Peru, any suggestions ...

HDRod

HDRod

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Hi. Does anyone have any negative experiences with hotels/hostels in Cusco, Aguas Calientes?
I would like to know where to avoid at all costs.

thanks,

d
 
Try a guidebook like Lonely Planet. You can always go to Indigo, find the info you want and put it back on the shelf.

This is what comes up on the Lonely Planet homepage for Peru.

Travel Warning: Civil Unrest - Areas Out of Bounds

Peru has experienced civil unrest in recent times, with political and labour-related strikes occurring across the country. In August, thousands of Pisco residents protested against the government's slow response to an earthquake in 2007 which killed more than 500. In July, another anti-government protest in the capital Lima resulted in about 200 arrests. Travelers are advised to avoid any public protests as these may turn violent without warning.
Areas where the government is conducting counter-insurgency campaigns have been designated 'emergency areas' and should not be entered. The Shining Path (Sendero Luminoso) guerrilla movement is still known to conduct occasional operations in the Ayacucho, Huancavelica, Huanuco, Junín and San Martín areas. Border areas with Ecuador and Colombia are dangerous due to the presence of drug traffickers. The Cordillera del Cóndor region, near the border with Ecuador, is planted with landmines.
Check out the Thorn Tree travel forum for advice from travelers.
severity: Mid-level alert
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Guy Fawkes said:
Try a guidebook like Lonely Planet. You can always go to Indigo, find the info you want and put it back on the shelf.

This is what comes up on the Lonely Planet homepage for Peru.
Click to expand...

Thanks, I appreciate the research!

I'm looking for a first-hand account stating something along the lines of: "Don't stay here because of [insert awful experience here]." I've read the travel books and looked at reviews on web sites, but who knows if the hostel posts their own reviews, as they tend to swing from "BEST EVER" to "GAVE ME RABBIES" pretty quickly.

I'm mostly booked ... just worried I've made a mistake here or there ... any horrible experiences?
 
HDRod said:
Thanks, I appreciate the research!

I'm looking for a first-hand account stating something along the lines of: "Don't stay here because of [insert awful experience here]." I've read the travel books and looked at reviews on web sites, but who knows if the hostel posts their own reviews, as they tend to swing from "BEST EVER" to "GAVE ME RABBIES" pretty quickly.

I'm mostly booked ... just worried I've made a mistake here or there ... any horrible experiences?
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Personal experiences are good, but they're always one man's interpretation. Guidebooks fall victim to the same problem, or the fact that the writers might be "bought" by certain establishments. I knew a guy who's wife wrote for Lonely Planet and he confirmed that that does occur sometimes, but not as often with Lonely Planet.

This might sound stupid, but I actually brought two guidebooks (Fodor's and Lonely Planet) with me to Panama. My fiance bought one, and I bought the other. The reason for taking two was because we found conflicting information in them. Lonely Planet listed certain areas to go to, but Fodor's had a specific map outlining the actual boundaries or the areas to stay away from.

Taking various sources including personal experiences is the best way to be safe and get the best travel experience. Keep the information you want, and carefully weed out what you think isn't important.
 
Lonely Planet guides are pretty good in my experience. Some establishments in certain countries feel very honored to be there and do everything in their power to keep the complains very low, as 70-90% of their customers come from it!!
Enjoy Peru! It is a beautiful country. Take some photos and post it here after!!!

edit: While Lonely Planet guide is for people on the budget $, Fodor's guide tend to be for people that fall into $$-$$$ category
 
HDRod said:
Hi. Does anyone have any negative experiences with hotels/hostels in Cusco, Aguas Calientes?
I would like to know where to avoid at all costs.

thanks,

d
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No negative experiences in Cusco or in Aquas calientes. They're both great places, and you should have a great time. Cusco is a tourist trap and rightfully so, I never saw so many damn hippie kids in one place, but other than that, it's fine, and safe. I didn't have a hotel/hostel picked out when I landed. There are so many tour guides there with hotel information, just pick one of them and you should be ok. But, if you're one of the guys who need to have everything pre booked, then pick any hostel in the main square and you should be fine. From what I saw all hostels are pretty much the same. Don't remember the name of the one that I stayed at, sorry.


As for aquas callientes, it's a fun place, with one main street that goes up hill, all the hostels are there. Pretty much same quality. Let me know if you want some specific info.
For everything else:
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/forum.jspa?forumID=22&keywordid=241
-a
 
Dmitri said:
Lonely Planet guides are pretty good in my experience. Some establishments in certain countries feel very honored to be there and do everything in their power to keep the complains very low, as 70-90% of their customers come from it!!
Enjoy Peru! It is a beautiful country. Take some photos and post it here after!!!

edit: While Lonely Planet guide is for people on the budget $, Fodor's guide tend to be for people that fall into $$-$$$ category
Click to expand...

+1

Not to mention that Fodor's seems to cater to an older demographic than Lonely Planet.

I did manage to find a lot of good deals on eats through Fodor's. When we got to Panama, we actually took Fodor's everywhere and left the Lonely Planet behind.

My friend strongly recommends "Let's Go" for the layout, ease of use, and writing (written by Harvard students). I just don't agree with the layout and ease of use...And it doesn't seem to be as widely available as Fodor's and Lonely Planet.
 
How old, what are your goals etc??

I can recommend some awesome party hotels to meet people, hang out, etc, but you might be looking for something more low key. How long are you going for, i spent about a month in peru so am happy to give advice if i know a little more about your trip
 
But I have very bad experience there in the hostels and motels. I stayed there with my girlfriend for 3days. The
rooms were not lighted and there was dump. Sleep was very uncomfortable. On returning, we left our
some stuff like hand bag etc by mistake. I called them and asked for that. The claimed that we have broken
their sofa and shower in washroom. We have to pay $300 for and then we will be able to get our things back.
regards
 
Dillon said:
But I have very bad experience there in the hostels and motels. I stayed there with my girlfriend for 3days. The
rooms were not lighted and there was dump. Sleep was very uncomfortable. On returning, we left our
some stuff like hand bag etc by mistake. I called them and asked for that. The claimed that we have broken
their sofa and shower in washroom. We have to pay $300 for and then we will be able to get our things back.
regards
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There was dump?!

I went three years ago, but thanks for the specific warnings ... Next time I'll stay away from the hostels and motels.
 
Wikitravel.com

I've used that site many times for stays in places like Budapest, Turkey and such. Its written from first hand reviews and I can tell you I saw a lot of the stuff they told me to be aware of and was able to avoid it.

They also have hotel/hostel rating for some area's, hope that helps.
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