The Royal Inca II is a hidden gem in Cusco. Is one of two properties of the Royal Inca hotel group in Cusco. It is located close enough from the lively main square – the Plaza de Armas – but far enough to be quiet at night (just a five minute easy stroll from the front door to the Plaza).

To insure we had a room on arrival we pre-booked a room at another hostel (lower class & futher out from the Plaza) for $50/night, but on arrival at the Cusco airport. We approached the Inca II hotel representative and negotiated a rate of US$60/night for two nights (Saturday night and Monday night). Normally the rooms here go in excess of $100/night, but if you’re lucky to be there in low season a better price can be had if you negotiate a little (it helps if you speak Spanish). The hotel occupancy was very small and we felt as if we owned the place. On the other hand, I could see difficulties finding sitting space at the restaurant & lobby during high season.

Included with the room came a very nice breakfast which consisted of fresh fruits, fresh squeeze juices – orange & papaya, coffee, made to order omelets, bacon, cereals, and yogurt. What else could they have included in the breakfast, I don’t know. While you eat breakfast you’re presented with a view of a beautiful high mural made up of thousands of tiny tiles (see picture).

At one end of the restaurant, sitting against the wall that separates it from the bar, the hotel always had a keg complimentary Hot Coca Tea. They say that this tea helps lower the effect of high altitude sickness. The Coca tea is a little bitter but it tastes great if you squeeze some lemons and add the honey that they had with it. Note: I was a little worry about the high altitude prior to my arrival in Cusco. All that I got was a slight headache. If you’re in decent shape, and don’t smoke, you don’t need to worry about it. They also said that the effect of high altitude is minimized if you do not eat heavy/fatty meals on your arrival.

The room was adequate. You could say the furniture was dated – but this is common when you stay outside the cosmopolitan cities of Latin America. We had two decent twin beds with nice Alpaca blankets. The room has a decent 19 inch TV with more channels than one could watch on any given moment ( HBO, Cinemax, BBC, CNN, AXN, Chinese, Japanese, Italian, etc .). The shower was excellent and had plenty of hot water.

But without a doubt for me the BEST amenity offered by the Royal Inca II is the Steam Room (note that they call it a Sauna, but is not a dry Sauna). The Steam roam is open every evening until 10pm. I am a huge fan of steam rooms, and the one at this hotel was perfect – Hot! The steam room felt AMAZING after we returned to Cusco having spent the day soaked, sweaty and dirty in Machu Pichu. Make sure to ask the attendant ( the massage therapist) to turn on the sauna at least 20 minutes before you intend to use it to warm up the tiles; unless you want to sit on cold tiles that will shock your rear end. They also have two Jacuzzis but I did not use them.

As to food use the hotel restaurant only for breakfast. Instead take a five to ten minute walk and eat at Tapananchis. There are other restaurants around the Plaza de Armas which may have a more typical colonial décor ( Tapananchis is more cosmopolitan in its flair) But here the food was uniquely EXCELENTE!

Note the the pictures shown on the link of Hotel Photos (that take you to Expedia) don't correspond to this hotel.