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Casa San Rafael is the brainchild of a Cuencan family, that invites you to share the special warmth manifested in every corner of a charming heritage house of Cuenca, staffed by the extended family of the owners.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
HOTEL STYLE
Charming
Centrally Located
Languages Spoken
English, Spanish
Location
Bolivar 5-05 y Mariano Cueva, Cuenca 593 Ecuador
Hotel Casa San Rafael
4.6 reviews
Getting there
Great for walkers
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travellers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
This hotel has been extremely well preserves and maintained - it still had the sixties and seventies light switches. Everything it offers has the same aim: offer basics of à very good quality for a very fair price. Although there seemed to be a mix-up and we needed to switch to another ( smaller ) room or go to a room without window, the staff is very devoted ( especially the Möring shift receptionist who also helps with the breakfast.
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Date of stay: August 2023Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip:If You do NOT speak any Spanish or can use a translatie on your phone, don t go there.
If You...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hotel Casa San Rafael is a beautiful hotel with excellent and attentive staff. The hotel is very secure, rooms are very clean and decorated very nicely. Plenty of hot water in the shower. Beds were a bit firm for me but I got used to it after a few nights. As we were in a room that faced the street it was somewhat noisy. The constant chirp from the cross walk light woke me several times. The floors are beautiful old wood, but creaky. the breakfast was delicious and every morning hot eggs of some sort were served with bread, fruit, fresh juice and tea/coffee.
Having never been to Cuenca, I was a bit worried about safety and it was also Carnival weekend. We never felt unsafe at all and our balcony overlooked the parade! There were many restaurants, cafes, stores, banks, pharmacies and attractions within a few minutes walking distance. It was a wonderful week in Cuenca and I would stay there again.
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Date of stay: February 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled with friends
Room Tip:Great location but the rooms facing the street can be noisy. If you're a light sleeper you may...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I have travelled extensively and stayed in dozens of hotels but there is something magical about this place.
The hotel is a beautifully restored traditional property which has been in the owners’ family for years.
It is full of tasteful antiques and mirrors and exquisitely decorated murals. The rooms are a good size and the water pressure in the showers is incredible - power shower quality. More importantly this place is absolutely spotless!
It is set in a fabulous location in the historic centre just minutes away from Calderon park. But what truly sets this hotel apart is the staff. They care so much about their guests and simply nothing is too much trouble. I stayed here as a solo traveler and felt so looked after. I even had cups of coffee brought up to my room just as a lovely gesture. Even the housekeeper was marvellous, my laundry was returned beautifully ironed and still warm and my room and bathroom were cleaned beautifully everyday.
If you are lucky enough to come to this beautiful city look no further. This is THE place to stay.
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Date of stay: October 2021Trip type: Travelled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Casa San Rafael, Dueño at Hotel Casa San Rafael
Responded Oct 19, 2021
Dear Jayne. We appreciate your comment about our Hotel, It was a pleasure for us to have you as our guest, your safety and conformable are always a priority for us. We hope to return soon. Best regards. Hotel Casa San Rafael.
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This is a lovely classic colonial and Hispanic hotel with courtyard/internal atrium and furnished tastefully. The reception staff was very helpful and spoke English. There is a security buzzer at the entrance. The rooms are on the first and second floors. My double room was compact with a wooden floor, wardrobe, desk and chair, flat screen television (no European channels) and a comfortable bed.
There was no air conditioning, but it was never too hot or cold and the windows open. The bathroom was shower only, with shampoo, soap and shower gel bottles. The WiFi was brilliant and it was also secure.
The atrium in the centre of the building means that the rooms will be subject to the noise going on in the main reception below, and on the landings of each floor, etc. The breakfast was brilliant, with eggs cooked to order, toast, croissants, yoghurt, fruit and granola, as well as fresh fruit juice and tea and coffee.
The location is ideal for exploring Cuenca, and a taxi to or from the bus station was $2 each way.
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Date of stay: January 2020
Location
Cleanliness
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Casa San Rafael, Propietario at Hotel Casa San Rafael
Responded Jul 7, 2020
Dear Roger We send you greetings from the entire team at the Hotel Casa San Rafael. For us it was a pleasure to help you in everything. Thank you for your good opinions. We hope to see you again with us in the future. We hope you are well and we are here to help you on future visits.
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I have stayed at Casa de Rafael in the beginning of December 2023. It’s a wonderful beautifully restored building with very attentive stuff. The hotel located just two short blocks from the central square where you have the old and the new cathedral. It’s in walking distance to many other churches as well. It’s a very safe and beautiful location in Cuenca with many choices for restaurants and shopping options as well. If you prefer to stay in very comfortable small family oriented environment not in a big hotel with many guest I will highly recommend Hotel Casa de Rafael.
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Date of stay: December 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled solo
Room Tip:Choose this hotel for the value,locations and the stuff
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The hotel has creaky wooden floors, very small bathrooms and beds that a a little hard for my old bones but the charm of the handhewn posts and beams, the wonderful staff (especially breakfast with Marcella), and the great location for walking through old plazas of Cuenca make this hotel a great value. We were fortunate enough to watch the Carnaval parade from our second story Balcony. That was a huge and unexpected surprise!
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Date of stay: February 2020Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from casasanrafael, Director de Recepción at Hotel Casa San Rafael
Responded Feb 26, 2020
Thank you so much for staying with us and aprecciate our service and our building. We wanna impruve our service and we use your recommendations for that. Remember that Casa San Rafael will be always your home in Cuenca. Hope to see you again!
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The hotel is in an old Spanish mansion very well wept and renovated. Great location a few blocks from Parque Calderon, quiet and comfortable. The most stracking is the cleanliness (both room and common area) and the eagerness of the employees to help and please you. Highly recommended
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Date of stay: July 2021
Value
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Casa San Rafael, Propietario at Hotel Casa San Rafael
Responded Jul 18, 2021
Estimado Sr. Marc, Para nosotros fue un verdadero placer tenerlos como nuestros húepedes y agradecemos sus buenos comentarios, esperamos regresen muy pronto nuevamente. Saludos Cordiales, ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Dear Mr. Marc, It was a real pleasure for us to have you as our guests and we appreciate your good comments, we hope you will return very soon. Best regards, Paúl Andrade R. Recepción Casa San Rafael +593 95 874 3128 Bolivar 5-05 y Mariano Cueva Esq. hotelcasasanrafael@gmail.com
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The staff and owners of Hotel Casa San Rafael went out of their way to accommodate our needs. They treated us like family. There are no words to express how grateful we are for everything they did for us. Looking forward to the next time we visit Cuenca and see our old friends
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Date of stay: April 2022
Value
Cleanliness
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from José Camacho Vintimilla, Director General at Hotel Casa San Rafael
Responded Aug 3, 2022
Siempre será un placer servirles y su casa en Cuenca es Hotel Casa San Rafael
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The open air roof and listening to the rain trickle down the interior gutter system was so soothing and relaxing. Rooms were super clean and eccentric with a balcony and a giant skeleton key! There was seating all around to kick back and relax out of your room too! The breakfast was made with love and I was compelled to hug the cook! It is conveniently located within walking distance of historical downtown too. Can’t wait to return
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Date of stay: March 2020Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Casa San Rafael, Propietario at Hotel Casa San Rafael
Responded Jul 7, 2020
Dear guest We hope you are very well, thank you very much for the excellent comments and it is a pleasure for all of us to know that you lived a pleasant experience with us. We hope you can visit us again and send you a greeting from all our team and we will always be at your service.
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Charming little hotel in old downtown Cuenca, where you’re close to everything within walking distance. Staff here is extremely nice, helpful and friendly!! The hotel is Very clean and it offers everything you need for a comfortable and relaxing vacation. Thank you San Rafael Hotel!
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Date of stay: November 2023Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear, of course, we have parking service three blocks from our location. For us it is a pleasure to receive you.
Best regards,
Ing. Paúl Andrade R.
Recepción
Hotel Casa San Rafael.
Dir. Simón Bolívar 5-05 y Mariano Cueva
Telf: (593) 7 2823 920 - (593) 7 2826 232
There are more places to choose from in the Cuenca area.
PRICE RANGE
C$100 - C$145 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
LOCATION
EcuadorAzuay ProvinceCuenca
NUMBER OF ROOMS
14
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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Hotel Casa San Rafael - UPDATED 2025 Prices, Reviews & Photos
Frequently Asked Questions about Hotel Casa San Rafael
Which popular attractions are close to Hotel Casa San Rafael?
Nearby attractions include La Catedral de la Inmaculada Concepcion de Cuenca (0.5 km), Plaza Abdon Calderon (0.4 km), and Museo Catedral Vieja (0.3 km).
