Winston Aldworth checks in to the Casa Andina Standard Cusco on the way up to Peru‘s most famous tourist trap

Check-in experience:

Slick and swift. I was travelling on my way to Machu Picchu with G Adventures, so walked in the door and one of the guides handed me my key as I hit up the urn of coca mate. There‘s a bowl of coca leaves to chew on as well.

The room: No. 220.

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What‘s in the neighbourhood: Cusco, 3399m high in the Andes, sits sweetly in the heart of a grand valley. It‘s a gorgeous city and surprisingly big, with about 500,000 residents. Today it‘s the launching pad for Machu Picchu hikes, but around a millennia or so back it was the heart of the Incan empire. Get yourself a walking tour to learn about how ingenious the Inca were, how vast their empire sprawled and the awful fate that awaited the most beautiful young girls.

A room with a view? Nope. Rooms on the streetside get a nice look at an old monastery across the road, built on Incan ruins. Mine looked down on a basketball court which was annoyingly popular with loud local kids until way past my bedtime.

Noisy: See above. Fellow guests from all but the inward facing rooms noticed noise from outside. Pack earplugs.

Food and drink: Help yourself to the continental breakfast by all means, but avoid the coffee. A small bakery called La Valeriana is next door and they do a great line in cortado.

Dining after dark? Cusco has a couple of good restaurants, including Sumaqcha and Fallen Angel.

Fellow guests: As befits a launching point for Machu Picchu, there‘s plenty of polar fleece to be seen.

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The final word: A decent stop on the way to Machu Picchu.