Raul and his family were execellent hosts. They made arrangements for a reasonably priced taxi to pick us up from the airport and then drive us around the Sacred Valley the following day. Breakfast costs an additional s/10 - but it was one of the best hotel breakfasts that my husband and I had while in Peru. My only complaint is that the bed was somewhat hard -- even though my husband felt that it was just right. For the best rate, contact Raul directly at tourjardines@hotmail.com or go to: http://hospedajelosjardines.blogspot.com/.

We asked the owner Raul to arrange pickup at the airport in Cusco, and he met us there personally and showed us to a waiting taxi he had pre-paid for us! This was great given the reason we started out in Urubamba was the extreme elevation in Cusco leaves you fatigued by the time you have made it out of the baggage claim in the airport.

Breakfast in the garden was a very relaxing way to start the day the next morning. There is not a whole lot to do in Urubamba proper, but Raul got us very nice rental bikes and a taxi up to the town of Maras where we headed off to visit the agricultural laboratory of Moray and the salt ponds below Maras, both of which were well worth the effort.

My only caution is that if you are staying in one of the upstairs rooms, be very careful on the stairs, as the treads are narrow and well-worn, and when wearing big, clunky hiking boots (such as I brought to do the Inca trail later on the trip), you may find that the smooth part in the middle of the sole of your boot is what contacts the stair tread and end up flat on your back (as I did the first time I descended). I think another guest did the same the next day as we heard an awful clatter and then her friend coming to help her up. Luckily I just bruised my elbow a bit, but it could be a very unpleasant way to start your trip!

We stayed 3 nights. The room was very clean and the shower had hot water. We paid additional Soles to have breakfast in the garden each morning. The second floor room had big windows with a view of the flower filled garden. Everyone at the hospedaje was very nice from the children to the adults. The collectivos stop two blocks away and the bus station is within walking distance.

Los Jardines is strategically located in a small city called Urubamba just between Cusco and Ollantaytambo, therefore allowing you to either go south and do all the sightseeing in Cusco (1hr 50min) passing first through Chinchero (1hr), popular because of its craft fair, or head west to Ollanta (45 min) and take one of the trains departing to Machupicchu without the rush of traveling all the way from Cusco or having to pay an overpriced stay in Ollantaytambo. The charge per night/ per room, not per person, in this hotel is just $24.00!

Sleeping in this town also allows you to get used to the altitude. Urubamba is definetly not as high above sea level as Cusco, I don't know exact numbers at the top of my head, but my boyfriend was first hand witness; as soon as we stepped off the plane the "soroche" (high-sickeness) symptoms began, so we just rushed to the hotel in Urubamba. Whatever it was, the couple hundred less masl allowed him to make it through the night.

Raul, the owner of Los Jardines, and his mother were extremely friendly with us. The first night we got to the hotel they notice my boyfriend's condition and didn't hasitate to offer their help with anything I and specially he could need. He helped us with our luggage and came up stairs with us to the room to check on everything. He broght extra towels, extra pillows, and made sure that the hot water was running, crucial if you want to take a shower in the Andes where the water is freezing cold. He even arranged for a taxi driver to pick us up the next morning to catch the first train to Macchupichu and only charged 30 soles!

In conclusion, the price is totally affortable, the rooms are very clean and nice, the staff is super kind, trustworthy, and would go out of their way to help you... and at last, but not least, the view out of the rooms of the second floor is so beautiful, wich reminds me that there is virtually no noise around the hotel..., another great feature ^.^