Gaia House — Hotel in Distrito de Cusco

We are a couple in our sixties. We wanted to see Machu Pichu. We found this place on line and it had just started. ||||We were met with a roaring fire sultry in the Jaguar's mouth (it is a fireplace that is just clever and striking) and hot steaming cocoa tea with the leaves floating on time of the hot tea (great to help you get used to the altitude). We were tired from traveling and our host worried we might be hungry and offered to make us breakfast right then - he did and in the cutest kitchen you can imagine.||||We did not speak Spanish. We told him we wanted to go out to dinner.||He recommended a place that you had to walk through a dirt patio and into a teeny bakery and up steps that were spirals. OK, we were thinking "this is odd - but we like odd - but still....And suddenly we were in a stunningly beautiful small restaurant with food that was inexpensive and superb. Now we were beginning to love this guy.||||We told him we needed a taxi to go the train station the next day - no he said there was problem and you had to do some strange ticket ticket because there had been a landslide --- and he did it all for us on the telephone for us. But first he asked if we minded if he might make a suggestion - no pushing, no intruding, just perfectly gracious. ||||We went up to MP and spent the night and he told us we could take the local train back if we wanted - otherwise you are stuck up at MP all day (and we took the 5 am bus to MP) and so we took the local train. Hired a cab for $60 and got a 3 hour tour of the farming lands - saw an oxen pulling a plow, etc. This was incredible.||Now the guy is really popular with us.||||We go back to spend the night before we leave and, of course there is hot tea waiting (I never figured out how he knew when we were arriving). I wanted to buy souvenirs. I had gotten smarter now so I asked him where to go. He sent us to a place that we would NEVER have gone in or even found and it was huge and there were superb products very inexpensive to my thinking. Jewelry that was real silver and I bought a ring I love for $75. It had a large green stone and real silver band. The prices were cheap for some items and I thought very, very reasonable for excellent quality for others. Blankets, jewelry, etc. lots of vendors and all willing to negotiate. ||||The suite was clean and populated with statuary that was superb. Turns out his father is a great artist with works in museums. ||Great: food, host (invisible except when you need him and always gracious), security, a suite with large living room, bedroom and bath, privacy, tv, good wifi, hot water, clean facilities, etc. ||||If you want a place that is a Hilton - this is not it because some of the floors were a little uneven, and there is a long step down from the front door to the first step and the doorway to the bathroom was a little low and my tall husband bumped his head the first time in. But if you want to feel you are a part of the culture and still have every convenience and feel safe and welcome as though you were visiting a very wonderful and discreet uncle in Peru - this is the place. Second Home Cusco is the perfect name for this place. We will stay here when we go back...

We are a couple in our sixties. We wanted to see Machu Pichu. We found this place on line and it had just started. ||||We were met with a roaring fire sultry in the Jaguar's mouth (it is a fireplace that is just clever and striking) and hot steaming cocoa tea with the leaves floating on time of the hot tea (great to help you get used to the altitude). We were tired from traveling and our host worried we might be hungry and offered to make us breakfast right then - he did and in the cutest kitchen you can imagine.||||We did not speak Spanish. We told him we wanted to go out to dinner.||He recommended a place that you had to walk through a dirt patio and into a teeny bakery and up steps that were spirals. OK, we were thinking "this is odd - but we like odd - but still....And suddenly we were in a stunningly beautiful small restaurant with food that was inexpensive and superb. Now we were beginning to love this guy.||||We told him we needed a taxi to go the train station the next day - no he said there was problem and you had to do some strange ticket ticket because there had been a landslide --- and he did it all for us on the telephone for us. But first he asked if we minded if he might make a suggestion - no pushing, no intruding, just perfectly gracious. ||||We went up to MP and spent the night and he told us we could take the local train back if we wanted - otherwise you are stuck up at MP all day (and we took the 5 am bus to MP) and so we took the local train. Hired a cab for $60 and got a 3 hour tour of the farming lands - saw an oxen pulling a plow, etc. This was incredible.||Now the guy is really popular with us.||||We go back to spend the night before we leave and, of course there is hot tea waiting (I never figured out how he knew when we were arriving). I wanted to buy souvenirs. I had gotten smarter now so I asked him where to go. He sent us to a place that we would NEVER have gone in or even found and it was huge and there were superb products very inexpensive to my thinking. Jewelry that was real silver and I bought a ring I love for $75. It had a large green stone and real silver band. The prices were cheap for some items and I thought very, very reasonable for excellent quality for others. Blankets, jewelry, etc. lots of vendors and all willing to negotiate. ||||The suite was clean and populated with statuary that was superb. Turns out his father is a great artist with works in museums. ||Great: food, host (invisible except when you need him and always gracious), security, a suite with large living room, bedroom and bath, privacy, tv, good wifi, hot water, clean facilities, etc. ||||If you want a place that is a Hilton - this is not it because some of the floors were a little uneven, and there is a long step down from the front door to the first step and the doorway to the bathroom was a little low and my tall husband bumped his head the first time in. But if you want to feel you are a part of the culture and still have every convenience and feel safe and welcome as though you were visiting a very wonderful and discreet uncle in Peru - this is the place. Second Home Cusco is the perfect name for this place. We will stay here when we go back...

I can't believe that I had such a horrible experience at this place given all of the other positive reviews... I booked through hostel world and arrived early in the morning after a night bus. I wasn't permitted to use any of the hostel facilities until after check in. This is a relatively expensive hostel in cusco and the first place that was not welcoming upon arrival after a long night bus. They also prohibit you from using facilities after check out. This should be clearly stated on hostel world and/or the website to avoid confusion. I would have booked another place given that I was getting in so early... This wasn't the end of the world, because it is not necessary to provide the guest with anything before check in and after check out; however, in my opinion that is what makes a hostel worth 5 stars... The one star review is due to the situation when I was attempting to pay for my room the night before an early 5am check out the next morning. Hostel world's rate was 39 soles/night. Before I extended, i checked with the lady at the front desk to make sure their rate was the same as hostel world. Some hostels are notorious for changing the price if you extend your stay so after 7 months of budget travel, I always check the price before extending. I did not think to get this confirmation in writing. I asked to pay that morning and the receptionist kept saying, "later this afternoon". In the afternoon, another receptionist asked me to pay right that minute and reminded me to clean and give back the Tupperware in the fridge. I wasn't due to check out until the next morning and it was MY Tupperware in the fridge that I bought in Lima! He then proceeded to charge me 46 soles for each night! I told him that I was quoted 39 soles upon extending... The owner/manager who witnessed the first conversation was there for both conversations, denied that this happened! We even had a discussion about it where I said "39 soles is a lot but ok". I was forced to leave and look for a new hostel at 5pm the night before a big trek because the owner refused to honor the discussed rate! He was smirking and laughing as he asked me to pay the 46 soles or leave... I had spent the morning buying/renting and buying a bunch of supplies for ausungate and was unable to carry everything. He laughed at me as I left struggling under the added weight when I was not expecting to have to switch hostels last minute. I hate when people have you in a vulnerable position and change the price. The behavior of the staff and owner were atrocious and this was my worst experience in my 7 months of travel. The icing on the cake was the guy with active COVID-19 hanging out in the common area telling everyone that he has COVID! Please book a...