Best Places to Stay in Cusco, Peru

Cusco, high in the mountains of Peru, is an amazing city. It’s the gateway for travelers visiting the Machu Picchu monument, as well as the jumping off point for a trip through the Sacred Valley of the Incas. The city is also an amazing living historical and archeological monument, while also being a home to some 300,000 Peruvians.

Like I was, travelers to the city are faced with a wide range of hotel options, from $10 a night dorm-style hostels to $500 a night ultra-luxury historic suites. Here are my choices for hotels in Cusco, Peru:

Budget
Cusco is a small city, and most hotels and hostels are right in what would be considered the city center. There are some hotels right on the Plaza de Armas, the big central square, but I would go for something in San Blas district, located upwards from the Plaza, towards the Sacsayhuaman monument. It’s considered the arts district and home to many galleries and craftspeople, while still being within a five minute walk to all the sites.

I would stay at the Hotel Qorichaska. Single rooms with a private bathroom and hot water, are $21. Double rooms, for two people in one or two beds, are $25. For those on a super low budget, they offer $10 beds in communal dorm-style rooms. Guests get the use of a kitchen and refrigerator, luggage storage, 24 hour WiFi and a CD/DVD player and TV.

Hotel Qorichaska
Calle Nueva Alta 458
Cusco
qorichaska.com

Recommended
I’ve traveled to Cusco several times and always stay at Marqueses Boutique Hotel. The location is very central, yet a block away from the Plaza and the tourist-heavy area, more towards real Cusco. If you take a walk in the opposite direction, you find a market, a food market for the people of Cusco, not a tourist market. You can also easily walk to all the historic sites in the area.

It’s accurately called a boutique hotel, it’s small enough to offer truly personal service, while being large enough to have the facilities and professionalism of a full hotel. The hotel is right next door to an S.A.S. Travel office, a very reputable travel agency for tours to Machu Pichu, hiking the Inca trail and to Peru’s Manu rainforest.

Go for the deluxe room, they include a full marble bathroom, with a large tub perfect for resting those tired muscles. A deluxe room for two is $120 per night, for a solo traveler it’s $90. The price includes a delicious buffet breakfast every morning, as well as taxi service to and from the airport.

Hotel Marqueses
Calle Garcilaso 256
Cusco
hotelmarqueses.com

Luxury
I think the best place to stay in Cusco, where all the celebrities stay when they visit, is the Hotel Monasterio. It’s run by the Orient-Express Company, which also runs the train service to Machu Picchu, as well as operating other luxury properties in Peru and around the world.

The Hotel Monasterio is impressively executed, built in a monastery from 1592, which was built on ancient Inca stonework foundations. The hotel includes a restored, intact chapel that’s one of the highlights of a visit to Cusco. And if you have a problem with the altitude (Cusco sits at 12,000 feet above sea level), the hotel provides rooms with pumped-in oxygen, creating an environment that feels like almost sea level.

Room rates start at $450 with advance online booking discounts, and the hotel’s elegant Royal Suites go for $2050 per night. They offer many luxury tour packages, including a day trip to Machu Picchu aboard the Hiram Bingham train.

Hotel Monasterio
Calle Palacio 136
Plazoleta Nazarenas
Cusco
monasteriohotel.com

F. Michael Sherman is a world traveler and editor of the travel blog travel4people.com. You can also follow him on twitter, @thefredsherman

More from this contributor:

Beijing Travel Guide
Guide to in-flight WiFi
Great Foodie Destinations in Europe


People also view

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *