The Coolest Hotel in Bolivia!

Out of the hundreds of hotels I’ve stayed in around the world, La Cupula ranks among my top ten (right behind the Peninsula in Bangkok and the Mandarin Oriental in Hong Kong). For just $36, I was upgraded to the honeymoon suite. I honestly don’t know why they called it a honeymoon suite because it had a king bed, and a queen bed next to it, as well as a bed in the loft (reached after climbing a ladder). Also in the suite was a full kitchen, a bathroom (with the water heated by solar power), and two hammocks offering spectacular views of Lake Titikaka.

Outside of my suite (the rooms are not connected and are all independent buildings), was a huge garden area and a terrace with two more hammocks and two sun chairs, both of which got good use, as I’m now red as a lobster from the sun at 3,600 meters. The hotel is located on the top of a hill overlooking the lake and, even after four days at such a high altitude, I found myself out of breath after reaching the top of the hill. The hotel even offered the use of an outdoor hot tub overlooking the lake for just 15 bolivianos a day (about two bucks).

As I had mentioned in an earlier post, the hotel grounds were filled with animals – both domestic and wild. Around 2:00 am, Copacabana got hit with a massive thunderstorm, which I’m told is normal. Well the lightning (not the thunder) woke me up and I heard a slight meow outside my door. I unlocked it and opened it up to find a drenched kitten sitting on my step. There was no way I could let this kitten sleep outside in this weather, so I had an overnight guest (separate beds of course).

Since there were no telephones in the room either, I was woken up by a knock on the door promptly at 6:30 the next morning so I would have time to pack, shower, and have breakfast before taking the 2.5 hour boat ride to Isla del Sol.