RUMIQOLQA Machupicchu Hotel

The hotel is very centrally located. The view from our room and from the breakfast terrace was exceptional. But the best thing about the hotel was our host. She made us feel very welcome, shared some tips on getting last minute tickets for Machu Picchu, and told us about a really nice hike in the area (we had an extra day to spare in Aguas Calientes).

The hotel is very basic and run down, I’d rather call it a hostel. But the price is too steep for a hostel. Probably it’s a common thing in Aguas Calientes though. We did feel safe, but the room didn’t give me an impression of cleanliness. There were smashed bugs on the walls etc. The water was never truly hot, rather -tepid, and it looks like the host can’t do much about it. Again, probably this is a benchmark in the area, unless you go for a five star experience.

Convenient and easy to locate. They were flexible with our very early morning departure and provided a boxed meal to take on the train

The shower was barely warm water.

It was just a few minutes walk from the train station, near lots of restaurants, cafés, market, etc. The room was pleasant and the bed was comfortable. The shower had hot water. There was a rooftop terrace where breakfast was served. They served eggs, rolls, some fruit, tea or instant coffee. The staff was friendly.

There was an open space next to the stairs and noise even from the bottom floor traveled to the top. There was also noise every few minutes in the bathroom, not sure if it was from the pipes or what. Closing the bathroom door helped not to hear that annoying sound. The room wasn’t cleaned or trash emptied during my stay. Room keys were left unattended right on the counter of the front desk and the receptionist was rarely there. I took my room key with me, for security.

Quiet, can hear the sounds of the river at night, and cool. The staff is lovely and made breakfast boxes for us to have to take to Machu Picchu the following morning as snacks

I think there is a lower standard for the area. We didnt mind the apartment being simple, but what got us was everything felt unclean and dated. There were loose hairs everywhere, mystery stains on the curtains and walls, raised smudges of anonymous origin on the floor, and the electrical outlets were loose. Our friend in another room had no hot water and something weird that bubbled out of the drain when the water ran. It’s a place where you’d want shower shoes. So as long as you’re expecting that, it’s fine. But I’ve stayed at hostels recently that were cheaper. Simple is one thing, but unclean feels icky.