Reviews of La Casa de los Pinguinos

26 March 2011 Hayley would recommend this property

Liked: It was very clean and comfortable, the owner is lovely and very helpful!

Disliked: nothing!

27 February 2011 Fedde would recommend this property

Liked: Very clean rooms and ensuite bathrooms, very good breakfast, safe and quiet.

Disliked: Nothing

19 February 2011 Customer would recommend this property

Liked: - Alex is the most helpful (and talkative!) hostel owner I've encountered. She honestly answered every question about Arequipa, Colca Canyon, and the rest of Peru that we had, and she usually offered a bunch of her own interesting stories and tidbits as well. - All around hostel service is excellent. For example, if you do an overnight Colca Canyon trip and plan to return to the hostel a few days later, you can leave your extra stuff in your room, and they'll move it to storage for you and then it will be waiting for you in your new room when you return. - Breakfast is very nice and varied, about the level of a 4 star hotel. Includes three kinds of cereal, milk, yogurt, bread, jam (a nice expensive kind), three kinds of juices, ham, cheese, tea. - 100+ DVD collection. - Fairly large book exchange. And the trade cost is 1 for 1. Alex doesn't try to nickel and dime you by adding additional fees like other hostels. - New, clean, bright facilities. - Quiet, easy to sleep. - Fast wifi with strong signal in rooms.

Disliked: - 10 minute walk or $1 cab ride to the central plaza. Though a hostel closer to the center would probably be louder at night. - Cable tv in room had 100 channels but the signal was slightly fuzzy. - Light in bathroom was very dim. - Not a party hostel. You can still meet people in the video room or at breakfast, though it's not as conducive as other hostels.

13 February 2011 Customer would recommend this property

Liked: Super helpful staff, extremely clean and only a 5-10 minute walk to the centre of town. Loads of DVD's and books to borrow if your lucky enough to be here on one of the 5 days per year that it rains.

Disliked: Nothing.

12 February 2011 Eva would recommend this property

Liked: This hostel is very clean and Alex, the owner is a very friendly and helpful person. She makes everyone feel at home and walks a mile for you to help you. Nice breakfast. Laundry service. Spacious double rooms with nice hot showers.

Disliked: The hostel is not centrally located (it is about a 10 minute walk). It is rather a hotel than a hostel. There are no cooking facilities. It is not a "fun" hostel that you mingle with travellers. It is rather a pleasant hotel for couples.

26 January 2011 Customer would recommend this property

Liked: Such a great hostel! Clean, friendly & homely! Everything you want from a hostel!!

Disliked: Nothing

17 January 2011 Daniel would recommend this property

Liked: Clean, beautifully maintained, laid back, helpful staff, great internet, cheap beer downstairs

Disliked: Neighborhood is a little ghetto, but Arequipa is a little ghetto.

16 January 2011 lisa would recommend this property

Liked: The owner is amazing! She is so welcoming - we were given information about everything in town, sights to see, restaurants to go to, safety around the area - she was always happy to book taxi's for us and tours and bus tickets. We were able to safely leave everything there when we went to the colca canyon. Great wifi and awesome breakfast - best we have had in south america!

Disliked: it is not a dislike but something to be aware of is that you can't walk back from the centre of town at night - you need a taxi to be safe - but its only 3 soles so no big deal!

09 January 2011 Customer would recommend this property

Liked: The hostel is really nice, spotlessly clean, friendly staff, lots of DVD's, great showers!

Disliked: It's a ten minutes walk to the plaza des armes (centre) and I think the hostel is aimed more at the older traveller who is looking for a quite place to stay, although this is of course positive if you are looking for that :-)

07 January 2011 Sara would recommend this property

Liked: The staff was wonderful. Alex and her entire staff were very helpful and friendly, and willing to give us advice on everything from restaurants and shopping to booking tours for us with companies they trusted to serve us well. Everything about this place made us feel welcome and comfortable. Other guests have said it is too far from the main center of town, but we didn't mind the 10 minute walk at all. The neighborhood feels safe during daylight, and even into the early evening hours there are plenty of people on the street.

Disliked: There was nothing to dislike about this property. Everything was fabulous, and I would stay here again in a heartbeat.

26 November 2010 William would recommend this property

Liked: Friendly staff. A bit far out from the centre of town, but we liked being there. Great breakfast included.

Disliked: William left no negative feedback.

19 November 2010 melanie would recommend this property

Liked: I was very impressed with everything about La Casa de los Pinguinos. The staff went out of their way to be so helpful, it was very clean and bright and felt like a home from home. I would definitely recommend this hostel to everyone.

Disliked: Nothing

26 October 2010 Customer would recommend this property

Liked: It was very clean and quiet at night. Therefore, one is able to get one good rest. The owner and staff are very nice and helpful. The breakfast is GREAT! I can really recommend this place!

Disliked: Customer left no negative feedback.

20 October 2010 Customer would recommend this property

Liked: Light, clean, airy, European feel, which was a nice change after 5 weeks of Peruvian accommodation. Comfortable beds, quiet (our room was at back), although you could hear the children from the nearby school in the mornings. Lovely garden with shade and hammocks. Good breakfast, and very helpful owner, who took a lot of care of her guests. Great view of sunset over El Misto from roof.

Disliked: No problems encountered.

25 September 2010 Sarah would recommend this property

Liked: This is by far the best hostel we've stayed in in South America so far. It's more like a hotel. Newly decorated, with a lovely communal area and outside space. Best breakfast ever, including cereal, ham, cheese and bread, and also very fast wifi. The owner Alex could not be more helpful in terms of organising tours, exploring the area and even finding us a dentist!

Disliked: Nothing, it was great.

22 September 2010 Customer would recommend this property

Liked: Staff went out of their way to be helpful. Told us how to make the most of our day in Arequipa. Breakast was excellent and varied.

Disliked: Nothing.

10 September 2010 Customer would recommend this property

Liked: This was a fantastic hostel! Great service - all our trips were organised for us and the rooms were really clean and the shower hot! Would highly recommend this hostel to others.

Disliked: Absolutely nothing!

21 August 2010 Customer would recommend this property

Liked: Wonderful "flashpacker" place - one of the best hostels we've stayed at during our 8 month round-the-world trip. Fantastic breakfast. Helpful owner. Decent location. More like a hotel.

Disliked: Customer left no negative feedback.

01 July 2010 David would recommend this property

Liked: One of the best hostels we've stayed at in South America (after travelling for 3 months) thanks to the extremely helpful owner who is happy to recommend and book all kinds of tours for you (such as Nazca, Puno, Cuzco, Colca, Bus tickets etc) with no commission. Great breakfast that includes cereal with milk (something I have been missing). They were even happy to order us take-away to eat in our room. Definitely recommended!

Disliked: `

07 February 2010 Evelyn would recommend this property

Liked: this is a great place to stay, I would definately recommend it.

Disliked: Evelyn left no negative feedback.

14 January 2010 Customer would recommend this property

Liked: Excellent place to just chill out, not a party hostel by any means. Breakfast is awesome! Alexandra & her staff are wonderful, we didn't really want to leave.

Disliked: Customer left no negative feedback.

21 December 2009 Customer would recommend this property

Liked: Alexandra is extremely friendly and helpful. She arranged the Colca tour for us, she gave us sunscreen when she found out we didn't have, she called Inka Express on our behalf to ask about our tickets' situation, she recommended restaurants, and had breakfast arranged promptly and beautifully each morning. Strongly recommended and I would definitely stay there when I return to Arequipa. I am even inspired by Alexandra to move there myself; she seems to be having fun!

Disliked: Customer left no negative feedback.

05 October 2009 alison would recommend this property

Liked: good location, great staff, very helpful, great breakfast, free internet and dvds games and book exchange

Disliked: alison left no negative feedback.

06 July 2009 Customer would recommend this property

Liked: Great place to stay, very friendly staff...

Disliked: Customer left no negative feedback.