The Hostelz.com Review - Genuine, independent review you can trust.
Pisko & Soul combines a great location in a quaint Colonial setting with comfy rooms and friendly staff, all at a budget traveler’s price.
The Location
The hostel is found in the San Blas district of Cusco, located a few minutes walk north of downtown’s main plaza and tourist center. Outside P&S’s doors, you can find various basic-necessity shops, restaurants, cafes, laundries, pharmacies, and tourist clothing and accessory stores. Tourist attraction Cristo Blanco (the giant statue of Christ) is only a twenty-minute walk up the hill from the hostel. Pisko & Soul is a fifteen-minute cab ride from the bus terminal or a half-hour to the airport.
Rooms and Bathrooms
Housed within this nondescript hostel are a variety of rooms, including privates and dorms that range from four to six beds. Fortunately, the dorms are fairly spacious and feature shelf space for storing goods. Each dorm also includes a set of lockers for valuables. The beds themselves are warm and comfortable. Installed next to each bunk is a set of power inputs to keep your gear charged up.
There are three shared washrooms, and while small, they each feature toilet, sink, and hot-water shower with decent pressure. The bathrooms are typically cleaned once a day.
Common Spaces
Pisko & Soul makes good use of its two stories. The first floor features the majority of the common rooms, beginning with the combined dining room/reception/kitchen. Unfortunately, the kitchen isn’t for guest use, however microwaves and hot water and tea are available all day. Every morning from 6 to 10 a.m., guests can enjoy the complimentary breakfast featuring bread, jam, cereal, eggs to order, tea, and (good!) coffee.
Beyond the entrance is a chill-out room complete with chairs, couches, coffee table, and a flat-screen TV with a large selection of DVDs. Upstairs in the hall between rooms is a small workstation featuring a computer and laptop. Be aware, the upper floor is lined with a red carpet, which at times can feel somewhat slippery underfoot. As seems to be the case with many accommodations in Peru, the Wi-Fi isn’t particularly strong and is known to cut out intermittently. However, the hostel does feature some unique abstract art to keep guests entertained.
The hostel’s roof has some insulation issues -- when it rains, some water leaks in the main common room as well as one of the washrooms.
Summary
In all, Pisko & Soul provides a comfortable, relaxed environment and super friendly, Spanish-speaking staff. This is not a party hostel. Reception is open twenty-four hours and luggage storage is available. Sometimes staff recommendations for tours and activities are overpriced compared to what can be sought out in the plaza.
Photos taken by the Hostelz.com reviewer — Genuine photos you can trust.
+4
Matt of the World
Hostelz.com Staff Reviewer
Published on May 29, 2018
Location and Contact
Location
Pisko and Soul is a new hostel, located in San Blas one of the most beautiful and traditional neighborhoods of Cusco, just 3 blocks from the Plaza de Armas, surrounded by shops, restaurants and bars with everything needed for an unforgettable stay.