Hotel Monasterio & Condor Travel
Written: Oct 11 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: charming colonial city, good archaeological sites
Cons: High altitude
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| kit213's Full Review: Cuzco |
Review Topic: Accommodations
I tried to book Hotel Libertador through Avanti Travel, they told me it was full (because Monasterio was more expensive). Actually, it is an interesting old monastery only 2 blocks from the central square, but rather stuffy. As a little old lady, even I felt too young to be there. Talked to someone else who stayed at Posada del Inca who said it was ok, but way too noisy. Later he was at Libertador and said it was a beautiful hotel, swinging bar, but he liked Posadas better.
Only trouble I had at Monasterio was lack of heat. Rooms were freezing with only one thin blanket. They did bring a space heater, used a screwdriver to adjust the element so it would heat. No on-off switch, just crawl under the tv to plug-unplug it. I was afraid it would burn down the joint, but too cold to complain again.
We landed during the transportation strike and the office staff of Condor Travel picked up several of us independent travellers. The girls even helped shovel dirt so the car could get around a narrow corner next to the river to by-pass the barracades. (See Machu Picchu comment for more.)
The best fried won tons I have had in a long time were at a second floor Chinese restaurant overlooking the main square of Cusco. Good shopping buys in Cusco, much of the stuff is the same as everywhere else, but keep browsing in the back rooms and you can turn up some interesting things.
Coca tea really helps the altitude problems. I have emphysema among other things and was worried, so I planned to do nothing the first day. That was wise. Walking to my room was like walking underwater. I went back to the 16th century stone and wood lobby and had a coca tea, then a nap, more tea, another nap, more tea, and I was ready to stroll--slowly--down to the main plaza. Two very gingerly creeping hours later I was back at the hotel. A light dinner of toast and watermelon and I was more than ready for bed.
That did the trick. More coca tea the second day in Cusco and I had no trouble climbing all over Sacsayhuaman. Younger people who did not adhere to the advise not to have alcohol the first day, were much worse off than I.
Sacsayhuaman is a fascinating ruin a couple of hundred feet higher that Cusco. At it's top is a sort of wheel of the world which some people think is a power vortex site. I sat in it and didn't feel a thing, but a lady said, "Just wait." Later in Machu Picchu the sun had been hiding all day. I climbed up to the holy site Inti-Huatana and the sun came out just for the 5 minutes it took for me to get pictures illustrating the compass rock completely. Then it was gone for the rest of the day. So, maybe the power did work?
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
kit213
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Member: Kit
Location: WA
Reviews written: 11
Trusted by: 1 member
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