Accommodation in Arequipa

La Reyna
Zela 209, 054-286578
Popular with backpackers, this small inn lies pretty close to the Santa Catalina monastery. Good value choice, starting from $10 for a double with shared bathroom or $5 per person in shared rooms. No credit cards.

Tambo Viejo
Av. Malecón Socabaya 107, IV Centenario, 054-288195
Popular budget hostel located 5 blocks south of the main square, it features a nice garden with a terrace. Relaxed, friendly atmosphere. Doubles with private bathroom for $20.

Casa Andina
Calle Jerusalén 603, 054-202070
A middle-range hotel close to the Plaza de Armas, but still slightly on the edge of town (a 10-minute walk to the centre). This new hotel occupies a building made from the volcanic sillar stone, and forms part of a small and efficient Peruvian chain of hotels. Rates: single $49, double $59

La Casa de Melgar Hostal
Melgar 108, 054-222459
A beautiful hostel that has preserved the Colonial atmosphere of the sillar-built house, La Casa de Melgar is as good-value as it is friendly. It's located close to the main square and features comfortable rooms. A double room costs $35, including breakfast. Excellent choice (but not a secret, thus reservations are a must).

La Casa de Mi Abuela Hostal
Jerusalen 606, 054-241206
Another friendly hostel, only six blocks away from the main square. Occupying a large 3,500 square-meter area, the building contains 50 rooms and is surrounded by a beautiful garden, swimming pool included. Other services of La Casa de Mi Abuela (or My Grandmother's House, in Spanish) include an on-site travel agency and two restaurants. As with other great value hostels, booking in advance is recommended. Rates: single $26, double $33 (with private bathroom).

Hotel Libertador Arequipa
Plaza Bolivar, Selva Alegre, 054-215110
Colonial-style Libertador is an elegant hotel located in the Selva Alegre neighbourhood, amidst a nice and peaceful park. Very large rooms and a good restaurant. The swimming pool is surrounded by the palm trees of the ample gardens. Ideal for families with children. Rates: double $115.

Sonesta Posada del Inca
Portal de Flores 116, 054-215530
Located in the centre of Arequipa's Main Square and next to the Cathedral, this is a medium-sized hotel with large and comfortable rooms. It offers some nice attractions like a restaurant overlooking the main square porticoes and a small rooftop pool. The normal rates start from $125 for the standard double, that includes a buffet breakfast.

La Maison d' Elise
Avenida Bolognesi 104, Yanahuara, 054-256185
A charming small hotel located in Yanahuara, a renowned suburb 2km away from the city centre. It occupies a building that merges colonial and Mediterranean style architecture, and from some angles resembles a village in the Greek Santorini island. The 88 rooms are distributed in several mustard and white villas organized around colonial courtyards. There is a swimming pool. Rates: single $54, double $70.

Accommodation in the Colca Valley

La Casa de Mamayacchi
Coporaque, Caylloma, 054-241206
Owned by the same people as La Casa de mi Abuela, this hostel is located in the town of Coporaque, province of Caylloma, some 170 Km from the City of Arequipa, in one of the most picturesque areas of the Colca Valley. Built with local materials, the House of Mamayacchi is rustic yet comfortable, and perfectly inserts into the surrounding environment. Rates: double $50.

Colca Lodge
Fundo Puye, Yanque, Caylloma district, 054-202587 or 054-531191
Affiliated to the Peruvian Libertador chain, Colca Lodge is located in the Fundo Puye, Yanque, in the heart of the Valley, next to the Colca River and in the midst of ancestral farming terraces. The architectonic style, inspired in the ancient Inca buildings, only employs stone, mud bricks and thatch roofs, merging nicely with the surroundings. The 30 rooms of this eco-lodge are comfortable and charming. Best of all, the Colca Lodge is the only accommodation facility in the area to have its own thermal baths. Rates start from $82 for a single and $92 for a double room.

Casa Andina
Calle Huayna Cápac, Chivay, 054-531020
The 52 rooms of this nice hotel, built with the traditional combination of thick stone walls and thatched roofs, manage to be charming, rustic, and comfortable. Strategically located in the center of the colonial town of Chivay, the starting point for touring the Colca, it features an Andean-cuisine restaurant and a planetarium looking into one of the most extraordinary and clear skies in the Southern Hemisphere. Rates: single $55, double $65.