Casa Cartagena Boutique Hotel
Best luxury hotel for privacy
This luxury hotel has only 15 suites, and all rooms are suites. The breakfast buffet is fantastic, with even the cheese and pastries made by the hotel chef. The lunch and dinner menu is limited but eating in is still a good idea if you’re tired because there is no extra charge for room service.
The building stands on the location of a former Inca temple. It belonged to Fernando de Cartagena y Santa Cruz in the 17th century and still retains much of its colonial opulence. Like most of Cusco’s hotels in historic buildings, Casa Cartagena suffers from a lack of accessibility. Only one suite can be made wheelchair accessible.
My favorite thing about this hotel is the spa and pool. It’s the only pool in Cusco with a view of San Blas and one of the few that has natural light. Most hotels have to put pools in the basement because colonial buildings were not built to withstand the weight of a pool. Also, having a pool anywhere but the basement is dangerous in an earthquake zone like Cusco.
What Casa Cartagena does better than any other Cusco luxury hotel is privacy. This is your best bet for quick entrances and exits to your hotel on a narrow street, where it’s very unlikely you’ll have to deal with gawkers and paparazzi. The small size also makes it perfect for large families who want to rent out a whole hotel for privacy.