Casa Andina - Private Collection Puno

After the reviews we were really looking forward to staying here so a few months in advance we booked 2 nights in the suite. We arrived on the Andean Explorer from Cusco, and were duly picked up from the train station by the hotel as planned. We got to the hotel, and were given our room key, couldn't wait to relax in the suite after a 10hr train journey. We had just got engaged, so were keen to make it special.

We arrived at the room, and discovered it was a normal double room. After complaining and showing our confirmation letter, we discovered the suite had been double booked. They kindly said we would only have to pay for the double room and not the suite for that night (I should hope so, as that's were we stayed!), and after much complaint they also offered a glass of house wine as an apology. Due to the altitude, and the fact that i had been ill we didn't want the house wine. I insisted that they contacted the manager (we did manage to get the suite for the 2nd night, and then also were given a free meal the 2nd evening, so they did eventually offer some good service)

We then asked their help to book a tour for the next day. Unfortunately, although the tour company we were directed to was linked to the hotel, we couldn't charge it to our account. You also cannot withdraw any cash from the hotel anywhere. We only just had just enough cash to pay for the tour ($98), with only about $10 left for tips/souvenirs the next day. So make sure you take enough cash with you - the only other option would be to get a cab to Puno to get some(too late for us). The tour (get the fast boat to the Uros & Taquile) was very good and well worth it

Food in the restaurant was distinctly average (at best), we both preferred the food we were given by the locals on Taquile island.

The actual suite itself is very big, and a lovely view of part of the lake and Puno across the water. The decor quality of the room is average, not what you would expect of the best room.

The final straw of it all was the return cab to the train station, by then i had $2 left. The hotel had agreed (on booking) to arrange transport to & from the train station, they had charged for this on the hotel bill on checkout (and confirmed I wouldn't have to pay the cab driver). The cab turned up on time and took us to Puno, on arrival, the cab driver said that the hotel hadn't paid him after all and we have to pay him. We had a train to get, so had no alternative but to pay him, luckily the charge was $2!

Hotel bellissimo in stile..si trova un po' fuori dal centro di Puno, 5 minuti di taxi(circa 3 soles il costo), camere grandi con magnifica vista sul lago titicaca e Puno.

Ottima cucina tipica Peruviana, forse la colazione è un po' troppo all'americana, poca scelta per chi vuole una colazione continentale.

Per il resto personale molto gentile, sempre disponibile.

Il casa andina private collection lago è forse il migliore albergo di Puno per me!

We stayed in the suite at the Casa Andina Private Collection at Puno. It has views in 2 directions of Lake Titicaca. The suite is very spacious and has a whirlpool tub in the huge bathroom, and a fire place in the living room. The restaurant in the hotel is excellent and a good value for the money. The hotel arranged for the taxi to pick us up at the train station. The hotel is located out of the town a ways, so we didn't need to contend with the reveling from the street fairs in town. The bell staff were very prompt in helping us deal with our luggage both arriving and departing. I would not hesitate to recommend this hotel-I can't think of anything to complain about. It was a great place to stay.

We visited Lake Titicaca and stayed in Casa Andina in Puno.

The hotel is truly a gem not only for the location, beautiful rooms and delicious food but most of all our recommendation goes to the staff. They were extremely courteous.

We highly recommend Casa Andina. Congratulations Orlando (reception) and thank you for making our family trip a memorable one.

Samuel & Emily Luks

Toronto - Canada

The Casa Andina Private collection is a cut above the rest of the Casa Andina hotels. Our room was on the lake and was spacious, containing a huge king bed, beautiful bathroom with lovely soaps, hair dryer,electric room heater, complimentary bottle of water, a room safe and terry cloth bath robes. There was also a large cable TV with programming in English .The breakfast buffet was excellent with "made to order" omelets, cereals,breads, pancakes, meats, fruits and yogurt. The restaurant is excellent and very well priced...ex a good dinner costs about $12.00 USD. After a day on the Lake, this hotel was a wonderful refuge !

We booked on line directly with Casa Andina and received a 10% discount, so this room was only $117.00 per night and an excellent value !

2 adults and 2 kids (12 & 15) in 2 adjoining rooms (we had booked interconnecting but they were non lake view so we switched). It is quite a way out of the town but we were happy with that.

Nice clean and comfortable hotel. Good location. The linen and furnishings were very good. Comfortable beds.Beautiful view of the lake form the terrace and our room.

The best things about the hotel were their restaurant!!!!! and their in room amenities. The restaurant was almost deserted both night we were there, but then occupancy was also pretty low. We were very pleasantly surprised with the menu and the quality of the food, it was the best we had eaten during our time in Peru. The amenities were fantastic- the best shampoo,conditioner, shower gel and lotion in Peru, in my humble opinion!! I wish I could import the stuff.

Nice cosy lounge area in foyer of hotel to socialise. Cable TV in the rooms.

Great experience.

My husband and I along with our best friends have just returned from a two week trip to Peru. While in Puno and the areas surrounding Lake Titicaca we stayed at the Casa Andina Private Collection in Puno. We all found the rooms to be comparable in size to those here in the U.S. The hotel was opened in April of 2006 and is very clean. We all had rooms with views of the lake. For about $120 you just can not beat the accomodations.

The restaurant was wonderful with a relaxed atmosphere. The breakfast buffet offers something for everyone. The restaurant also provides room service which we took advantage of when we were too exhausted from the day to make it downstairs to the restaurant.

The lounge offers a cozy fireplace for those cold evenings on the lake. In the lounge you will find hotel guests enjoying a cup of coca tea. The entire staff was friendly and courteous. Feel free to check with the front desk about tour recommendations. We enjoyed our stay and are looking forward to our next trip to Peru. We will be staying here again.

Charlotte, NC

This is a new hotel, only opened for 6 months. We were given a lake view room. The room size was fine and had all necessary facilities that one would expect from a four star hotel. It's clean and comfortable.

The hotel has a very nice lounge area, with a log fire, where the guests sip their coco tea. The hotel restaurant was exceptionally good, offering an authentic menu and a comfortable environment.

All staff were friendly and helpful. We really enjoyed staying at the hotel.

I was especially pleased with my selection of this hotel for my visits to Lake Titicaca & Sillustani. The town of Puno is not very nice and this is one of the few hotels outside of town right on the lake shore. The rooms and common areas were very nice and clean. The rooms have small balconies, which is great if you're on the lake side, which I was. If you're put into a room on the street side, ask if they can move you. They were able to move me in about 10-15 minutes after a room on the lake side was cleaned. It was also great to have a restaurant in the hotel so I did not have to go into town to eat. And I have to say that the restaurant here was EXCELLENT! Absolutely delicious gourmet food. I was very pleased with this hotel. I also liked the small pier attached to the hotel. You can walk out and see lots of birds. Oh and the cozy bar area with a fireplace was very nice too.

This is a new hotel in Puno that opened in April, 2006. There are a few other Casa Andina properties in Puno, but this is the only Private Collection they have there.

Upon arrival (after a long bus ride from Copacabana), we were greated by nicely dressed, stylish, and helpful staff members. Flor, at the front desk, was simply amazing - someone who you'd see working at one of the world's best hotels or resorts. Elena and Juan Carlos were also excellent employees that deserve recognition.

We were offered coca tea or coffee or something to drink during check-in and the process was made fairly easy and pain-free. We were told that we'd been upgraded to a suite, but it would only have one king bed instead of the double room we had booked, and they didn't realize we were just friends. We asked to see the differences in the rooms, however, and Flor took us to the rooms.

Well, the double was nice, albeit a bit small, but it would definitely do. Then she showed us the suite... oh my! It was giant, almost 700 square feet, with a living room, dining area, and bedroom and a super huge bathroom done up in slate tile with a Jacuzzi in the bathroom. Sold! For a jacuzzi, especially after traveling the roads of Bolivia and Peru, I'd sleep in the same bed as my friend!

The room also had a giant 20 foot wall of windows overlooking Lake Titicaca and the town of Puno in the distance... it was an amazing view during the day and even at night when fireworks would occasionally go off in the distance and we even watched an amazing thunderstorm in the distance over the lake... it was magical.

We had a fruit basked, really nice bathroom amenities, tv, robes, awesome towels, the whole kit and kaboodle! I felt like a king.

We went to the restaurant, which was extremely fantastic, and the server Juan Carlos, anticipated our every want and desire. The food was on par with some of the best restaurants I'd ever eaten at.

The hotel has a train stop, which was nice because you could see the Peru Rail trains go by a few times a day, and it was never a nuisance. They're building a dock, perhaps for boats to take you to the floating islands. We chose to stay at the hotel instead, which was far nicer than the freezing cold floating islands.

Oh, last thing about service - Flor went way above and beyond the call of duty when I asked her to call a few pharmacies looking for prescription allergy medicine... she called about five places and finally found one and scheduled a taxi to deliver it to the hotel. I ran upstairs and used my free wireless connection on my laptop (I was uploading pics to the web for my friends and family to see) and looked up the medication and found it wouldn't work out for me... so I ran back down and Flor was kind enough to have the taxi cancelled and I was never charged for a thing. She deserves a promotion for the effort!

That's about it - try this place out, and splurge on the suite. I tried their other hotel in Cusco and didn't like it at all - probably because nothing would compare to this hotel!

When we left, the staff was lined up outside and gave a warm farewell, all waving their hands as we were driven away. It's rare when a hotel turns into a home, and the staff turns into friends and family - this is one of those times!