Milhouse Hostel Cusco

A solid place with some good features, but also so

Prós: 1) Very helpful and accommodating staff (e.g. we arrived early and they were able to allow us to check into our room several hours early, which was a big help) 2) Superb location just blocks away from Plaza de Armas, directly across the street from a super-fast and super-cheap place that will do your laundry for you by the kilo, and also in the same block as Wayki Travel with whom we were doing a 4-day trek (so very useful for us) 3) Some very charming interior courtyards 4) Lots of information available on area restaurants and attractions, including discounts they've negotiated for those who stay there (including at the incredible and upscale Marcello Batata restaurant) 5) Very solid wifi -- it's only supposed to work in the courtyards and public spaces, but we were able to pick it up in most parts of our room because we were right on the courtyard, so that was a plus 6) Luggage storage (we needed to leave our for 4 days because of a trek and it was no problem) 7) 24-hour security (which also meant 24-hours luggage check-in and check-out) 8) Tea available at no charge at all hours in reception

Contras: 1) Water in rooms not potable -- have to buy bottled water yourself (though they can sell you their own branded bottled water at a very reasonable price) 2) In order to pass through the 24-hour security, you have to have a wristband you wear throughout your stay. I know that others hostels in Cusco do this, so it's not unique to this one, but your little wristband marks you as a tourist everywhere you go (if it wasn't fairly obvious already). 3) Our private room was right on the entry courtyard. While convenient, there was one night when a huge group of young travelers all checked in at once and then held an impromptu gathering in the courtyard and kept it going past the sanctioned "quite time" (10pm I think). Might've been a lot of fun if we were 20 years old and didn't have to get up super-early the next morning. 4) As with many establishments in Peru (and some very nice ones in some developing countries), the plumbing requires you to deposit used toilet paper in a trash can beside the toilet rather than in the toilet. Not a huge deal, but if you're not used to this sort of thing, be prepared. 5) Not a ton of plugs or furnishings in the room to help you organize your things, charge your devices, etc. Similar situation with bathroom and shower. 6) Bed was reasonable, but not the most comfortable. 7) Noise: There was a water pipe running through the wall next to our bed that made it sound like a waterfall every time someone took a shower or flushed a toilet (to the point where we started to get paranoid that their might be a leak somewhere -- there wasn't) and the noise from the streets and the courtyard really invaded the room. Also, the glass in our door and transom rattled loudly every time a truck went by. 8) Shower had very poor drainage. It was up to our ankles after a normal length shower. 9) No in-room safe, but they did provide a series of lockers in the common area that you could attach your own bad lock to. If you happened to have thought ahead to bring a padlock, it was very convenient and safe. 10) Temporary: There was major construction going on while we were there so a lot of the usual features were not available. For example, breakfast was crammed into the bar and many daily events (e.g. karaoke) did not take place. One major complaint I had about how this was handled however was that on our last night, someone decided it was a bright idea to have workers move in massive stacks of bricks STARTING AT 4:30AM. As we were right on the courtyard where this was happening, we were awoken by it and could not get back to sleep. That's something that could and should have been avoided.