Inca Real Hotel

What People are saying

Helpful staff

on 17/11/2017 14:23

Very accommodating staff- Emma at the front desk was a God send to us. She helped us arrange our day trips as our Spanish was not the best.
Rooms were awesome & beds were super comfortable. Decor very historic & unique. Breakfast was nice featuring a different juice every morning.
Location a big plus, right in the middle of city center with shopping and dining nearby.

This is a Nice Old Hotel in a good location downtown

WJD_CO on 27/09/2017 04:24

This is a good hotel just two blocks from Parque Calderon, the Town Center Square. It is a nice renovation and restoration of an old building. The cafe by the entrance is great for a late evening coffee and snack. The staff are excellent, very helpful and attentive. It is nicer, even though the rooms are a bit dated, and could use upgrade.

Very nice

kisti335 on 05/09/2017 21:41

This hotel should be higher on Trip Advisor's suggested list for Cuenca, in my opinion. It's easy to locate, has lovely facilities and setup, accommodating staff, and fair pricing.

Admittedly I arrived late and left really early the next day, so I didn't get to explore it too much. But I appreciated that they a) let me choose the room I wanted from a few distinct sections within the hotel (it's a very large property) and b) made a special early breakfast for me after being notified that I had a flight which required me to be gone just before the meal was officially going to be served. Was great to have a fresh pot of coffee made just for me (it was very good) and to get some food in my stomach before a long day of travel.

You can't beat the ambiance and the room I chose was very comfortable. Strong wifi. The shower was fine. No, water wasn't hot per se but don't people know what a precious resource hot water is? I'm someone who loves showers practically scalding hot but as a traveler one has to know hot water is basically a miracle of civil engineering and sometimes there's just not hot water for everyone all day, every day. Bathroom was perfectly clean though, towels were clean, they gave me a fair price, positive attitudes in everyone I interacted with. All around good experience, I will definitely go back someday. Thank you.

Wish I Could Rate Higher

Ashley P on 29/07/2017 18:23

Traveling in Ecuador for my 4th time visiting with friends, one of whom is a guide in the tourism industry. Per his suggestion (and lots of lovely reviews), we booked here. It was such a disappointment.

The few pros:
*lovely building with lots of old-world charm - loved this!
*friendly, polite staff
*on site tapas restaurant & quick room service (I only utilized bottle service)
*private, locked lot for parking
*lower rates by calling than by booking through a 3rd-party booking site

Unfortunately, the negatives far outweighed the positives.
We called to check availability and price and requested an upstairs rooms with a view. I was told it was available and ready. Upon checking in, I was given a room on the first floor in the back of the hotel. It was tiny, even by traveling standards, and had no windows, let alone a view. I could hear the staff working in the rooms adjacent, and was next to their laundry facilities, which were incredibly loud through the very thin walls. Note, the walls are thin. You will hear your neighbors. EVERYTHING.

If you are driving, the locked lot is a huge benefit, but getting in and out is annoying. You need to get the key from the desk to get into the lot - which sometimes another patron has - and then the lot is a few blocks away and getting in and out of traffic and getting the lot relocked can be a bit of a bear. Again, not a huge dealbreaker, just a pain.

Another issue was the water, or lack thereof. There was no hot water. I don't mean it was lukewarm and I'm exaggerating. I literally mean there was none. We hiked to the falls at El Chorro while staying at this hotel and when I say the hotel shower was as cold as the water in the falls, I kid you not. It was miserable. I couldn't stand under the water.

Due to lots of outdoor activity, we did utilize the hotel's laundry service. Unfortunately, the clothes came back with the same stains on them they had when we dropped them off, and the pants were all still damp. We had to drape our clothes on whatever we could to finish air drying.

We also ate at the restaurant, a cute, cozy location serving tapas. I prefer street food while in Ecuador, but it was late and a Sunday so not much was open. The food wasn't great, but it wasn't bad. It was just okay.

Overall, I tried to overlook each of the individual shortcomings. The parking was a pain but it was parking. The walls were thin but it got quiet by midnight (don't forget the late nights and early hours of the staff which woke us up). It wasn't the room they said they'd give me, but I was only there to sleep. The room had no windows (very claustrophobic and Ecuador is known for its amazing views!) but I was only there to sleep. The food wasn't great but it was only one meal. The laundry service was awful but, hey, the clothes air dried and yeah they were still dirty, but they'd just get dirty on the next day's hike anyway.

Honestly, the lack of hot water anywhere is the straw that broke the camel's back. The charm of the building wasn't enough to cancel out every other issue.

I usually stay at Hostal Posada del Angel in Cuenca and love it there. For the price I got at Inca Real, I'd have a larger room, with a better view, with easier parking, better food, and laundry service that works.

I hate that my review seems so opposite of most everyone else's reviews, but this was my experience. I will not be back. My suggestion, book at Posada del Angel.

Charming colonial hotel

Gaby C on 27/07/2017 15:51

We stayed here for 2 nights and it was great! The service is very friendly and the room was very clean. The setting is a colonial house that makes you think you went back to the past. It is in a perfect location, walking distance to main attractions. The only thing I would mentioned negatively is that there is no blow dryer in the room. The rest was perfect!