Magic Cusco

The beds offered no support, and the place was freezing and filthy. Wi-Fi was so slow it was unusable. They advertised breakfast, but all we got was bread and tap water, which they said was fine if boiled. They claimed there was hot water, but it came from an Italian shower heater that gave only a tiny lukewarm trickle, with what felt like a serious risk of electrocution. They charged extra to use the stove and didn’t provide toilet paper. Maybe it’s better than sleeping outside. I’m giving one star only because zero isn’t an option, though honestly I’d give zero or even negative stars.

The bedsheets were stained and covered in hair, and someone else’s towels were still hanging in my bathroom. There was no hot water. When my friend and I asked about it, the staff were rude and basically said they didn’t care. The listing said breakfast was included, but when we arrived they told us there wouldn’t be any. We ended up leaving to find another hostel.

We left without staying after the owner said our room had been given to an Airbnb booking and that we’d need to pay more. Before that, she was away when we arrived at 4pm as arranged through Booking, and the door was locked. When the lady finally showed up, she tried to charge us a Peruvian tax, claiming Booking collected it, though it only applies to Peruvians. She also offered a terrible dollar-to-sol exchange rate, nowhere near the official rate. We couldn’t have a conversation with her. Be careful booking here.

The room had no character, and dogs barking in the street all night let the stay down, though I know that’s outside their control. Otherwise, it was clean, had a friendly feel, decent hot showers and a reasonable breakfast for the price.