We recently returned to Toronto from a three week trip to Ecuador and Peru. While in Cusco we stayed for four nights at the Torre Dorado, a quiet hotel in residential Cusco. The location was a ten minute taxi ride to the Plaza de Armas with transportation there and back provided by the hotel. The hotel was outstanding, the bed very comfortable with great pillows. Breakfast included a variety of food and the view of Cusco from the breakfast room was great. The service at this hotel was wonderful and nothing was too much trouble for the guests. Peggy and Rafael were wonderful hosts and made us feel at home. We booked our Machu Picchu trip through the hotel and everything went very smoothly. The hotel room was lovely, the washroom was spotless and there was always hot water. All of the staff was friendly and courteous and did a great job. If we were to go to Cusco again we would definitely stay here again. We wouldn't think of staying anywhere else. We had a wonderful stay.

We were in Cusco for almost a week at the end of March, 2008. We began our stay at the 5 star Hotel Monasterio. We took the 5 star Hiram Bingham trian to Macchu Pichu and since the Monasterio didn't have availability for the rest of the week, we stayed at the Torre Dorada. I honestly wished we had stayed there all week. No, it is not on, or near the Plaza de Armas. No, the neighborhood isn't the prettiest, but if you are a North American in South America in Cusco at nearly 12,000 feet elevation speaking only broken Spanish, this is the place to stay. The only way I can describe our stay is like staying in someone's home with close relatives that you haven't seen in a long time that are very glad to see you and want you to be comfortable. We arrived very late from the train and they picked us up promptly and took us to the hotel and our room. They hotel was expanding and they were very concerned about the aesthetics of the hotel and the noise of the construction. I never heard any construction noise. They are having very beautiful hand painted murals done all over the outside of the hotel. They booked us a tour of the Sacred Valley which for $75 USD for two people all day in a private air condiioned car was great. We paid $300 for a 3 hour tour in St Lucia. We had an en-suite bathroom with a very hot and powerful shower. The beds had very thick warm blankets and were very comfortable. I didn't see another person on our floor at all, so it was very quiet and seemed like we had the whole place to ourselves.
On Friday, we left for the airport very early. They checked us in via the internet and printed our boarding passes (for no charge). They drove us to the airport. We left at 6:45 am for the airport and they don't serve breakfast until 7 am, so they brought a pot of hot coffee to our room at 6:15 am. I can't image this level of service at a 5 star hotel without an extravagent fee.
I would recommend this to any North American unsure of where to stay with limited Spanish language ability, going to Cusco. I felt so at home here. There prices are very reasonable and the service is beyond 5 stars. I would stay there again any day.

Using Trip Advisor this hotel shone out and we rapidly came to know Peggy and Rosemarie in emails as we finalised our visit to Cusco. Everyone on the staff treated us like part of the family and their recommendations from how to avoid altitude sickness to how to spend our last day after we had done all the sightseeing were excellent.

I'd definitely recommend Torre Dorada to anyone going to Cusco and Machu Picchu.

Arturo or a taxi were always ready to pick you up within 10-15 minutes of a phone call which, if the restaurant didn't make for you, only cost about four pence.

The room was plenty large enough for my wife and I and the lounge area on each floor gave us the chance to talk to other travellers staying at the hotel

I do not know what to say about the Torre Dorada that has not been said already. This is a great place because of Peggy and her staff/family. She made planning the Cusco leg of our trip totally painless! She made the arrangements for our trip to Machu Piccu and she also arranged for a guide to take us on a day-long trip through the Sacred Valley. Of course these were the highlights of our trip to the region. Everyone at this property was so helpful and there was always someone available to provide transportation. It was nice to meet other travellers on these trips to or from the hotel, or in the breakfast room each day. All of the guests said that Peggy's restaurant recommendations were spot on. Although the Torre Dorada is in a residential neighborhood and there is nothing to do within walking distance, it was nice to be in a quiet area away from the touristy city center.

My one tip: be careful of what you say if you are in the bathroom. The bathrooms in our room and the adjacent room shared a common wall. If I was standing at the bathroom sink, I could hear the entire conversation if the someone in the next room was in their bathroom talking to another guest in their room. Not a big deal, they were probably talking louder than most people would at such a nice, quiet property.

I could go on and on about the personal, friendly service at the Torre Dorada and how our stay there made the trip so memorable. Just read all of the other positive reviews - I agree 100% with all of them!!