Hostal Cristina is located right in the heart of Cusco. It is about a 5 minute walk to the Plaza des Armas and anything and everything you could ask for (ie. internet cafes, drugstores, food stores) are practically on the same street.

The hostal is very pretty, quaint and cozy; simple yet featuring so much character! I loved the beautiful whitewashed, hacienda-style interior with curved arches and doorways.

My bedroom was very pretty and clean - the little wooden shutters on my window added so much charm.

After arriving back from a long, hot jungle excursion, I was absolutely DELIGHTED to find that my room had a bathtub! What a rare treat to find in Peru!

Just outside my hostal door was a baclonade you could actual walk out onto and view the busy Avenida Sol.

The dining room was so interesting! It had several paintings but there was also a little diorama of an Andean mountain scene, all made by hand complete with little people.

The staff were simply wonderful!
Helpful, kind and friendly, the front desk man went out of his way to draw me maps, organize day tours and answer *any* questions I had about Cusco in general.

The complimentary breakfast was delicious - I was pleased to be presented with a huge basket of local fruit to choose from- something I'd never had as part of breakfast here in Peru, before.

I would absolutely stay here again!

Not "okay," but not "terrible" either. Overpriced for value. Lumpy, old pillows, no hot water for a late evening shower, then no pressure. The city turns off the pressure at a certain hour, we were told. The two different rooms we stayed in were dingy and tired, and anyone over six feet tall will have to duck through the doorways. The breakfast service was s-l-o-w and as depressing as the breakfast area itself. We didn't eat there the second morning. The staff were courteous, but this place is not worth whatever they ask you to pay.

Also, in order to secure our reservation, which we needed to do to ensure that our various trip guides knew where to pick us up, we had to prepay (our four nights there) through an on-line hotel booking agent based in Peru.

We'll never make that mistake again, and don't you!

There is NO NEED to prepay for any hotel in Cusco or probably anywhere in the country for that matter. There are lots of hostels and hotels to choose from that are better than this place and don't require prepayment. We cancelled the last two nights, spoke with the booking agent the next morning about our dissatisfaction and a refund for the remaining two prepaid nights, which they agreed to process to our credit card, but — three weeks on — that hasn't been done.

Maybe the Lonely Planet writer confused this place for where they actually stayed. Obviously, he or she had a much different experience when here in 2006 or 2005 or it wouldn't have been "recommended." Things have changed since then.

I have stayed in this hotel, my experience there was amazing because the people that is working in there was very kind with me.
I also enjoyed the diferent places that are near the hotel. for example the koricancha temple of the sun. and is one block of the beautifull main square of the Incas city.

I recomend this hotel because the price they are charging is short, taking in account the service they provide.

www.hcristina.com
that is the web site for those that want to take a look, it is very nice.

Conny Ritz.
Australia.