If you are going to Cusco (hopefully to hike one of the many Inca Trails) and want to stay in a luxury boutique hotel that has history and charm, check out the 16-suite Casa Cartagena, located in a renovated mansion built over a former Inca temple, and once occupied by the regent, Don Fernando de Cartagena y Santa Cruz. The hotel is located only two blocks away from the Nazarenas Plaza, and has lovely traditional Spanish patios around the suites. Unlike the other luxury hotels in Cusco, the decor of Casa Cartagena is more urban chic than traditional Latin American. Suites are large and airy, starting at 40 square metres, going up to 150 square metres, and come with free Wi-Fi, designer furniture, large beds, tatami showers, and an oxygen enrichment system that helps guests acclimatize to the high altitude of Cusco.

Casa Cartagena has a modern spa called La Qoya, which covers over 350 square metres: on the first floor, there is an 8-meter hydro massage pool with a healing stone trail and a relaxing spectacular view of the artisans neighborhood of San Blas; the second floor is the men’s spa and the third floor is reserved for women. It’s the perfect place to get massage treatments after hiking the Inca Trail.

The hotel’s restaurant, La Chola, is also a must. It used to be a picanteria that, in the mid-1900s, attracted writers, politicians, intellectuals and poets such as Pablo Neruda. Today, the restaurant is more upscale and serves refined Peruvian cuisine and international dishes with an excellent wine selection to choose from, as well as cocktails such as Pisco Sour.

Rates for the suites start at $450 per night.

Casa Cartagena
Calle Pumacurco No. 336
Cusco, Peru
+51 84 261 171
Email the hotel to inquire about a booking.

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Recommended reading:

Mapplr’s favorite restaurants and cafes in Cusco

Peru travel update: good boutique hotels and restaurants in Cusco and Puno

Travel recommendation: if you are traveling to Peru from North America, fly LAN instead of the US carriers. LAN has much better service, better food and newer planes.

Cusco: Casa San Blas boutique hotel and Fallen Angel restaurant

Casa San Blas boutique hotel: Located in the San Blas area, a five-minute walk from the main square, this small boutique hotel is quiet, personal and avoids the large groups of tourists that some of the larger hotels accommodate. Their restaurant, Tika, serves excellent gourmet food.

Interior of Fallen Angel restaurant in Cusco

Fallen Angel Restaurant: a unique restaurant serving excellent local food. The restaurant decor is unique with eclectic paintings on the wall; there is barb wire in the toilets. One of the dining tables is set on top of an aquarium teeming with fish, so you can dine and watch fish at the same time. Fallen Angel also runs a guest house.

Puno, Peru: Intiqa hotel

Intiqa Hotel: a friendly hotel in the center of Puno, nice rooms and great breakfast buffet included. All Ways Travel is a good local travel agent that specializes in off-the-beaten track tours and cultural excursions around Lake Titicaca (see my photo below).

Side Note: Airlines that fly to Peru

In addition to recommending hotels and restaurants, I also urge people to travel to Peru via two carriers: LAN (now with direct flights from San Francisco to Lima) and TACA (short stopover in the modern San Salvador airport, connection to Lima). Both airlines have new airplanes and best of all, friendly and professional staff.

I have just returned from a trip to Peru, where I hiked with a group for several days to Macchu Picchu along the Salkantay trail (the longer, higher-altitude alternative to the traditional Inca Trail) and visited Lake Titicaca. Before going up the trail, I spent several days in Cusco, a beautiful town high in the mountains, to get acclimatized to the high altitude.

Cusco used to be a backpacker’s paradise, but it’s gone upscale in the last few years. Nevertheless, it remains a very special place with excellent restaurants, funky cafes and bars. During my two-week stay in Peru, I never had a bad meal. But especially in Cusco, the food was absolutely delicious and the service was outstanding. Not only that, restaurants pay a lot of attention to detail such as interior decor and atmosphere. At the height of the tourist season (July and August) which is the dry season when many people hike the Inca Trail, one should make reservations for dinner.

Among the dishes you should try are the spicy pico de gallo condiment (chopped onions with lemon juice and aji, a very hot Peruvian pepper) which you can put in soups, quinoa soup, aji de gallina, and lomo salteado. Since Cusco is inland, the restaurants don’t serve as much ceviche as those in Lima, so stick to the local specialities (e.g. guinea pig, known locally as cuy, if you can bear the thought of a eating a pet).

Restaurants

Map Cafe
Museo de Arte Pre-Colombino
Plaza Nazarenas 231
Cusco, Peru
+51 (0)84 242 476
www.cuscorestaurants.com/mapcafe_eng.htm
Creative Andean cuisine in a stunning minimalist glass box in a museum courtyard; my favorite in Cusco

Baco
Ruinas 465
Cusco, Peru
+51 (0)84 242 808
Wine bar and restaurant serving grilled meats, pizzas

Cicciolina
Palacio and Triunfo Corner 393
Cusco, Peru
+51 (0)84 239 510
Tapas bar and restaurant

Fallen Angel
Plazoleta Nazarenas 221
Cusco, Peru
+51 (0)84 258 184
www.fallenangelincusco.com
Modern Andean cuisine

Tika Bistro Gourmet
Tocuyeros 566
Cusco, Peru
+51 (0)84 237 900
www.tikabistro.com
Set in the Casa San Blas, a boutique hotel; risotto, pasta, innovative dishes

Macondo
Cuesta San Blas 571
Cusco, Peru
+51 (0)84 229 415
www.macondoincusco.com
Artsy restaurant with funky interiors; Andean cuisine

Incanto
Santa Catalina Angosta 135
Cusco, Peru
+51 (0)84 254 753
www.cuscorestaurants.com/incanto_eng.htm
Pasta, pizza, grilled meats, good wine list

Inka Grill
Portal de Panes 115
Cusco, Peru
+51 (0)84 262 992
www.inkagrillcusco.com
Modern Andean cuisine, grilled meats, pastas

Kintaro
Heladeros 149
Cusco, Peru
+51 (0)84 226 181
www.kintaro-cusco.com
Informal Japanese place, excellent noodle soups and cold vegetable salads; vegetarian dishes too

Cafes

Panaderia El Buen Pastor
Cuesta San Blas 579
Cusco, Peru
Fabulous pastries: empanadas, apple turnovers, croissants; excellent for breakfast, too

Ayllu
Portal de Carnes 208
Cusco, Peru
Best place for breakfast; attracts mostly local crowd because the menu is in Spanish only, superb fruit salads and juices

Trotamundos
Portal Comercio 177, 2nd Floor
Cusco, Peru
Best Internet cafe (because most Internet places are in a dark basement, this one is actually within the cafe; very good breakfasts; balcony overlooks the main square (Plaza de Armas) with view of the cathedral

Dolce Vita
Santa Catalina Ancha 366
Cusco, Peru
Ice cream / gelato