floor had been remodeled, but ours must have slipped through the cracks. My first room, 512 was very loud (there was a disco or something on the other side of the wall) and I requested a different room, and was very quickie and kindly reassigned. While I would like to say they might have not finished remodeling all of their rooms yet, it appeared all construction had been completed and these rooms were going to be staying the way they were. Needless to say it was kind of a disappointment and anyone planning on staying here request a room on the 2nd or 3rd floor- a Trip Advisor secret okay?!

We did try the breakfast and it was very good, and included in our price. Took a swim in the pool and also had a drink in the bar. The pool was very large and enjoyable especially in the Iquitos heat. The hotel is also very central to everything in this beautiful city and in a safe area. Every weekend you can enjoy parades and rituals in the plaza across from the property.

It is also good to know the hotel operates a free airport shuttle to the airport. I would not suggest arriving at the airport too early though because there is no A/C there and it can get very hot and uncomfortable waiting for your flight.