La Casa Blanca is just a few short blocks from Plaza de Armas
La Casa Blanca is just a few short blocks from Plaza de Armas
La Casa Blanca
Address: Jerusalen #412
Cost: $27/night, private room, with bath and shower, including hot breakfast. We did bargain for this room as we were walking around checking different hostels, so we may have gotten a really good rate because of it being shoulder season and the place just not being full at the time. But if you can afford it, even if it is a bit more expensive than the $27 we paid, I’d do it in a heartbeat. It was well worth it. They do also have dorms and single rooms, so this place isn’t just for couples.
Layout: The layout of La Casa Blanca is quite nice. There is a beautiful little courtyard with a restaurant and coffee shop right when you walk in. The rooms are situated in different areas, but wherever you are, you are near nice, open-air common spaces. There are several of these in La Casa Blanca, and they make great places to relax in, read a book, or have a drink or some coffee.
The rooms themselves were very nice. Ceramic tile, nice, comfy beds, plenty of room, nice bathrooms. And everything was spotless and very, very clean. This room was worth way more than $27/night, especially considering what we had been paying thus far and what we received. And I haven’t even mentioned the breakfast or customer service yet.
Breakfast: I was ecstatic to be served bacon and eggs for breakfast our first morning at La Casa Blanca. Bacon, or at least bacon as we know it in the United States, is an oddity in South America, and many other places in the world for some weird reason. It’s either not served, or if it is, it’s simply not the same. As you peruse this site, you may see references to bacon quite often. That’s because I LOVE bacon. What’s not to love about the salty, smokey goodness of bacon. It goes on practically anything. But I digress. My whole point here before going off on the bacon tangent is that the breakfast was really, really good here. Good bacon, eggs, toast, butter and jam, and real coffee, which is also difficult to come by at times in South America. Not only was this not Nescafe, it was actually really good coffee. So chalk up another deal for La Casa Blanca, a big, delicious breakfast included in the price.
Amenities/Computer Access: As I stated before, the common areas were quite nice, airy, and relaxing. In addition to the tables and chairs, there were also super comfy leather chairs and sofas to relax in. There wasn’t a television in any of the common areas, which was fine. International phone calls to the US were also included in the price, which was very unusual. Wifi was free and available throughout as well. There was also a computer station with free internet. I do have to state that this is when our computer started going a bit wacky, and the wifi didn’t always work, but I think it had more to do with our hardware than their service. A travel agency and bar are also located on the premises, making everything nice and convenient.
Doing a little something extra is always appreciated
Hospitality: While everything at La Casa Blanca was top notch, the service is what put it over the edge as far as a place I would highly recommend to any traveler visiting Arequipa. We bargained with the owner for our room price, and she was an absolute sweetheart. She and her entire staff, even those with limited English, did everything they could to make our stay a great one. They made it easy and encouraging to speak Spanish with them, which is always welcome in another culture. Everyone was incredibly friendly, and they all just went the extra mile to make us feel at home. For example, we bought a bottle of wine at the grocery store our first night staying there and didn’t finish it. We left it in the room the second morning when we went out to explore, and upon returning, our room had been cleaned, and they put the bottle on a little tray with a napkin around the top and two wine glasses. It was just a something little that most places would never think of doing, and it’s something we remembered and told many people about. Going above and beyond is always going to get high marks from me.
I can’t recommend La Casa Blanca enough. Everything was fantastic, and if you visit Arequipa, I highly suggest looking into staying here.
