Titilaka is quite simply a fantastic way to experience Lake Titicaca. Located on an isolated peninsula about 1 hour outside of the unattractive town of Puno, perched right on the shores of Lake Titicaca, the hotel features fantastic views of the lake from nearly everywhere on the property, from the rooms to the dining area, to the bar, through it's floor to ceiling windows. You feel like you're experiencing the lake from the moment you walk through the door until the moment you leave. You watch the Uros people gathering reeds on their donkeys at lakeside, you see local farmers bringing their cattle to drink, you see fishermen rowing through the reeds and laying their nets, and of course you see magnificent sunrises over the lake.
LOCATION - Contrary to the hotel's literature which states 20 minutes from Puno, it's really more like an hour, and it's half way down a very bumpy gravel road. The airport is in Juliaca, another 20 minutes past Puno. Flights to Juliaca are mostly from Lima and Cusco. Not an easy place to get to, but particularly if you're continuing on to Bolivia, it's worth the trip. Puno is not an attractive city, with little for tourists, filled with backpackers and tour boats, but you're there to experience Lake Titicaca, not the city of Puno, which this resort really delivers on. Use the hotel transfers if at all possible - our driver was private, and he got lost a lot on the way to the hotel. The hotel uses Range Rovers that make the ride most comfortable.
HOTEL - The hotel is pretty characterless from the outside, but with only about 18 rooms, perched on the edge of the lake with fantastic views from everywhere, it seems just right as you sit there gazing at life going by on the lake. There are few faciliites here, but there is a restaurant and bar, and a computer you can use the internet on.
ROOMS - The rooms are not large (the corner rooms are biggest) at around 28 square meters, but they feel decently spacious. All rooms face either the sunrise view or the sunset view. We had a King Room, Sunrise View. The sunrise this time of year is not over the water, we found out, but over the Peninsula - for a view over the water, early summer is the best time. We couldn't actually lie in bed and see the sunrise, we had to get out of bed and lie on the little lounge bed that is placed in front of the window. Still great to wake up to a massive lake view every morning.
The bathrooms are not separate from the room, and the shower does not have a door, so exhibitionists will find a lot to like here - showering overlooking the lake. The toilet does have a door though. The shower is a lovely tropical rain shower with plenty of hot water, and there are double sinks in a very spacious layout - a bathtub too. The low point of the hotel, shockingly so, were the towels - they were frayed and stained and seemed like they were a decade old. Smelled mildew, totally apalling for a $530/night hotel. Even Motel 6 has nicer towels than Titilaka. Another review mentioned the lack of onsite management - in this light perhaps that is true.
There is a huge desk where you can sit and work overlooking the lake, plenty big enough for 2 or even 3 people to sit side by side. We loved that since we had 2 computers and did have to work a bit. There is supposedly wireless internet, but the signal was weak (2 bars) from the room and constantly dropped in and out. Very frustrating. Luckily there is 3G access so we could use our Blackberry's for internet access because the hotel wi-fi was terrible.
The bed is situated so you can overlook the lake while you lie in it, very comfortable with nice linens. In front of the window is a lounge bed where you can lie and read or just enjoy the view. A nice touch. Contrary to earlier reviews, we had a full heating system, the room was warm and comfortable, and we did not get any hot water bottles, so maybe they upgraded the system.
DINING - There is a restaurant onsite, with panoramic views of the lake. The menu seemed at first to be unenticing, a bit disappointing with the simplicity of the choices. However, every time we ordered something it was great! They took seemingly basic dishes and made them delicious. We stayed for three nights, and every meal we had was excellent. Another review mentioned disappointment with only two options for dinner, but perhaps they took that to heart because every meal there was the "daily menu" but then also the regular menu with many additional selections you could order. My favorite was the Fetuccini with Smoked Trout - didn't sound that great, but it was. There was a limited wine selection, but it was decent wine. Only 2 red and 2 white to choose from.
Breakfast was a very simple buffet, but they also will make you quinoa pancakes which were a big hit, plus eggs the way you like it, bacon or whatever. More than enough, and great to look out over the lake and sip coffee in the morning watching the local people going on about their lives. The hotel is all-inclusive, so all meals and drinks are included, but they told us that there was a 2-glasses of wine limit at meals, which was really cheesy and disappointing - not that we were going to have more than that anyway, but that seemed cheap and detracted from the experience of luxury. There is a happy hour every night which was nice, and when the weather was good, we could enjoy it out on the balcony in a warm and cozy setup they made.
EXCURSIONS - The highlight of the hotel is their amazing excursions. They offer a wide range of activities, from biking to kayaking, to ruins visits, to visits to other villages, to visits to the Uros floating islands and Taquille islands. All of the ones we did were very well done, the guides spoke great English and were really friendly and informative. A must-do is the full-day trip to Uros floating islands and Taquille. There are half-day trips to both as well, but the half-day trip goes to the touristy part of Uros, while the full-day trip goes to a small and authentic seeming island, where you are the only visitors, a much more rewarding experience. After being amazed at the floating island, you go to Taquille, where again you skip the super-touristy part and head to the south side of the island where you enjoy a home-cooked lunch by a local family. Along with the great boat ride on the lake, this was a really enriching experience. I read the reviews others had that went to the touristy parts of both islands, and it was so different than our lovely day!
We also went sailing on the lake on a small sailboat, which was really nice too. Others we met did the biking and loved it, and the excursions to the Inca Tombs we heard were really good too. We only wished we'd stayed longer to enjoy more of them. The best deal is to book the excursions separately though, we would have paid a lot more if we'd done the fully inclusive package.
SERVICE - The staff was warm and friendly throughout, especially the guides and front desk staff. English varied depending on the staff member, but we never had any problems communicating.
TIP - After a few days at Titilaka, you don't really need to go to the other side of the lake to Copacabana or Isla del Sol. We did that, but it felt like "been there done that" a bit, in hindsight our experience was much more rewarding than the trip on the other side of the lake, we would have just continued on to La Paz. You are also not missing anything by staying outside of Puno, there is nothing there that is worth staying there for, and it is a dirty unattractive city.
Overall, we had an amazing time at Titilaka, and we really felt like we'd experienced the life on Lake Titicaca, and all it's wonders. If they would only replace the towels and fix the internet, it would have been nearly a perfect stay. As for value, I think with the all-inclusive package and the included excursions, compared to the other "top" properties in Puno, this was a very good value, well worth it. Far better than particularly Orient Express hotels in the other cities in Peru.
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
