Cotton Candy Sky over Plaza de Armas, only a five minute walk from San Blas II
San Blas II Hostel
Address: Calle Choquechaca Nº 194, near Plaza de Armas and San Blas Telephone: +51-84 224236
Cost: $25/night, double bed, private bath and shower. We were in Cusco during shoulder season, and we walked around for a while trying to find a place to stay. Since places weren’t booked up, we had some bargaining power, and we committed to staying for 5 nights since we were going on our Inca Trail hike. We ended up staying here for a few more nights after the hike as well.
Layout: It was a pretty standard layout, more like a hotel than some of the other haphazardly thrown together hostels we have stayed in. All rooms were on the second floor and up, while the bottom floor consisted of a massive common room. This is where breakfast was served and the computer was, along with several chairs and couches. There was also a bar here, but it wasn’t open while we were there. It may be open in high season. The only downfall of this room was it was freezing cold in the mornings and evenings, so be aware.
The rooms themselves were fine. Standard rooms, decent amount of room, plenty to move around in, and they had a big dresser to put your stuff in if you wanted to unpack your bags. The bed was firm, but comfortable (most hostel beds are firm, so get used to that). The bathroom was fine as well, clean, decent sized, but the water in the shower wasn’t always hot as advertised.
Breakfast: The hot breakfast included eggs, toast, fruit, coffee, and tea. South America continued to impress us with their breakfasts. It was nothing spectacular, but getting more than just toast and jam is always welcome.
Amenities/Computer Access: As mentioned, it had a huge common room with a bar, but the bar was never open during our stay. It had heat, but it did get a bit cold during some nights. They had plenty of warm blankets, though, so sleeping was more than comfortable. San Blas II did have wifi throughout and a computer station in the massive common room that was rarely filled with people. They also stored our bags for us for free when we went on the Inca Trail hike to Machu Picchu.
Hospitality: The customer service was standard at San Blas II. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t great, it was just kind of there. They were friendly enough, but not overly friendly. We never felt as though any of the staff was rude though. Standard and middle of the road is how I would describe it, but for the $25/night we were paying, it was more than adequate. Not a lot of English was spoken, so brush up on the old Spanish if you plan on staying here. That probably contributed to the “not overly friendly” atmosphere. When there is a language barrier, it’s going to seem like that most of the time.
