Kori Gems Inn — Hotel in Distrito de Cusco

Kori Gems Inn||||I am so very sorry for this honest review because I really liked the people we met there and they made every effort to be accommodating. ||Kathi seems to be the go-to person and is on site in the mornings. She has answers regarding bookings, tours, etc. I did ask her to book a tour for us, and when I checked back that evening it hadn't been booked. The gal at the reception called her and she booked us on it. ||The tour: was to 3 sites, of which only Tipon Gardens interested me, but we took it anyway since she said we'd be back by 12:30. I wanted to see Sacsayhuaman afterwards. I got up way earlier than I normally would have since the tour was to begin at 8 am. When we were ready and waiting, we got word it was to begin at 8:30, then at 8:50, but we were no longer being picked up, we were to go to the square. The male employee was kind enough to take us there so we'd be sure to meet up with the right group, and we waited for 15 minutes at least. Finally we connected with a man who'd also been waiting around. Romulo (from Kori Gems) said the tour guide should have been wearing a green vest, designating him as a tour guide. Then we drove around and picked people up from other hotels. We asked for a time breakdown, thinking there was no way we'd be back by 12:30, and were told we'd have 1 hour and 10 minutes at Tipon Gardens, and would be returned to the square at 3 pm. Apparently this is what they do every day. We had maybe 30-40 minutes at Tipon Gardens! The tour guide tried to make the tour interactive, inviting us to suggest names for our group, but she had very little response. It felt like we were in Kindergarten. My son and I decided to opt out of the rest of the tour and take a public bus back to Cusco so we wouldn't waste all day. Unfortunately that took about an hour if not more, but at least we were back by noon! ||||Laundry - they offer laundry service, but when we returned late evening, it hadn't been returned to our rooms. We went to ask for it. It seemed jumbled not the bag. I was shocked because we had laundry done in Ecuador, which was pressed and folded neatly, and in Mexico was hand pressed and folded flat and neatly. Turns out it was washed, but neither pressed nor folded neatly, more haphazardly. Some pieces had a thread sewn on them, which made me have to go back down to the desk (in the cold) , request a scissor for, and later return it - not things that make me happy when I'm tired, have to pack, and get up early the next morning. ||||Wifi - we were given the rooms with the best wifi, since I had requested that with my booking, and my room was a loft bedroom with a steep winding staircase. It was charming but impractical. There was no wifi connection upstairs! There was connection in the lower level so I would use it until I was frozen. ||||The door to my room was a heavy, old wooden door, which is closed with a lock (& key), making it feel like I was locking a jail cell. But it had gaps of 1 inch or so on the top and at the upper end of one side. The cold seeped in, but since there was no window, perhaps it wasn't so bad because it provided some air. The room has a skylight, providing light, but there is nothing too close it with, so the moon shone right in my face in the evening and the sun at about 6-7 am! Right on my pillow! ||||The staff kindly provided me with a space heater the first evening, which I was always happy for in the evenings, but I was unpleasantly surprised when I wandered upstairs after freezing while using the Internet on our 3rd evening, and finding it gone! No one had mentioned anything or asked if I wasn't using it! So I got dressed again, trudged down (in the cold) to find someone at 11:40 pm, and I received another one, but it was an irritation, inconvenience, and unnecessary event. ||||Miscommunication- I settled our bill the night before we were leaving, but still had to pay for the tour and laundry. I was to discuss it with Kathi first, since the evening staff wanted to charge me $45 USD each for the tour. In the am Kathi clarified it was 45 Sol each for the tour, not USD! ||- The evening staff had not left a record of my payment. Thankfully I had the VISA receipt to prove that I had paid. ||- when we finally got going, Romulo mistakenly directed our taxi driver to the airport instead of to the bus station. Thankfully we'd been to the station the night before to purchase tickets, since the hotel didn't seem willing or able (or miscommunication?) to book them for us, and asked if he was taking us there when it seemed a longer ride than expected, and we just barely made our bus. ||||The positive: ||- Enough hot water unless they forget to fill something. This is worth a lot! ||- Charming rooms||- Clean rooms||- Tidy, well-kept grounds||- Good location - it was only a ? 5 minute walk to the square, and San Blas neighbourhood is in the other direction. Kori Gems lies between these 2 popular locations. It also isn't far to Sacsayhuaman ruins. We took a taxi up since a steep uphill climb, but walked down. The locals said it's only a 10 minute walk to the Plaza d'Armas, but it took us longer. ||- My camera broke and I was asking for a large store that might carry a replacement lens since the small stores in the historic area only sold one or 2 cameras and same for lenses. Kathi was so kind to send Romulo, the male employee with us to an area she said wasn't safe for us. We really appreciate that. And he refused a tip! ||- Their VISA machine had broken and I was having trouble getting enough cash from ATMs. Kathi assured me on Sunday she'd get it fixed, and apparently she did - so I could charge the room, which was my expectation through booking.com.||- Breakfast - was scrambled or fried eggs, fresh bread (buns), strawberry jam, and fresh squeezed juices, a different one each day. There was also one extra special item each day. The staff also prepared a special coffee, which is a drip coffee, very strong, served cold with condensed milk, and you add both to hot water. It...

We (3 friends) stayed at Kori Gems twice - before and after some multi day hiking in the Cusco region. |Most of all I want to highlight the kindness of all the people working there. Without exception they showed a unique interest in our well-being and comfort. Also, any agreement or request made was honored/carried out reliably.||I have stayed in many hotels and experienced great observant and helpful staff. I would certainly rank this amongst one of my best experiences. ||Getting back to the mention of nice surprises: it started with the first contact via email about the airport transfer having no extra cost (thus we avoided rip-off taxi prices at the airport) and was directly followed by the warm welcome and making sure we will do as good as possible in the high altitude of cusco and an upgrade of the room so we could enjoy more space.|I would also mention the attention to personal preferences at breakfast or the support and kind treatment when we would embark or return from the adventure tours at any weird hour e.g. in the middle of the night. It was so great to know that a someone will be there to see you off or welcome you back (on our tours, some other people got really nervous about making it back before their reception closes, or had to wait outside in the morning cold to be picked up).||Downsides? As other reviewers wrote, also in our room we could hear the neighbors or what was happening out on the street. Also it was rather coolish in the room most of the time due to the climate. We accepted that as part of the deal in an authentic, old house with its own charm. Also, on the beds there are several layers of blankets - so it was always nice and cozy...

Chose this hotel for the price and ratings. Will spend more on hotel next time. The staff at this hotel were very, very nice. They are trying, but need help. Interesting historic building, charming courtyard, pretty towel sculpture with a fresh flower on the bed in our loft room. ||The bathroom was a deal breaker, and I would not recommend anyone stay here because of it. ROOM 3 BATHROOM NOTHING LIKE THE PRETTY PICTURES ON THE WEBSITE. Old and broken, couldn't open door all the way because the delaminating vanity was too big, black mold or mildew all over the dirty walls and ceilings, and ants. Water takes 10 minutes to warm up, and by then the shower has 4" of water standing in it. Had to ask for toilet paper and clean towels - and really, is it too hard to find a spindle for the toilet paper holder so the paper isn't sitting on the wet counter? Cleaning supplies left in the room day 1, and I think we used the cleaning rag as a bathmat. 23 year old daughter refused to shower there after one shower.||They were prompt in resolving the drain issue, and delivering towels and toilet paper.||Had breakfast there day 1, and chose to eat elsewhere after that.||Bedside lamp flickers, not sure if it was the lamp or power outlet. Lampshade still had plastic...