Because Peru is still relatively inexpensive, it is possible to stay in a lovely hotel in Cusco for the price of a dinner for two at a chain restaurant in America.
And by lovely, I mean a clean room with a comfortable bed in an interesting building somewhere near the Plaze de Armas, with a fireplace for warmth and a decent, rather spartan breakfast in the morning. Prices for a one or two star hotel run between $50 to $100 USD---a bargain compared to rooms in Europe or the U.S. Cusco is teeming with places in this price range, which is good news for the budget traveler.
The Casona les Pleiades is a wonderful example of a good hotel/bed and breakfast with very reasonable prices. Located in the trendy San Blas area, the hotel is sunny and relaxed, and offers nice views of Cusco from its lovely terrace. Rooms are a nice size, colorfully decorated, and priced at $60.00 a night.
Similiarly, the Hotel Arqueologo is just under $100 USD per night, and offers a lovely courtyard, cozy dining area, and is just a five minute walk to the Plaza. Rooms are a good size and warmly decorated with good linens. The helpful front desk staff can point you in the right direction for restaurants, tours and other activities.
The reputable Casa Andina has a private collection of five hotels, their most distinguished being the Casa Andina Private Collection in San Blas for a reasonable $179 per night. The hotel is housed in a beautifully restored 18th century manor house, and boasts four courtyards, a fireplaced common area, and has enriched oxygen piped into all of their guestrooms. Their four other properties are equally as popular and fall into the $100 USD range.
The best hotels in Cusco are priced in the $200-$300 range, but considering a room in a luxury hotel in Boston is often more than double that, luxury in Peru is affordable luxury. The Monasterio, perhaps the most well-known of the luxury brands, isn't just a hotel, it's an experience. Rooms start at $340 a night--a price that has risen steadily in the past ten years--after it was purchased by the Orient Express.The Monasterio is classic luxury and was built on the site of an old monastery.
I'm a Libertador fan. It's a grand old hotel--a little faded perhaps---but still a proud tribute to a Cusco that is slowly fading away. The 254 rooms are undergoing a remodel (as of October 2012), after being purchased by the Starwood Group. This is a lovely place to call home for a few nights; breakfasts are an art form here. Rooms are currently running about $200 USD per night.
It's rare to find a luxury hotel in Cusco that hasn't been bought or built by a Marriott or a Starwood these days. I have to admit that makes me a little sad. The Cusco I first visited fifteen years ago was an authentic Cusco--and businesses were owned by local families. Both the Orient Express and JW Marriott have new hotels in the city, and while this is great news for luxury travelers, it does cast a shadow over a Cusco that is trying hard to maintain its heritage and culutural bearings. Travelers want to visit a Cusco that takes them far away from their own lives and lands them squarely in another world--something that Cusco has always been able to promise. It was a place where locals lived and tourists were an afterthought. My hope remains that building codes are zoning laws continue to hold their ground and that big, first world corporations respect the history and cultural bearing of this magical place.
All things must change, I suppose, but now is a good time to visit Cusco. It still maintains its integrity, but change is in the air.
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