Description: My first sight of Hotel Garcilaso came at the end of a long, tiring, all-day bus ride from the Colca Canyon. I was dead on my feet and would have slept in a cupboard if it were big enough. So imagine my surprise when I took in the hotel.
A plain door leads from one of Cusco's gently-sloping main streets. Once through reception is a frankly stunning courtyard. A cedar stood at the centre, and pots decorated the overlooking balcony. To one side an urn dispensed hot water and I helped myself to the complimentary hot drinks (various flavours of teas were available—I stuck to the plain cocoa leaves).
The staff couldn't do enough to help. They can arrange for your laundry to be cleaned and delivered back. They have a secure safe for items of value; they can also store your luggage if you spend a few days out of town (the 4-day Inca Trail for example). On one occasion they even competently called an English-speaking doctor when one of our party was taken ill.
So that's the good news. What about the bad? Well, the plumbing is antiquated and clearly not up to the job. I arrived back on a bus from Machu Picchu and the first thing I wanted was a soothing hot shower to wash away the dirt and sweat and ease my knotted muscles. Sadly, everyone else had exactly the same idea at the same time—all I got was a dribble of cool water down the wall of the cubicle.
Some of the rooms do not have any natural light. Those that do can be worse; overjoyed to have a double window overlooking the Plaza San Francisco I instead found myself woken much earlier than I'd hoped by a raucous babble of voices. From the sound of it a school bus stop was located directly beneath that window.
So, I'd have to give the Hotel Garcilaso II a mixed review. The hotel is convenient to the town centre, it looks stunning, the staff are great, and the rooms are clean and of a good standard. However, the rooms can get noisy in the morning, and the plumbing cannot cope if the hotel is full.
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