Advantages: A five-star stay? Disadvantages: ?with just three-star facilities
simplicity often trumps ritzy ostentation. Attentive service matters, but nothing is nastier than the kind of smarmy obsequiousness that always seems to mask a sneer. And so on. Maybe it's simply down to that indefinable essence known as character or personality.
These inconsequential musings are prompted by my trying to pinpoint what it was about the Casa San Blas at Cusco that I liked so much. The hotel is certainly not without its limitations and even its failings, but it's a nevertheless a charming and delightful place to stay. Let's try to summarise what it has to offer.
* Location *
The Casa San Blas is situated just a few minutes' walk from Cusco's Plaza de Armas (central square), and is therefore convenient for all the main sights of the ancient Inca capital, such as the Qorikancha (Sun Temple), the Cathedral ...
Advantages: Friendly staff, modern decor, lots of handy facilities, great location Disadvantages: Rooms are a bit on the small side and cramped
the best available double room when we got to the hotel.
The hotel that we had booked was the four star 'Jolly Carlton'. I had a look on the internet and it seemed wonderful.
We were told that check in wasn't until 2pm, but when we arrived in Amsterdam in the morning, we though that we would go to the hotel to see if we could leave our luggage there so we didn't have to drag it around the city until 2pm.
The hotel is about a 15 minute walk from the central station, which we managed no problem, even with our luggage. If you don't want to walk then there are also several trams you can take, either from the central station or from the centre of the town, though it really isn't that far and it is a fairly flat road all the way, and it means you can window shop as you walk! The hotel is very easy to find and is along one of the main roads. It ...
Bogota has imporved over the years, once a place of chaotic traffic, bad roads and a general sense of disorganisation, it has changed immesly for the better.
Transport - Buses and Taxis they are frequent and roughlty cost the same amount which ever you decide to take, For the buses you jump on where you want and then just let the driver know when you want to get off, there are no bus stops as such. there is also the new El Transmilenio - which is a giant bendy bus which gets around the city much faster.
Shopping - Bogota is a great place to shop, you can buy typical colombian things, you can buy jewerelly from tradiational colombian pendents with pre colombian figures, to emeralds and dimonds. For clothes shopping i recommend a place called San Anderisto - IT sells fashionable clothes, along with Toys, Jewerelly, Bed Linen ect ...
Carolena 10.09.2005
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Bogota
