Holistic Scandinavia House — Hotel in Arequipa

Today was my first day in Arequipa. In the afternoon, while wandering through the streets, I passed by a hot chocolate shop. As I was leaving (6pm), I noticed a wind chime hanging by the hallway. Drawn by curiosity, I gently touched it. It was beautiful — I was still amazed by the lovely energy the place seemed to have.

Suddenly, a woman rushed out, visibly upset, and started yelling at me in Spanish, asking, “Why did you touch it?” and, “This is not your place!” I could understand her words, but my Spanish wasn’t good enough to explain myself properly. I tried to apologize sincerely, saying I was sorry, that I didn’t know it wasn’t allowed, and that if I had offended her, I’m truly sorry.

But she didn’t calm down. Instead, she kept raising her voice, saying, “Porqué la tocaste?” I said ‘I’m sorry I didn’t know I’m not allowed to touch it, it’s on the hallway so I touched, sorry if I offended you’ Then she shouted ‘No entiendo inglés!’ I tried to respond slowly in Spanish, she cut me off aggressively and kept demanding to know why I had touched it, without giving me a chance to speak.

I was scared — my whole body tensed up, my face turned pale, and my hands began to shake. I wanted to leave. I’m traveling alone, and facing a confrontation like this made me feel extremely anxious. She even partially blocked my way out, still shouting angrily, and for a moment I felt trapped. I repeated, “I’m sorry,” once again, and she snapped back, “Goodbye!” — almost kicking me out.

What confused me even more was that this place has overwhelmingly positive reviews online — it’s described as a spiritual hostel, full of warmth and good energy. Yet what I experienced was the exact opposite: an overwhelming wave of hostility and negativity.

Now, I’m sitting alone in my hotel room, crying. I understand that maybe I disturbed her rest, and yes, I shouldn’t have touched something without permission. But I apologized with sincerity, and I don’t believe I deserved to be treated with such harshness and aggression — especially not in a place that claims to embody kindness and tranquility.

Maybe traveling alone made the encounter feel even heavier and scarier. Still, I wanted to write this down, to share the experience — because sometimes traveling isn’t only about the beautiful moments. It’s also about the unexpected ones: the misunderstandings, the discomfort, and the emotions we have to navigate along the way.

I hope that in the days to come, I’ll find peace again here in Arequipa.

A reply to the manager:

Please refrain from distorting the facts. If there is surveillance footage, you are welcome to review it and verify whether shouting occurred. I find it concerning that an environment claiming to promote healing would justify violent and aggressive shouting as “direct and firm communication.”

Your wind chime was placed in a public passageway, where it is natural for visitors to interact with their surroundings. Upon realizing the situation, I immediately and repeatedly offered my apologies. Despite this, the woman involved — whom I later understood to be your wife — chose to escalate the encounter in an aggressive and confrontational manner, causing me considerable distress and panic.

I cannot accept an apology that seeks to reframe violent behavior as discipline. Respect is mutual. If you expect visitors to honor your space, it is essential to embody the respect you demand.

I trust that you will take this opportunity to reflect sincerely on your conduct rather than justify it under the guise...

If you are looking for a reasonable, safe and central location to stay in Arequipa, you can not go to far wrong when in comes to Scandinavia House, 314 Calle Ugarte. From around £5 per person, to be so close to the centre (two blocks) and in a tranquil street is amazing. There are rooms with small balconies overlooking the convent/museum. On my last trip to Peru in March 2015 I stayed in one if these rooms on my first stay, and it was wonderful to open the balcony in the morning and take a view of misty in the sun. There is also a large roof terrace with seating. We used this often to take in the view, take sun, and enjoy food and drink. There is a kitchen you can use any time of the day and two other small courtyards. Some of the rooms share bathrooms (cheaper price) and some have on-suite. ||||If you take a left and walk over the bridge in 20 minutes you are a Saga Falabella and the cinema complex. If you turn right you are two blocks from the main square (Plaza de Armas). There are lots of shops, tour agencies and restaurants/bars on the next block. My favourite place for Coffe and cake was just around the corner, Capriccio. ||||The owner and staff are very accommodating. There is a feeling of security as you need to ring for entrance and exit from the hostel. There are a good mix of people at the hostal, couples, young and professional travellers and occasionally families.||||Enjoy your stay in...

Good basic rooms in a great location with friendly owners. Rooftop patio (and breakfast location) had fantastic views of Misti and Chachani. When we visited, they had recently changed the traffic pattern in Arequipa, resulting in a very busy street... and thus horn honking at night, so make sure to pack ear plugs! They'll hold your bags if you go off on an overnight, but just in the main lobby (not secured, but the front door is always locked and requires you be buzzed in, and there was almost always someone in the lobby, so they weren't left alone except for presumably overnight). This was fine for us, but if you have valuables to leave either ask them if there's a more secure alternative, or plan to find lockers elsewhere. Breakfast times are also pretty limited (8-10am I think), so know that if you're leaving early you'll need to get your...