Cusco is one of the best cities in Peru, which means there are hundreds of hotels to choose from. The options of where to sleep in Cusco include hostels, budget-friendly hotels, AirBnb’s, the world’s best hotels, and our personal favorite, boutique hotels.

We love staying in unique and luxury hotels, so we were thrilled when we found two of the best boutique hotels in Cusco, Peru – Aranwa Cusco Boutique Hotel and Tocuyeros Boutique Hotel. So, if you are looking for the best boutique hotels in Cusco, you have come to the right place!

If you are like us and going to split your time in Cusco, we recommend staying at both! For our first two nights in Cusco, we stayed at Aranwa Cusco Boutique Hotel. Then we hiked the Inca trail to Machu Picchu and when we returned to Cusco, we stayed at Tocuyeros Boutique Hotel.

Both boutique hotels are amazing and we loved them equally. So you truly cannot go wrong with either one. They are both one of the best boutique hotels in Cusco.

 

Full disclaimer –  We received complimentary upgrades and/or dinner at Aranwa Cusco Boutique Hotel and Tocuyeros Boutique Hotel. As always, our opinions are non-biased and our own. We want to thank Aranwa Boutique Hotel and Tocuyeros Boutique Hotel for their generosity and for everyone following and supporting us on all of Our Sweet Adventures. 

 

Aranwa Cusco Boutique Hotel

Aranwa is a five star boutique hotel in the heart of Cusco. The Plaza de Armas is less than a five minute walk away from the hotel, so the city is at your disposal.

This was our second time staying with a hotel within the Preferred Hotel company and once again we were more than pleased with our experience. What we loved about Aranwa is the uniqueness it had amongst the other boutique hotels in Cusco. They not only have superior service, luxury accommodations and fine dining, but they are also a museum hotel built in a colonial mansion from the 16th century.

 

Interior Design and Museum

Out of all the boutique hotels in Cusco, you will not find one like Aranwa as they have a natural and beautiful interior full of history. Aranwa Cusco Boutique Hotel has two sitting rooms for guests to enjoy. They can be used to meet with tour companies or to relax and enjoy a cup of coca leaf tea.

 

As briefly stated, Aranwa is a colonial mansion from the 16th century, so the hotel has been able to maintain some of the mansions original structure. This includes their beautiful archways in a long hallway adjacent to the patio. The stonework on the archway is quite magnificent and adds so much character to the hotel.

 

The patio is in the center of the hotel and very spacious with a water fountain in the middle. Glass separates the patio from the hotel with all of the rooms surrounding it. So during the day, the patio brings in natural sunlight to most of the hotel.

 

The museum inside Aranwa is by far the coolest part of the hotel. You would think the museum was a few rooms pushed in the back of the hotel, but that is not the case at all. The museum is the entire hotel or vice versa. This means that the two meeting rooms and each hallway on every floor has a piece of art work. Aranwa’s museum hotel consists of more than 300 pieces of artwork – paintings, colonial sculptures, pieces of furniture and more.

 

Superior Service

You will not find many boutique hotels in Cusco with the same level of service as Aranwa. Every time we needed something, the team at Aranwa were always eager to assist us. Whether it be another bottle of water, dining recommendations in Cusco, or help communicating with our tour operators, we were always well taken care of. We guarantee you can expect the same level of service.

They not only upgraded our room, but they also surprised us with flowers and authentic Peruvian desserts. These small touches of service enhanced our experience tremendously. Furthermore, when we had to leave early for our hike to Machu Picchu, they supplied a breakfast to go for us. It was not just any breakfast though, they included all of our favorite breakfast items that we had enjoyed the morning before. Talk about superior service!

 

Luxury Accommodations

Aranwa Cusco Boutique Hotel has 43 rooms and suites. Each one is decorated in the traditional style of a 16^th century colonial mansion. In addition, they also have a Scottish shower and an electric floor heating system on the bathroom floor. You simply cannot go wrong choosing one of the five room choices.

We had the pleasure of staying in the Superior Deluxe Room and found it very luxurious and accommodating. It can easily accommodate at least three adults. The spacious room is equipped with either a comfortable king bed or two queen beds, a superior bathroom with a jacuzzi and a patio with views of the city and colonial streets.

 

Since we were staying during one of Cusco’s festivals, we were able to witness children in traditional attire singing and dancing down the streets. We could not have asked for a better view and experience.

 

Dining Options

Aranwa Cusco Boutique Hotel has a restaurant and bar on site for guests to enjoy. Their restaurant, Mishti Mestizo Restaurant, showcases Peruvian cuisine using modern techniques. Khasikay Bar is the perfect place to enjoy a cocktail before taking a stroll into the city. In addition, they also provide guests with pisco sour classes – a very fun experience!

 

Guests of Aranwa will be delighted to enjoy a full breakfast buffet every morning, which is included in the daily rate. The breakfast buffet was beautifully arranged in a small dining room of the restaurant. In addition, guests could order any style of eggs from the chef. The buffet breakfast items included cold meats and cheeses, bacon, tamales, crepes, french toast, yogurt, granola, fresh danishes, pastries and more. The french toast is to die for! It was so delicious that we did not even need syrup. As Americans, we typically always drench our french toast with syrup, so the fact that we didn’t need a drop should say a lot.

 

Dinner at Mishti Mestizo Restaurant is a lovely culinary experience that offers an a la carte or a three course tasting menu. Our three course tasting menu included a delightful vegetable soup, an alpaca fillet, muna tea sorbet and chocolate brownie truffles.

 

Aranwa Cusco Boutique Hotel
San Juan de Dios 255
Cusco 08000, Peru
+51 84 60-4444
http://www.aranwahotels.com/en/hotel-cusco/

 

Tocuyeros Boutique Hotel in Cusco

We fell in love with Tocuyeros Boutique Hotel before we even stepped foot onto the property. Their site has a video that captures the hotel’s essence perfectly! Everything we were eager to experience from the video was ten times better in person. What makes Tocuyeros one of the most unique boutique hotels in Cusco is their open terrace and stunning views of the city from their rooftop patio. They are also located in a great area of the San Blas district of Cusco.

If relaxing with a glass of wine, delicious tapas and spectacular views are what you are seeking, then Tocuyeros is the perfect boutique hotel in Cusco for you.

 

Interior Design

We LOVED the interior design of Tocuyeros Boutique Hotel. Guests must walk through a stone tunnel and follow the light at the end. Once you make it to the end, you are welcomed to a beautiful open terrace. It is one of the best hotel entrances we have ever experienced.

 

Tocuyeros Boutique Hotel is surrounded by amazing views and they insure that every guest has the pleasure of enjoying it. There is a rooftop patio on the second floor and another patio outside the common room. These patios were our favorite part of our experience at Tocuyeros. We can only imagine it is the favorite of other guests too.

 

The third most lovely part of Tocuyeros is the dining and common rooms. We found these rooms to be very inviting and enjoyed every second we spent in them. The rooms are connected by a long open space with a bar in-between them. The design has a mix of a rustic and modern touch. Its simplicity works well with the neutral palettes and splashes of color on the pillows and table runners.

 

Lovely Service

We could not have asked for better service during our time at Tocuyeros Boutique Hotel. When we entered our suite, we were welcomed with a lovely letter from the team.

 

More importantly though, we were treated with generous care. We (Christina and Adam) ended up getting severely sick from our time in Machu Picchu and the staff took care of us. They got a thermometer and took our temperatures (of 100.4) and quickly helped us make arrangements to see a doctor. In addition, the chef made us chicken with rice soup at 9am to help us.

While we were sick in the hospital, Shelby remained healthy and Tocuyeros helped make arrangements to keep her comfortable at the hotel. Every little thing we needed during this stressful time, Tocuyeros was there for us. Which is why they are truly one of the best boutique hotels in Cusco. We honestly cannot thank the team at Tocuyeros Boutique Hotel enough for their excellent service.

 

Luxury Accommodations

Tocuyeros is probably one of the smallest boutique hotels in Cusco with only nine suites on two floors. Each suite is spacious with its own unique name and design. The smallest suite is around 200 ft², whereas the biggest suite is close to 700 ft². However, a majority of the suites are around  400 ft².

We stayed in the Caral Suite and found it to be perfect! We loved the simplicity of the design, while still feeling a part of the Peruvian culture and design. The throw blankets and lounge chair resembled the traditional Peruvian alpaca textiles.

 

The bathroom had a very modern touch with a Spanish style shower, double sink and hot towel rack. It was also always well stocked with amenities, towels and water bottles.

 

Dining Options at Tocuyeros

Every house guest will enjoy a full breakfast which is included in the daily rate. The breakfast includes fresh fruit, cold cuts of meat and cheese, avocado, cereal and the most delicious carrot pound cake we have ever tasted. It was so amazing we would take slices to our suite to enjoy later in the day. In addition to the buffet items, we were also allowed to order fresh eggs cooked to our preferred style from the kitchen.

 

REFUGIO

This amazing boutique hotel in Cusco has some of the best Peruvian cuisine you will find in the city. Their restaurant, REFUGIO, offers a creative mix of Fusion and Classic Peruvian fare using only local ingredients. It is open for tapas, lunch and dinner to hotel and outside guest’s by reservations only. Since it is located in the San Blas district, a popular area in Cusco, it makes for the perfect place to enjoy a delicious meal.

For dinner, we enjoyed a little bit of everything and each bite was divine. We had grilled trout with sautéed vegetables, mushroom quinotto and lomo saltado (a classic Peruvian dish of beef stir-fry with potatoes and vegetables). Each dish was outstanding, but Shelby’s lomo saltado was a standout – it was absolutely exquisite!

 

We can never resist dessert, so to conclude our dinner, we had a luscious chocolate cake and a martini glass full of freshly cut fruit. The chocolate cake was decadent and the fresh fruit was a refreshing end to an excellent dinner.

 

Though we loved our dinner at REFUGIO, the highlight of our dining experience at Tocuyeros Boutique Hotel was their tapas! Tapas are served during lunch and before dinner for a nice cocktail hour. The tapas typically consist of four scrumptious bites of heaven. Tapas options include: beef tenderloin, chicken curry, mini hamburgers, fried quail eggs, smoked trout and more. We indulged in smoked trout, mushrooms with garlic and Serrano ham. Everything was delicious!

 

Tocuyeros Boutique Hotel
Tocuyeros 560
Cusco 08000, Peru
+51 84 262 790
info@tocuyeros.com
http://www.tocuyeros.com

 

You Cannot Go Wrong With These Boutique Hotels in Cusco

Both hotels will accommodate your every need and go above and beyond your expectations. They are not only some of the best boutique hotels in Cusco, but the best hotels period!  Spectacular views, delicious dining options, exceptional service, luxurious accommodations and great locations…what more can you ask for?

 

Happy hotel hunting,

Christina, Adam + Shelby

 

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