Hostal Qorikilla

For the price, this is a decent choice, and the staff are friendly and willing to help. Just remember it's a hostel and set your expectations accordingly. There are some things to keep in mind: water can be only warm rather than hot, and the windows aren't well insulated, like most around here. There's no heating or air conditioning, so on cold nights you may need extra blankets, which they'll happily provide. It's also up a hill and not very central, so getting back from the city can be a slog, especially before you're used to the altitude.

When my parents, sister, and I arrived last week, we felt treated like second class citizens. We had booked a double room through a third party website, but on arrival they said the listed amount was a "booking fee" and demanded their own rate, almost double. Why advertise on a site if you're going to change the price at the last minute? Somehow they canceled our reservation and got away with it. When we challenged the new price, they ridiculed and belittled us. My elderly parents are native Vietnamese and don't understand English or Spanish, but staff insulted them, saying "ustedes son tacaños" and "don't be so cheap." They got in our faces, fingers just milometers away, and ordered us to pay. It was unbelievably disrespectful and rude, treating me and my parents like garbage. The room was fairly clean, I'll give them that, but breakfast was below average and the service was unbelievably bad. I can't believe how they treated us. There are other good hostels in the area, so pick one of those and you'll be better off.

Cusco itself was wonderful, but we were so disappointed by this hostel. My husband and I came from Ontario, Canada for three weeks in South America, and have stayed in many places without always choosing luxury or expensive hotels. We picked this one for the price, and it was a very bad decision. On arrival, nobody greeted us or made any effort to be pleasant. The owner, Hugo, seemed angry about the price we'd booked, then switched our double room to one with two tiny twin-sized beds. We're a married couple, for pete's sake. At first Hugo spoke English, but when the argument over price began, he suddenly seemed to forget it and spoke quickly in Spanish even though he knew we didn't understand. Ridiculous and immature. The room was mostly clean but very outdated, and we found candy wrappers and a used condom in the bathroom trash. We went downstairs to ask for another room, but Hugo refused and threatened to kick us out without a refund if we didn't accept it. I've never felt more harassed or threatened. The best part was leaving after two nights. The people were unprofessional, dishonest, and mean. We love Cusco, but will never return to this hostel. Check the bad reviews and decide for yourself. We wish we had.

Our first night was fine enough: the room was basic and clean, but it was right by reception, where people kept ringing the bell through the night. We left for two days to visit Machu Picchu and had booked the same room for when we came back. That room wasn't available, and they offered us one bed instead of the two we had reserved. When we asked for a discount because they hadn't honored the booking, the staff were rude and offered no compromise. They sent us away, so we had to find another hostel in the middle of the night. There are plenty of hostels in Cusco. I wouldn't choose this one.