Cordillera Azul

It's close to the city centre, but this was by far the worst place we stayed on our travels, compared with the other hostels, hotels, and apartments we tried. The rooms were dirty, and you don't want to look under the bed. The showers were often cold unless you got lucky, and the people weren't very accommodating. The walls and floors felt like cardboard, and even with earplugs I could hear everything. The room shook when someone shut a door or walked past. The mattress springs left bruises on my hips, and breakfast was barely enough to count as breakfast.

A nice place to rest, shower, and get ready for another day after a good breakfast. It works well if you're just passing through town for tours and don't need anything extra.

The owner went out of his way to serve breakfast at 5 and 6 am so we could leave for our hikes, which I appreciated. It was basic, with bread, ham, cheese, butter, jam, and coffee. The room was clean and cosy but had no soundproofing, and the water wasn't always hot. I think that depended on how many people were using it.

The service was kind and attentive, and the owners, a couple, seemed to run the front desk. The location is great, only a five minute walk from the town centre, on a quiet road and in a quiet neighbourhood. Our room and bathroom were impeccably clean, and the room was neither big nor small. The decor is rather quaint and shows its age, while the walls are thin enough that you can hear conversations next door. The room did have a TV, which was nice, though at about 13 or 14 inches it was smaller than a laptop screen. It's not a bad place, and I'd recommend it if the price weren't so high compared with what it offers and even nicer hotels nearby. Three stars only.