La Casona de palacio Viejo

Avoid this hotel. The entrance was hard to find because most of the shutters were closed, and from outside it looked shut. There was no sign explaining where to go. The reception staff were rude and wouldn’t help with our luggage, even though there’s no lift. The first thing they said was an unfriendly request to close the door behind us. Then they demanded payment before check-in and refused to proceed otherwise. We negotiated and looked at the room first. The one they showed us was on the first floor, had no window, and was the cheapest option, even though we’d booked and paid more for a much better room. After we argued through a translator, they finally gave us the room we’d reserved. The receptionist acted as if he didn’t understand English, and just stared instead of helping with our bags. We asked for breakfast boxes for our trip the next morning and they agreed, but when morning came, another receptionist hadn’t prepared anything, said he knew nothing about it, and ignored us. We would have made other plans so we weren’t left hungry until lunch if they hadn’t agreed to provide breakfast. Everything smelled bad, including the towels, sheets, bathroom, and reception staff. We had to wait until 5 a.m. for hot water. They also promised a safe luggage room and showed it to us, but our bags were left in an open room at reception where anyone could enter.

They raised the price when I arrived, and after I’d settled in I had to leave. That was unacceptable. Avoid this place at all costs.

On our last day, we had a night bus to Cusco, so we offered to pay for our stay and extra to shower in an empty room before leaving. Three-quarters of the rooms were vacant, but they still refused, which was a shame after several nights there. We would have really appreciated a shower before the 10 a.m. night bus. The hotel next door let us use one for 30 soles, so we ended the stay disappointed.

The staff were consistently friendly, and they helped change my Booking.com dates without an extra charge, which seemed fair. I also asked for a mini-fridge in the room, and they agreed. The room was clean, and the mini-buffet breakfast was good. The location is excellent, close to everything. Some parts of the room could use improvement, like the exposed wires, but I had a good stay.