There are so many times when staying in a hostel is so much better than staying in a hotel. The cheaper room options make it an extremely affordable way to travel whilst giving you the opportunity to make friends who are in the exact same boat as you. Young, adventurous and often solo, you’ll be chatting away with your new roomies and making life-long friends in no time!
After an extremely early arrival of 5am, I was pleasantly surprised to be met by a doorman, leaving me feeling safe, as well as there being staff at the reception. I checked in easily and they handed over a wristband with a barcode, should you need to start a tab at the bar upstairs (extremely convenient but what a way to easily spend money!)
After checking in, I was told that the room wasn’t ready but the helpful staff guided me to the upstairs cinema room with sofas and beanbags for me to rest up until then. They were extremely welcoming and let me know I could help myself to breakfast from 7am, which was served at the rooftop bar. I made my way to the bar, feeling the altitude hit me as I started climbing the stairs. Once I reached the breakfast room, I was welcomed to a ping pong table feast. Cereals, toasts, jams and fresh fruit were on offer, as well as free scrambled eggs. I put my order in and waited, glancing at the menu to see what else I could buy, should the free brekkie not suffice. There was loads to choose from, including pancakes and sandwiches. The altitude led me to lose my appetite (maybe the first time that’s ever happened!) so I sipped on a warming coca tea, hoping it would help revive me.
The Rooms
I was welcomed to my room at around 11am and was secretly a little bit happy to find that I had a 4 bed dorm to myself. I just wanted to sleep with no disturbances after being awake for way more than 24 hours. I was excited to see a spacious, clean room with ensuite bathroom and I really appreciated the cork board with fun artwork on the side giving the room a fun edge but also creating a bit of privacy for both top and bottom bunks. I grabbed my duvet, woolly blanket and pillow from my designated locker, climbed up (I’m a top-bunker) and had the best sleep ever.
After experiencing other hostels along my Peruvian journey, this room stuck out as one of the best for many reasons, among them, the littlest of details. The mattresses were laid on a slab of cork, meaning you could keep your day bag up by your bed, which made it easier than having stuff lying around the room. There was also the extreme conveniences of having a personal light, plug socket and little shelf area per bed.
The Hostel
Milhouse go above and beyond to create a fun and energetic atmosphere here. Every day you’ll find different activities both for the day and night. Ranging from complimentary city walking tours (so much fun – read about it here) and help organising your daily sightseeing with help from their in-house travel agents to pizza and BBQ nights in their courtyard! Praise goes to the staff who run the city walking tours – they were so accommodating to the huge amount of people turning up and settled for 2 tours – one Spanish, one English. They take you around the city, feeding you tasters of Peru, such as causa and breads from the market. It’s a great environment no matter what you do and you’ll really get you socialising with other hostel-ites in no time. As for the location, you couldn’t be closer to the action – the Plaza de Armas is less than a 10 minute walk away; the main plaza offering colonial churches, a central fountain and an array of restaurants and bars. This central location also means it’s inexpensive to get a taxi to/from the airport – under 20 soles (under £5).
The Bar
The bar also doubles as their restaurant, serving delicious dishes such as taquenos and you have to try the aji de gallina (chicken with aji chilli sauce) spicy but still so tasty. The bar itself is lively and most nights they’ll have really fun themed nights – my first night was fun with a moustache theme (draw on a tash and get yourself a free shot!) I think they’ve succeeded in making this a really fun hostel but I wouldn’t call it a party hostel – this might be due to the fact it’s in Cusco and almost everyone arrives here feeling a bit queasy from the altitude sickness or has an early start the next morning for the endless hikes and tours you can take out of Cusco.
I would hugely recommend staying in this hostel if you ever find yourself in Cusco – I’m in a rush to visit again after meeting some of the most wonderful people here and really enjoying myself on the walking tour too. With rooms from just £9 per night, find them on Hostelworld now!