I have now stayed her on busines six times over the past three years.Compared to other Hotels in Cochabamba it is by far the best for food and service. The past two Miss South America contests have benn held here and the Summit for all the Presidents of South America was also held here a year ago. I woul dthink from my experience at this Hotel that the negative reviews of two other posters is biased to be not believable. Many front desk and servers speak good english and I find this hotel to be very safe and secure. The furniture may not be New york five star but the ambience is great, with lots of serious business international personnel.

My husband and I stayed at this hotel in September, 2005. We have both traveled the world extensively and stayed in many top resorts. In addition, in years past as a former flight attendant, I have stayed at every type of hotel imaginible. While it is true that there is no elevator (there are 5 floors) at this hotel, it is important to remember--this is Bolvia. We were surprised to find a room that was impeccably clean although the furnishings are reminiscent of an American 3 star motel. We did not feel disappointed because we were not expecting anything high end in such a poor country. There is a television in each room and one CNN English speaking channel from London. Bottled water was in our room, and we bought more at the tiny quick mart (a 7-11 sized place) across the street. Do not drink the tap water in this country; we even brushed our teeth with the hotel's bottled water -and never had any health problems The pool was sparkling clean, and all of the employees were extremely courteous. Breakfast is served at a poolside restaurant, and there is also a bar area on the other side of the pool. The only consternation we had at check-in was being asked to temporarily leave our passports at the front desk while they made a photocopy. We declined and opted to wait in the lobby while they made copies. Room windows open onto the enclosed courtyard built around the pool, and the air is often cool at the city's high altitude (over 8,000 feet.) Exterior doors open to the outside (see photo) This hotel is also walking distance (1 block) to a restaurant area. All of the hotel employees were well groomed and seemed eager to please, though I was glad that I spoke some Spanish. The front desk clerks and one waitress in the employee restaurant spoke a little English--but should we expect people to speak OUR language in THEIR country? Ask an employee to arrange your taxis ahead of time, especially if you have a wee hours departure to the airport. They will unlock the hotel's gated entrance for you when the proper taxi arrives.

I am a resident of Cochabamba, Bolivia. Unfortunately the review of Hotel Portales is true and we of Cochabamba are really upset about this.... but the manager/owner is a REAL GEEK and will not improve this Hotel. I hope the Tourist Dept. will down grade this hotel... It is a shame for Cochabamba and Bolivia to have a HOTEL LIKE THIS ONE. At one time it was a very good hotel. Their are other 5 star hotels, now here in Cochabamba. It is 3 stars maybe 2...we all say it is.

From A Bolivian friend from Cochabamba who is ashamed of this Hotel

I recently stayed at the Portales Hotel in Cochabamba, Bolivia from December 26th to December 30th. After careful research, I chose this hotel because it was the only 5-star one of this city.

My fiance and I have been traveling these past four weeks through Peru, Chile and Bolivia. All the 5 star hotels we have stayed at have been great, except this one.

The problems began from the beginning. The reception initially could not find our reservation. After that was resolved, we were taken to our room on the 4th floor. Unfortunately, they had no elevator.

When we entered our assigned room, we were taking aback by the lack of space and ammenities. First of all, this is NOT a 5-star hotel. The furniture was was very old. The closet doors came off each time we tried to open them. The so-called air conditioner is in reality a fan. The windows could not be opened. The bathroom was small and the bath tub tile was rusty and moldy. This is really a 3 star motel!

Later on, we were awaken by the constant noise that the water pipes made each time someone used their water faucets and/or showers. It was very loud and annoying. I called the front desk around 2:30 am to inform them about it. They told me that they would send someone to take care of the problem. No one came. Fortunately, we had brought ear plugs and slept the rest of our first night that way.

The next day, we requested a room change due the noise. We were changed to a room on the first floor. Fortunately for us, we were not awaken anymore by the annoying water pipe noises. However, the reception personnel became very unfriendly to us after this. Each and everytime we walked pass them, they would pretend not to see us.

The pool looked inviting except it was not heated. The water was too cold! Hence, none of the guests could use it. The gym is non-existant (eventhough the hotel advertises to have one) and we had to go to a private gym (Premier) and pay additionally for this service.

When we were checking out and ready to go to the airport to catch our next flight, the reception tried to charge me double for my stay. I had paid months in advance for my entire travel package. We did not encounter this issue in any of the hotels we stayed in. Thank God, I had a copy of my voucher of services. The management did not charge me but, this incident took almost 30 minutes to resolve. We had to rush to get to the airport.

In summary, I would strongly recommend to keep away from this place. It is not a 5-star hotel! I don´t understand how this hotel was able to be rated this highly. The Diplomat which is rated a 4-star hotel is a much better choice ( I stayed there a few years back).