Cirqa by Andean

Style

Paradise parador

Setting

Misti in the midst

Hosting weary travellers since 1540, boutique hotel Cirqa by Andean in the south-Peru city of Arequipa sure knows how to offer refuge. Whether or not you’ve spent weeks trekking and horseback riding, you’ll be met with a high level of comfort: Netflix on TVs, freestanding bath tubs, plump beds and glass-walled rain showers to wash off any volcano-scaling missions. The stay’s sillar-rock structure is set around two patios, with vaulted roofs, original stone walls, high-gloss windows and velvet armchairs seamlessly switching between Middle Ages and modern. A roof terrace – showing off the city, cathedral and that circling series of peaks – is coming soon.

Facilities

Rooms

11, including four suites.

Checkout

Noon. Earliest check-in, 2pm.

More Details

Rates at Cirqa by Andean usually include buffet breakfast.

Also

Unfortunately, the historic structure at Cirqa isn’t easily navigable for wheelchair users.

Free Internet Access

Room Service

At the Hotel

Free WiFi throughout. In rooms: minibar filled with free local goodies, organic bath products, smart TV with Netflix, internet dongles, iPad, wireless speaker, air-conditioning and free bottled water.

Our Favourite Rooms

It may not have been the case when the parador’s monks were opening their doors to weary travellers centuries ago, but these days the bathrooms are a lot more luxe: rest your head in the freestanding bath tub in the Bóveda and Aposento rooms, or marvel at the modernity of the glass-box rain showers in every suite. Since this is a 16th-century building, the architects couldn’t get fussy with views – all rooms face inwards onto the courtyard.

Poolside

There’s a small courtyard-set plunge pool that’s more for show than cooling swims, but dip your toe in if you need to.

Packing Tips

Don’t forget sensible shoes if you’re planning on doing some volcano scaling; and twitcher-approved binoculars if you’re passing through Colca Canyon on a condor quest.

Children

All ages are welcome, but there’s not a lot for little Smiths to do. Rooms can have twin beds on request.

Gallery

Food & Drink

Top Table

Go for a table in the grand dining room and feel refined by the presence of chandeliers and a huge fireplace.

Dress Code

Pay homage to your monastic forebears with puritanical colours (a flowing, latte-hued wares, say), or just keep your hood up.

Hotel Restaurant

The Salón chef is spinning traditional Peruvian dishes and Andean ingredients with a little European influence and lots of local spice. We were big fans of the fish curry; other dishes include parrilla-grilled crayfish and fava-bean chowder. Breakfast will set you up for Arequipa adventuring: treats like house-made pastries, corn tamales, pancakes and quince jam are delivered to your table, with pre-noon sips of champagne and Bloody Marys positively encouraged. Don’t miss afternoon tea, held daily. A rooftop restaurant with an organic garden and full-circle views of the city, cathedral and, of course, all those volcanoes and peaks, is coming soon.

Hotel Bar

The Terraza bar has a nightly cocktail hour, with fire pits and candlelight doing the illuminating once the sun’s gone down.

Last Orders

Breakfast hours are 7am to 10am; lunch is from 12.30pm to 3.30pm; and dinner service is between 7pm and 10pm.

Room Service

Things like avocado on toast, the quiche of the day, and various pastas and platters can be ordered up to your room.

Planes

Arequipa’s Alfredo Rodríguez Ballón Airport is a half-hour drive from the hotel. Transfers cost US$30 each way. Most international arrivals are likely to connect in Lima.

Automobiles

Arequipa is Peru’s second biggest city, so a car will come in handy – especially if you want to get out to the volcanoes that encircle its limits – but walking tours of the colonial sights are also possible. There’s no parking at the hotel.

Worth Getting Out of Bed For

If you haven’t acclimatised to the altitude yet, head out to the terraza to take it easy (don’t forget the sunscreen), admire the mediaeval-meets-modern design or settle in for a drink at the Salón. Arequipa is one of Peru’s prettiest cities and doesn’t get the numbers that Cusco does – stroll the quiet streets with El Misti the volcano watching over you, taking in the Plaza de Armas and its colonial cathedral. Other volcanoes worth a day trip out of town are Mount Chachani and Pichu Pichu Peak. Yanahuara is an Arequipa neighbourhood worth checking out for its buildings made from sillar, a white volcanic rock – as well as its mirador, which lets you look out over the city and El Misti through poetry-inscribed arches. It’s a good three-hour drive north, but the Colca Canyon is the day trip for you if you want to spy soaring condors (and the world’s second-deepest crater). The Santa Catalina Monastery was built in 1579 and the colourful, volcanic-stone complex of living quarters, cloisters and a chapel is still inhabited today.

Earn or Redeem Points with World of Hyatt

This Mr & Mrs Smith hotel participates in the World of Hyatt loyalty program. As a member, you can earn and redeem points and enjoy exclusive benefits for qualifying nights. .