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Reviews of Hotel Balsa Inn

3 out of 5
Hotel Balsa Inn
Cajamarca 555, Puno, Puno

Reviews

8.2

Very good

Rating 10 - Excellent. 40 out of 113 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 50 out of 113 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 18 out of 113 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 3 out of 113 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 2 out of 113 reviews" "

8.6/10

Cleanliness

8.8/10

Staff & service

7.6/10

Amenities

8.0/10

Property conditions & facilities

8.8/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

freddy

Liked: Cleanliness
Ok
Stayed 2 nights in Nov 2023

10/10 Excellent

Pablo Hernan

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2023
Response from Oscar T. on 2 Oct 2023
Muchas Gracias por su puntuación, nos ayuda a seguir mejorando.

10/10 Excellent

JING XIANG

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2023
Response from Oscar T. on 2 Sept 2023
Muchas gracias por su comentario.

8/10 Good

Deborah

Travelled with group
As expected for the price and decent location for the central plaza and port. We had arranged an early check in for 7am, and arrived a bit earlier, but were able to access our room. Decent sized twin beds. Room was a bit dated and the only window was out into the main corridor so couldn't really have the curtain open. Generally seemed clean, but the floor was a bit grubby. We had to leave early in the morning before breakfast, but they kindly arranged a breakfast for us to takeaway.
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2023
Response from Oscar T. on 20 July 2023
Thank you very much for your comment, it helps us to continue improving.

10/10 Excellent

Ilan

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Great value for what you pay. Clean and decent breakfast. You cannot get more for the price.
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2023
Response from Oscar T. on 3 July 2023
Muchas Gracias por su comentario.

10/10 Excellent

shi-yu

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2022
Response from Oscar T. on 8 Nov 2022
Muchas gracias por su puntuación.

2/10 Terrible

Yu

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, amenities
Disliked: Staff & service
Terrible experience with their brokered taxi service. We ordered private taxi service from JUL airport to Puno via the hotel. We waited at the arrival gate until we were the last passengers left and the driver never showed us. I called the hotel multiple times, they either couldn't understand my questions in English, or deliberately led me wait without giving any response. We finally decided to take the shared van and I left a message to the hotel on Expedia where I did the booking, and the hotel staff never checked my message (not read) even after our checkout. Our check-in was also not very smooth. They couldn't find the key to our room and after 5 min of futile search had to give us another one. Our room is really weird, there is no ventilation fan in bathroom so it had a small window/opening towards outside. Except in our room it that opening was to the corridor! That raised some privacy concerns. Buffet breakfast is fairly basic but for this price no complaints. Overall I just can’t recommend a hotel that can’t keep up its promises/services especially when it was mostly relied upon.
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2022

10/10 Excellent

Bonnie

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Hot and powerful shower
Read the review by a Japanese traveler, he was right, this hotel has powerful hot water shower. Only block away from the main square. Lots of restaurants and at least four ice cream shops!
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2022
Response from Oscar T. on 28 Apr 2022
Muchas gracias por su comentario. Fue un gusto hospedarlo en nuestro Hotel.

8/10 Good

Ramesh

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
worth it
good hotel, but compact rooms. very close to main area.
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great place
Perfect
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2019
Response from Oscar T. on 9 Apr 2019
Your opinion is very important to us. Thank you.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Good
Good stay
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2019
Response from Oscar T. on 6 Apr 2019
Thank you very much for your comment, it is very important for us. It helps us to keep improving.

8/10 Good

Lanette

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Okay hotel
This hotel was decent. It was a close walk to the central plazas and shopping but very very noisy!
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2018
Response from Oscar T. on 11 Aug 2018
This hotel was decent. It was a close walk to the central plazas and shopping but very very noisy!

8/10 Good

Richie

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2017

6/10 Okay

kwok ho

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Disliked: Staff & service
Acceptable
A Old hotel but clean. The location is OK, near the plaza, only 3 minutes walk. A Quite area, and not suitable for walking alone near the hotel. Bad Service because I have left some clothes in the bathroom and then check out to the Lake Titikaka. I have returned to the hotel to take the luggage in the afternoon, the staff have not remind me that there is some clothes I have left in the bath room.
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2017

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
good location
well organised central location and organised a breakfast box
Stayed 1 night in May 2017
Response from OSCAR on 14 July 2017
"Thank you very much for leaving a comment about our accommodation. We love to hear that they liked the breakfast box and our location." Best Regards Hotel Balsa Inn

4/10 Poor

Verified traveller

Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Much better choice elsewhere
The hotel is old and not very clean. Internet is very slow.

8/10 Good

Michael, Madison, WI

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Decent place for the price. Dinner at the restaurant in the hotel was very good. Close to the main plaza. Power didn't work one morning but the shower still worked. Wasn't a big deal and it came back on later.

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

8/10 Good

Philippa, Sydney

Liked: Staff & service
Cosy Sleep
Wasn't feeling well so this place was lovely just to chill out and relax. Great beds for a cosy sleep!

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Couple hiccups otherwise perfect stay
Had arranged airport pickup since we were arriving late at night. No one ever came to pick us up and we were stuck with taking the last "taxi" there. Room was great, breakfast was amazing. Staff were very friendly and spoke English. Credit card machine was down. Overall we were happy walking into our hotel at the end as there are lots of other "rustic" places around. I would recommend.

6/10 Okay

SimpleSiloque, Los Angeles

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Good price, Location, and Descent Breakfast
We stayed here a total of 5 nights on and off ... left our luggage in the storage room (with no problems) when we left on a couple of different occasion on overnight jaunts elsewhere. The staff is extremely helpful, friendly, and speak English. The rooms are tidy and clean ... and considering how many travelers come and go out of the hotel on a daily basis, I think the staff does an excellent job in keeping it up (the hotel has many years of wear and they maintain it well). There's a cold food spread for breakfast and if you would like hot eggs, just ask. My only complaint is the hot water for showers ... I asked a couple other travelers if they had problems and they did not. If you try to take a shower when everyone else is up and going (showering and flushing toilets), there seems to be a no regulator for the showers. So if you try to shower during a peak time, the water will run very hot and then very cold (back and forth, no in between). This can be solved by showering at a "non-peak" time. The street is busy during the day and very quiet at night.

8/10 Good

Jack and Dina, Aruba

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Middle of the city
It was a little bit noisy, our room has street site.

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Liked: Room comfort
Disliked: Staff & service
Average, not great
Good value for the price, but the hotel needs some updating and cleaning. Front desk staff quoted us one price on a taxi to tour the area, and then when the taxi arrived we were told a price that was 50% more than the initial one. I had to spend 30 minutes negotiating it back down to the initial price.

4/10 Poor

mbonome, Mexico DF

Disliked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Was very disappointing
The room was very big but the T.V. doesn't work, the breakfast was awful. The woman in the reception was very rude and i feel that is very expensive for the category of the hotel that is old.

10/10 Excellent

Tatyana, NJ

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Pleasant surprise!
My husband, I and our 13 years old son stayed for two nights at Balsa Inn and were very impressed by this hotel. We chose it for the quiet location but didn't expect much else. But our triple room on the second floor was not only very quiet but also spacious and comfortable. The shower was great, plenty of hot water, an additional space heater was in the room, the beds were comfortable. The breakfast was good. I liked that in addition to eggs, cold cuts, fruits, juces and bakery, they served for breakfast avocados. The staff is very friendly and helpful. They arranged a car to pick us up at Juliaca airport and to take us to Sillustani before we arrived to Puno. Moreover, a hotel employee Ronald, who is also a student of tourism, came with the driver and gave us a tour of Sillustani (a very powerful place, go there!). The hotel also arranged our one day tour to the islands. We enjoyed our stay at Balsa Inn, will stay there again.

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
A group hotel
You will be woken by whatever group is staying there. The doors stick so there is constant opening and closing at all hours. The room was pleasant enough for the discounted price

8/10 Good

Soo Mee

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

10/10 Excellent

Jen, Los Angeles, Ca

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Excellent budget friendly hotel!
Loved staying here as yes it may be basic, but it provided us a clean, warm room with a hot shower. Breakfast was also excellent. Front desk was super helpful - though I have to say probably more suited to helping non-backpackers. We had asked about local night buses from puno to cusco, but when they looked up the information they just gave us the expensive private buses. Would def. stay here again!

8/10 Good

Sarah, Boston

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
If you had a deal, its not a bad option
I would say there is nothing extra ordinary or awful about this hotel. We were happy with the location, and the staff was very helpful. Breakfast included more options than most hotels making it worth a few extra dollars.

6/10 Okay

Lilia, Vancouver, Canada

Liked: Staff & service, room comfort
Hotel location and staff
It's a block and half to Plaza de Armas and the Cathedral. Easy walking distance to the bank , restaurants, shops. Despite being close to the square, it's quiet at night when I was there. The staff are very helpful in booking a morning trip for me to Uros Islands, and arranging transport to Juliaca for my flight to Lima. My pick up for the airport was between 6:00 am to 6:35. Breakfast starts at 6:00 am. The time I was checking out was 5:45 am; the desk staff let me know that breakfast is ready and I could go in the dining area even if it's not 6:00 am yet. Felt better on the way to the airport, no grumbling stomach.

8/10 Good

Ruby, Florida

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Nice hotel and excellent breakfast
It's a small hotel but close to the main square, just a few minutes walk. The hotel offers buffet breakfast and is included in our room rate. It has a wide variety of items to choose from to get your day well started.

10/10 Excellent

Ariel, San Diego, CA-USA

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Clean, affordable & central location!
Friendly staff, clean room. Nice breakfast with fruits, breads, meats, cheese and juice. Close to all.

8/10 Good

Julie

Liked: Staff & service, room comfort

6/10 Okay

Chuck, Austin, TX

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
It might work out for you.
I stayed with a group of guys for 2 1/2 nights. We arrived in Puno by bus at about 5 AM so we booked a hotel for that first night to get a few hours of sleep before exploring. The reservation canceled due to our late arrival and there was considerable confusion. Though the hotel had extra rooms, and we had registered for 5 adult men, they gave us 2 rooms with 2 double beds. I booked this third room on expedia for 2 nights and they prepared one for me and allowed early check in. They had a rooms suited for 3 but apparently none were available when we arrived. This could have been handled better. The rest of the stay was quite fine. Breakfast, coco tea, and oxygen tank available. One night we stayed out very late and arrived to find the hotel locked up, but someone appeared quickly to let us in. (its secure) Rooms on the front side have a lot of traffic noise. Rooms on the side or back are more quiet. For folks traveling with devices to charge, the outlets are sparse and oddly placed. (Hint to hotel: a power strip or extension cord could offer a solution) Internet worked sporadically at best during our stay. My laptop would not connect to the wifi for some reason though it works elsewhere. Phones worked sometimes.

10/10 Excellent

Rikki

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

6/10 Okay

Jaime Lazrate, Lima Peru

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
good stay
good close to the main plaza the Royal inn a sister hotel has a super restaurant. just around the corner

10/10 Excellent

Suzanne, Bremerton, WA

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great hotel!
Lots of good hot water and good water pressure. Pulsing shower head was very nice. Nice staff. Hotel was very clean and warm. Room had a heater and extra blankets and for fall/winter - May - very needed. Our room was in the front, nice windows and plenty of sun and fresh air. A little road noise at bedtime but not much and did not disturb our sleep. A few blocks from one of the main squares. A long walk to Lake Titicaca but very nice to look at the shops etc on the way. My only criticism is that Peru is having such a problem with plastic water bottles and so all hotels should provide pure water in the lobby so that visitors can refill their own water bottles. This hotel does not do this.

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Liked: Staff & service
Average.

8/10 Good

Clayton, USA

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Great hotel!
Great location, great service, good price.

2/10 Terrible

Verified traveller

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Excellent....

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Vi blev flyttade till Casona plaza på grund av någon renovering så ger betygen därefter. Bra hotell, låg bra till och hade trevlig personal. Dock extremt lyhört, vaknade på nätterna för att man hörde dörrar och om grannen duschade.
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2023

10/10 Excellent

María Luisa

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Estancia en balsas Inn
Muy atentos, desayuno muy bueno
Stayed 3 nights in Nov 2023
Response from Oscar T. on 16 Nov 2023
Muchas gracias, por su comentario, nos ayuda a seguir mejorando.

10/10 Excellent

Carmen

Stayed 1 night in Jul 2023
Response from Oscar T. on 2 Sept 2023
Muchas gracias por su comentario.

10/10 Excellent

Sergio

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Hotel sencillo, pero limpio y cómodo
Muy buen servicio y colaboración del personal de recepcion
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2023
Response from Oscar T. on 3 July 2023
Muchas gracias por su comentario.

8/10 Good

carolina

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2023
Response from Oscar T. on 26 June 2023
Muchas gracias por su comentario.