THE GUIDE - The Rough Guide to Bolivia - page 116

the mural front, indulging in mock-classical c olum ns and in-room cornicing instead. The car-
peted rooms are a blessing for winter nights. Bs220
Hotel Continental IIampu 626 02 2451176, hotelcontinentalbolivia.com ; map . A
friendly HI affiliate that wears its 1970s colours proudly. Wood panelling and great old
Bolivian tourist-board posters lend character, and although rooms can be on the dowdy and
noisy side, the lovely old top-floor, four-person apartments (complete with period ki tchen ,
living r oom a nd old canvases) are great value, even for small groups. Apartments Bs280 ;
doubles Bs140
Hotel Fuentes Linares 988 02 2334145, hotelfuentesbolivia.com ; map . While still de-
cent value for the price, the family-owned Fuentes' four floors of bright, modern, pastel-yel-
low rooms are now looking slightly frayed at the edges and could do with a paint job, as
well as proper sound (and smell)-proofing between some of the adjacent bathrooms. Ask for
a room on one of the upper floors for some great views of the city's canyon-like skyline.
There's a laundry service and free internet, though the meagre inc lusive breakfast is served
in a somewhat claustrophobic dining room; give the coffee a miss. Bs190
Hotel Las Brisas Illampu 742 02 2463691; map . Another busy mid-range Illampu new-
comer, not run by Estrella Andina but clearly taking some pointers from them in the wall
mural department, not to mention the smudged ochre paintwork. Quasi-rustic furniture
warms the place up further, as does the welcome central heating. Breakfast is included, and
there's free internet with wi-fi. Bs213
Hotel Milton Illampu 1126 02 2353511 or 02 2368003, hotelmiltonbolivia.com ;
map . Milton 's interior has to be seen to be believed, a monument to late 70s excess, with ma-
roon, studded-leather walls, vintage flower boxes and garish wipe-off wallpaper untouched
since the place opened. It likewise probably deserves cultural landmark status and presum-
ably it's the preserved-in-lurid-aspic style you're paying for, because otherwise it's way over-
priced, if clean and comfortable enough. St unnin g views from the east facing rooms as well,
and very amiable staff. Breakfast included. Bs180
Hotel Torino Socabaya 457 02 2406003, hoteltorino.com.bo ; map . With more than 90
years as a hotel under its creaking colonial belt this place really has seen and done it all. So-
mething of a gringo mecca in the pre-mega hostel days, its appeal is latterly limited to those
favouring antiquity over comfort. While the entry up a small flight of magnificent flagstones
and a vaulted portico isn't matched in the shadowy maze of basic, lived-in rooms, the historic
atmosphere really is tangible, further thickened by flickering lightbulbs. Yet the down sides
can be numerous - th e som etimes surly staff, whiffy drains, unreliable hot water and ridicu-
lously useless towels. Bs140
Residencial Latino Junín 857 02 2285463, residenciallatino.com ; map . Renovated in
early 2010, this veteran colonial place now makes for an excellent alternative to the nearby