PRICE:
Frommer's Highly Recommended

Gringo Bill's, established by an American expat, is a backpacker's institution that has been around since the early 1980s, when Machu Picchu began to take off. I first stayed here in 1983, at a time when there were very few other options (and it, frankly, was a dump). Tucked into the hillside behind the left corner of the Plaza de Armas, the cheery and plant-filled hostal has become quite a bit upscale lately. But it still has a great vibe, with a cool patio, a lounge bar with a fireplace where travelers hang out watching videos, and a pretty good restaurant. The comfortable and clean rooms have good beds, and many have great views of the Upper Amazon tropical rainforest from bedroom windows and balconies. Throughout the inn are trippy cosmic murals painted by the Cusco artist Gonzalo Medina. Visitors headed to Machu Picchu or out on treks can pick up bagged lunches to go. A stay of 2 or 3 nights will earn you a 10% discount, but some backpackers still find it comparatively expensive for budget travel.

Copyright: Excerpted from Frommer's Peru, 4th Edition, (c) 2008, Wiley Publishing, Inc.

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