El Albergue Ollantaytambo

NIce - but with conditions

We enjoyed our stay and the experience provided at the El Albergue. You may to if you go with the understanding that there will be crowd noise and train noise until 10:00PM and starting again a 5:45AM. If you want to sleep outside of those hours this is not the place for you as even the most sound sleeper will not be able to sleep. Imagine locamotive train engine in your bedroom and you will have the correct image. We were looking for a place to sleep between those hours and actually enjoyed watching the trains and crowds come and go from our balcony. The train station / B&B is not in town and motorcycle taxis are not avaliable unless the train has just arrived so you are looking at a half mile walk uphill to town. You can always find a motor taxi for the return trip and they are inexpensive. If you plan on staying for a few nights I would recommend staying in town which would provide a variety of restaurants and other sights to explore. If you are looking for a quick stop over for the night the El Albergue provides a unique experience. The rooms are pleasant, clean and the grounds are well cared for.

Muy especial

Pensamos que era una buena opción quedarnos un día en Ollantaytambo camino al Machu Picchu, y no nos equivocamos ....lamentamos no haberlo organizado por más días!

Nos fascinó el pueblo construido sobre bases incas y alojarnos en el Albergue completó el encanto.

Con su ubicación tán particular sobre el andén de la estación de trenes y su decoración rústica, austera, medida y con toda la simpleza de lo confortable..

La habitación era una suite muy agradable a la que se llega atravesando un patio lleno de plantas y flores. Una pequeña terraza con un cómodo sillón de cuero permite descansar viendo al fondo picos con nieves eternas .

La atención cordial de su personal completaban el bienestar del lugar.

Todo una delicia, inolvidable!!!

An Oasis in Ollantaytambo

My husband and I chose this hotel because of the convenience of walking out the front door to the train station. We thought it would be noisy, but it was not. Our room (#5) was on the second floor and we mostly heard birds singing. Our bathroom even had a view! The balcony in front of our door looked out over a lovely garden and we could see the ruins of Ollantaytambo in the distance. There were comfortable chairs where you could sip your tea and relax.

Plenty of drinkable water available and you could refill your water bottles for free. They also provided free hot water in a thermos.

The staff was exceptionally helpful and caring.

The hostal was built in the 1920s and has that old rustic charm about it. The walk into town was not a hardship as the altitude is much lower than Cusco's.

Wonderful Retreat

El Alburgue was our favorite place on our trip to Peru. The staff was awesome, very kind and helpful, and their driver was just as great.

We had a twin room with ensuite WC, and it was very comfortable, clean, and quiet..even though our balcony overlooked the train station. Our showers were always hot too. The property is amazing, and we spent a lot of time relaxing on the hammocks in the courtyard, or in the Eucalyptus sauna. They serve an excellent breakfast too. Even after passing through the town a few days later on our way back to Cusco, they still remembered us and helped to arrange transportation and let us hang out until we were ready to leave.

The only downside is that it's about a 15min walk into town, and parts of the road aren't lit at night. I never felt unsafe at all in Ollantaytambo, but it was just hard to see. Also the crowds lining up at the gate of the train station made it a bit difficult to get through. Other than that, I'd recommend El Alburgue to anyone.

En suite bathroom available

El Alburgue does have one room with an ensuite bathroom & shower. (I believe it was about $60/night.) It has a matrimonio bed (queen size) and a single bed in a very large, sunny room with windows on 3 sides giving great views of the gardens.

Like all the other rooms, it's very quiet and you don't get any significant train noise.

The staff was very personable and helpful. We had dinner here 2 nights. The food was excellent; traditional andian cuisine. They can accomodate vegetarians. Since the town is small and doesn't have many restaurants beyond the pizza for backpacker variety, having dinner at the hotel was great.

Very Rustic but amazingly quiet

We had travelled from Puno to Cuzco by train and got picked up by taxi to this delightful B&B. Unfortunately, the driver could have beaten Michael Schumacher - it was a terrifying journey that the owners apologised for (apparently not the normal driver!).

The room was simply furnished with bare varnished wood floors that squeaked terribly. The en-suite was small but clean. The views tremendous.

The entrance is located just off the Station platform and I thought we'd have loads of problems with the noise from the trains but it wasn't the case. We caught our train to Machu Picchu from here (a place that certainly didn't dissapoint).

The B&B had a lovely garden and like-minded travellers staying there (Hummingbirds in the garden included Giant, Black-tailed trainbearer and the very locallised Green & White). The staff were very good and extremely friendly and the food was very good.

Our drivers for the trip up to the Abra Malaga (delayed by snow)and later back to Cuzco via Pisac were excellent.

Clean, basic hostel- El Albergue

We (myself, husband and two girls- ages 1 & 3) stayed at El Albergue for one night in January 2004. The hostel is run by an American expat. The rooms were basic- a bed, a light switch, desk and chair. The bathrooms were communal, but clean. The best part about this place is that it's front door is located on the train platform, so you can just roll out of bed, get your clothes on, eat breakfast (provided by El Albergue and very good) and catch the 6:30 am train to Aguas Calientes. We were the only ones on the train, so we had it to ourselves. The train ride is about 1 hour, 10 minutes long and the terrain is beautiful.

In Ollantaytambo, we explored the ruins. The town is very small and the people very friendly. We did not have any problems while we were there.

Best location during the strike at Machu Picchu

This is a simple hostal with clean, good sized rooms with colonial furniture, wood floors, windows with views and a very pleasant garden out back with hammocks and views of the hills (and snow on Veronica when it is clear). There is a sauna which uses eucalpytus leaves. Bathrooms are not ensuite. The staff for the most part (see below) was friendly and accomodating. Though it is inside the train station, it doesnt seem that trains run at night (as it only runs to Machu Picchu) so don't worry. The train station though is on the outskirts of town. Its biggest asset is its location. While we were there, there was a one day strike by the municipal bus drivers of machu picchu, which looked to balloon to three days as they were putting rocks and other obstacles on the tracks and there were riot polics (from Cusco) everywhere. As we had train tickets for the next morning, this was the best place to be updated on the status. In addition the staff knows all about the train times and so trust them about when you have to finish breakfast! If it wasnt for this, we might have given it only three stars.

There were three minor minuses. First, they asked us to go into town to get photocopies of our passports for their records. Two, we asked for boxed lunches for the next day but the night person forgot to communicate this (this was not a language issue as some of us are latin americans). Three, the bathroom was a dissapointment compared to the room and the showers were the least hot in our travels in peru.

A train-spotter's paradise

..but don't worry - ordinary people will love it too (there are only a few trains a day anyway). This immaculate property faces directly onto the platform of the small railway station at the bottom of the town. It's a very pleasant walk into town either along the small road or on a quieter old inca path round the back which takes you right to the Inca fortress.

The room I had was very well maintained and stylish with a shared bathroom. The price was not the cheapest I paid in Peru but I thought very reasonable anyway.

Ollantayambo was one of my favourite stops during a (too short) trip around Peru in January 2005. t's a perfetc place to visit either en route or leaving Machu Picchu. The fortress and the views from the top of it are spectacular, but the town istelf is also a delight, having more pre-colonial flavour and atmosphere to it.

Home in Peru

This lovely B&B, run by american expat and artist, Wendy Weeks, is by far the nicest place to stay in Ollantaytambo. Its simple rooms are beautifully decorated, and the decor is exquisite and with a very personal touch. The gardens are great for birdwatching or lying in the hammock. and Located on the train station platform, it is but a step away from Machu Picchu, and a great place to stay a few days and get to know the area. Pisaq, Chinchero, the Maras Salt Mines can all be visited from El Albergue in one day, making it a wonderfull base camp. A home away from home.