Patio Alto

The quieter part of town suited us, and the climb up a few blocks from the center was no problem. We had a great stay at patio alto. The rooms and shared spaces are beautifully designed, with a relaxed feel throughout. Staff were lovely, spoke English well, and even helped us make a local phone call.

The main drawback was the internet, which was extremely slow: about 1 Mbps down and 0.2 MBps up. Parking is also quite limited, so you may have to leave the car outside if the lot is full. Otherwise, Patio Alto was clean and comfortable, with plenty of open space. The rooms are small but simply designed, so they feel roomy. The shower had strong hot water every day. Breakfast was simple and very good, especially the freshly made orange juice. There’s also a self-service kitchen with cooking equipment for guests. A good choice if you want somewhere basic and comfortable in Tilcara.

Getting here with luggage takes some effort: it’s a 15-minute walk from town or the pucara site, and the bus stop is 850m away up a rocky, unpaved hill. The only thing we missed was air conditioning. Nights do get “cold,” but the room still felt a little warm to us, even with the window open. The place was neat and friendly, and they brought us a jug of water each day. There was more water, plus tea and coffee, in the common area. Breakfast was great, with scrambled eggs made fresh, squeezed orange juice, and fruit like bananas and watermelon. The bathroom and toilet were well appointed. Our triple room had a separate double sink, which made getting ready easier, along with two mini desks and four mini wardrobes.

The staff were friendly and helpful from the warm welcome onward, and breakfast was delicious. They make bread and cakes themselves, including banana bread I couldn’t get enough of, as well as orange juice; eggs are available if you ask. We stayed three nights and wished we could have stayed longer. Our room was spacious and clean, with lovely sunlight. It sometimes got cold in the evening, but the heating worked really well, and the bathroom was nice too. Tilcara is a lovely town and a great base for exploring the area. I’d definitely recommend staying here.