Posada de Belén

The view from the breakfast area is the only thing I’d call a redeeming feature. The showers were falling apart, there was no ventilation, and cleanliness was practically nonexistent. Reception was awful, and many of the services advertised weren’t actually provided. After a six-hour journey, they left us outside and tried to charge extra for a room we’d booked in advance. They eventually gave us a room that wasn’t even part of our reservation, and did it rudely. I wouldn’t recommend this hostel to anyone.

It’s a small, clean, cozy place. The owner is very helpful, and I’d recommend staying here.

We were excited for our first visit to Arequipa, traveling as a family of four, and had booked this hostel six months ahead. It was our first stop on the trip, and a very disappointing one. There’s no elevator at reception, so getting all our luggage upstairs without any help from the staff was incredibly difficult. The receptionist then said they’d changed the price and wouldn’t honor the rate from our booking. It took half an hour of insisting before they agreed we wouldn’t pay a single sol, dollar or euro more. He finally handed us the worst room in the place, very rudely. After that, the reception staff treated us terribly, as though we’d done something wrong. We only had to stay one day, but it felt like an eternity. This can’t be called a three-star hotel. For the love of Christ, NEVER go to that HOSTEL!

I wouldn’t recommend this place at all. The room was extremely expensive for the service. I booked a room with a shared bathroom, told them from the beginning that my flight was later, and they still charged me in advance for an extra day because of late checkout. Breakfast was a disaster. There was no coffee, just a 30-cent sachet, and the rooftop terrace serving as the breakfast area had clothes and sheets hanging there. Checkout was awful too. I couldn’t find a taxi, had to carry my heavy suitcase downstairs on my own, and nobody helped. Check my comment on booking.com and the lady’s response to see how polite she is and what kind of service she gives. I recommend going across the street to LA MANSION DEL SOL.