What makes Antigua Casona San Blas, Peru different from other hotels?

Antigua Casona San Blas is a renovated 19th-century mansion in Cusco's oldest neighbourhood, where Incan architecture meets colonial casonas. Hidden gardens, outdoor fireplaces, and a world wine cellar await steps from artisan boutiques.

Peru, South America

Antigua Casona San Blas

Immerse yourself in Cusco’s magic at Antigua Casona San Blas, a restored 19th century mansion with charming rooms, delicious Peruvian cuisine and hidden garden courtyards

In the heart of Cusco, between stone streets and colonial buildings, lies Antigua Casona San Blas; a renovated 19th century mansion, with beautiful rooms linked by entertaining corridors, a unique restaurant to enjoy the flavours of Peru, bar and wine cellar of world wines, the courtyard with outdoor fireplaces and a formal hidden garden. The perfect place to provide a warm and revitalising experience.

San Blas is Cusco’s oldest, continuously lived-in, neighbourhood. Steep and narrow cobble stone streets are lined with the remains of Incan architecture and colonial casonas, where artisans, boutiques and coffee shops now reside.

The Casona was built approximately between 1750 – 1800. The intricate, hand-carved wrap around balcony was rebuilt; replicating the original design. Original adobes were used to rebuild walls. A technique of mixing cactus with mud and straw was used for the adobe wall finishes. Roof tiles that could be salvaged where reused. Restoration of the casona was completed in June of 2016, under the supervision of the Ministerio de Cultura.

Focused on providing our guests with a total wellness experience expressed in every detail – such as our organic fine dining, private yoga room run by the best yoga talent in the city, spa with fresh herbal steam sauna among other examples – make us more than just a place to relax after long days of exploring the wonders of Cusco.

We offer our guests 50 uniquely decorated rooms with beautiful wooden or brick floors, spacious beds and hand-carved wooden furniture, quality bedding, radiant heating, lots of natural light with plants inside and of course wifi and cable TV.

All rooms have a turndown service which includes hot water bottles at the foot of the bed on chilly nights.

Breakfast at Piedra & Sal is fresh and abundant with local ingredients. Our fresh, brewed-on-the-spot, coffee comes from local farms sourced by Valle Inca. Try an international classic with a Peruvian twist, like our french toast with native cacao and orange, or our huevos rancheros made with our house guacamole and local spices.

Lunch is the most important meal for Peruvians. It is well served, which is why most Peruvians follow it with a siesta. We have made our lunch classics to satisfy big appetites and provide the necessary fuel for full days. Lunch highlights include our selection of papas nativas, alpaca burger with locally sourced meat from the Ausangate mountain range, and salads loaded with fresh ingredients.

Our candle-lit dinners with soft ambiance, and soulful South American music, are curated for you to enjoy some of Peru’s most classic dishes. Our house favorites are the Seco al Norteño, Alpaca a la Pimienta, and Aji de Gallina.

DINE AT PIEDRA & SAL

Where fresh and local flavours come to life

DECOMPRESS & UNWIND

Adjust to the high altitude with our Welcome to Altitude experience that includes a session in our hyperbaric chamber followed by a therapeutic massage

PROUDLY SUPPORTING PERUVIAN PROJECTS

We are delighted to be funding various projects in Peru, including working with Xapiri Ground

EVERYTHING WE TAKE,
WE GIVE BACK

We recycle, separate oils for reuse, have biodegradable rubbish bags and provide filtered water throughout the hotel

Your Host - Oscar

The authentic hospitality at Antigua Casona San Blas stems from a deep passion for service, embodied by the team led by manager Oscar. This dedication is evident in every detail, from the impeccable maintenance of the rooms to the genuine warmth with which each guest is greeted. This palpable energy is contagious, permeating every corner of the hotel and forging an atmosphere of welcome and comfort that visitors treasure.

Oscar’s vision, however, transcends the guest experience. He understands that to deliver truly exceptional service, the team providing it must feel valued, inspired and happy. For Oscar, the well-being of his staff isn’t just a concern; it’s a fundamental strategy for success.

Our insights..

Transparency is essential if we are all going to grow and improve together and this is why we have dedicated this section to sharing what we love about each place and its hosts. We work with each of our hosts to improve their guest experiences, sustainability practices and local impact, this is where you can learn more about that along with what still needs to be improved, the measures being taken to ensure our hosts continue to move forward and every now and then we’ll come back to update you on their progress.

Lars von der Wettern

Visited the property in November 2023

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The Casona was built approximately between 1750 – 1800. The intricate, hand-carved wrap around balcony was rebuilt; replicating the original design. Original adobes where used to rebuild walls. A technique of mixing cactus with mud and straw was used for the adobe wall finishes. Roof tiles that could be salvaged where reused. Restoration of the casona was completed in June of 2016, under the supervision of the Ministerio de Cultura.

All rooms have a turndown service which includes hot water bottles at the foot of the bed on chilly nights.

DINE AT PIEDRA & SAL

Where fresh and local flavours come to life

PROUDLY SUPPORTING PERUVIAN PROJECTS

We are delighted to be funding various projects in Peru, including working with Xapiri Ground

DECOMPRESS & UNWIND

Adjust to the high altitude with our Welcome to Altitude experience that includes a session in our hyperbaric chamber followed by a therapeutic massage

EVERYTHING WE TAKE, WE GIVE BACK

We recycle, separate oils for reuse, have biodegradable rubbish bags and provide filtered water throughout the hotel

Your Host - Oscar

The authentic hospitality at Antigua Casona San Blas stems from a deep passion for service, embodied by the team led by manager Oscar. This dedication is evident in every detail, from the impeccable maintenance of the rooms to the genuine warmth with which each guest is greeted. This palpable energy is contagious, permeating every corner of the hotel and forging an atmosphere of welcome and comfort that visitors treasure. Oscar’s vision, however, transcends the guest experience. He understands that to deliver truly exceptional service, the team providing it must feel valued, inspired, and happy. For Oscar, the well-being of his staff isn’t just a concern; it’s a fundamental strategy for success.

Our insights..

–

Lars von der Wettern

Visited the property in November 2023

Community & Sustainability Commitment

Here are some key sustainability & community practices that these hosts are committed to. Please use the key below the icons for reference. You might see that some measurements are not currently in place and that’s okay, we choose to support our hosts on their imperfect road towards a better world and we understand that that takes time.

Sustainability Practices

Community Commitments

Not in Place

Eco Certifications & Efforts

Just as we admire each of our hosts for their singularity, we appreciate that their sustainability journeys are also unique. Because of this, we do not require our hosts to have an eco certification or two under their belt, we simply guide them on improving their sustainable business practices one imperfect – but positive – step at a time. If a host has eco certifications they will be shown below, if not, then know we are working towards this together.

Our Efforts

Here at Antigua Casona San Blas, we want to do everything we can to protect our environment. This means separating recyclable goods from waste, providing filtered water instead of bottled water in the bathroom, encouraging guests to reuse their towels, and not requesting linen changes for an extended stay.

In-room sustainability practices:

No bottled water, only filtered water in a glass pitcher
‍Recycling bins provided to separate general waste from recyclable materials
‍Radiating water heating system, instead of high-energy air con system

Our Efforts

Bathroom sustainability practices:

Amenities provided in refillable dispensers
Soap bars wrapped in recyclable paper
‍Towels washed upon request
Spanish-style shower-heads reduce water consumption

Restaurant & kitchen sustainability practices:

All to-go packaging is biodegradable
Metal straws provided for cocktails
‍Linen napkins instead of paper
Separation of oils for reuse
Separation of food waste for animal feel
‍Recyclable goods separated

Our Efforts

Hotel-wide sustainability practices:

Filtered water station with a UV and carbon filter at hotel entrance for guests
‍All print material is on recycled paper
‍Solar panels for all of our kitchen and laundry hot water use
‍Biodegradable detergents and laundry chemicals
‍All plastic thrash bags are biodegradable
Insulated windows and doors to conserve energy
Radiant heating on a closed system
No plastic waste in room
Separating of recycled good, from trash
Environmentally friendly detergents for sheets and towels
Filtered water, not bottled water provided in room
LED bulbs

NGOs & Local Impact Projects Supported

Each of our hosts strive to have a positive impact on their local communities. Some of our hosts already have established connections with local partners to enrich the lives and wellbeing of their communities, others are in the process of creating these long term relationships. If a host has local NGO connections they will be shown below, if not, then know we are working towards this together.

Xapiri Ground

An organisation that preserves the ancestral knowledge of the rainforest, for each reservation made in our Xapiri Suites the organisation receives 20 dollars. Through this we help fund various projects for Xapiri Ground throughout Peru. We are working to create a closer partnership that will provide a continuous flow of support to this organisation with more information to come later this year.

Xapiri Ground

Green Sacred Valley

From March 2022, we will be donating one Peruvian sol to Green Sacred Valley for every guest who has stayed with us. They will allocate this money as they see fit to continue their efforts to reforest and protect the forested areas of the Sacred Valley.

Green Sacred Valley

Valley Camp

Valley Camp is an organisation that organises camps for children and teenagers and is rooted in sustainability and regenerative practices. We teach children to protect the environment through outdoor experiential learning opportunities. For every guest to our yoga room, we donate one sol to the organisation, plus a yoga workshop fundraiser for the organisation.

Valley Camp

The Four Cs

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Conservation

72%

Highlights:

Community

43%