La Casona

This handsome mansion on one of Cusco’s prettiest squares draws the fashion and art crowds with its chic interiors and laid-back atmosphere.

• The exclusive and intimate feeling of the property
• The magazine-worthy interiors
• The warm welcome of the staff who share their insider’s knowledge

“We like to think of the property as a home, which is why there is no sign outside and the door is kept closed,” explains La Casona’s hostess. Located in a handsome mansion on one of Cusco’s prettiest plazas, just across from Belmond Hotel Monasterio and Belmond Palacio Nazarenas, La Casona is part of the Inkaterra collection, one of Peru’s oldest boutique hotel companies. So discreet is this property that no doorman stands outside to greet you. Rather, you have to knock on the imposing wooden door to gain access. Instead of a lobby, there’s a fabulously comfortable salon teeming with colorful textiles and inviting places to sit. If the welcoming atmosphere and convivial guests and staff make you feel as if you’ve wandered into a private party, don’t be surprised. The fashion and art folk who stay here tend to be on a first-name basis in minutes, with drinks or dinner plans to follow.

Guest rooms are set around the two-story interior courtyard, and the best have plaza views (Nos. 5 and 6 on the second floor are the largest and overlook the Plaza Nazarenas). All have Spanish colonial decorative details, like tapestries, frescoes, stone fireplaces and carved wooden doors, and modern technological features, such as Wi-Fi, heated floors and iPod docking stations. With only eleven suites, La Casona offers a much cozier, more intimate stay than Monasterio (no cruise-ship groups or YPOers here), so it attracts visiting artists, photographers, designers and film crews, who appreciate the slightly bohemian bonhomie. The downside is that the hotel does not have the oxygen-enhanced rooms of Monasterio or Casa Cartegena (though the hotel will provide a tank of oxygen upon request).

Indagare Tip: Of the eleven suites, opt for the Balcony Suites on the second floor or one of the two Plaza Suites, which offer original details such as frescoes.

Who Shouldn’t Stay

Anyone who craves a uniformed staff and other traditional hotel formalities.

The coolest customers in town. The chic people know how hard it is to score a room in this hot-spot hotel, especially one overlooking the plaza.