Alejandrina Hotel

Location: Highly praised for being centrally located, within a 10-minute walk to historic sites, restaurants, and cultural landmarks like Calle Larga and UNESCO-listed areas.

Be careful of surprises

The hotel is very nice to look at and quite reasonably priced. The rooms were small but clean and everything worked well. Staff were courteous enough but didn't go much beyond that. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4. Breakfasts were adequate, but there is NO excuse for serving us instant coffee on our first morning. Even then, the coffee was not the highlight in a country that produces great coffee. There is free parking on site. There is a small bar across the street which can be noisy at night, so perhaps ask for one of the back rooms. The location was perfect for seeing this small walkable and safe city with its well-deserved UNESCO heritage designation - a 10-minute walk in one direction to the historic centre with its gorgeous buildings and a 10-minute walk in the other direction to the restaurants and bars of Calle Larga and the Rio Tomebamba (one of four rivers that run through this red-roofed city). If you are looking to try cuy (crispy-skinned roasted guinea pig), we loved it at Tres Estrellas on Calle Larga and thought it tasted like a cross between duck confit and pork. Make a reservation; it takes an hour to roast the cuy. We also really enjoyed our meal at El Jardin. We did a half-day city tour and were so glad we did. Cuenca is close enough to go for a hike at the fantastic El Cajas National Park with its network of trails. We also found the pre-Inca artefacts museum well worth whiling away a rainy afternoon. If you want to buy art and crafts, Casa de la Mujer (a small indoor plaza with many co-operative-run tiny artesan shops, many by women) is a great compact place to do that. Shout-out to Fabian Calderon at Pambil - he produces lovely jewellry. Did I mention we really loved Cuenca?