Last year, we rented a condo. This year, we are going to try a different approach at least at the beginning of our trip. We have booked a Bed and Breakfast to stay in for the first two weeks in Arequipa, and if we like it there, we could spend the entire time at Lula's B & B. Check it out at http://www.bbaqpe.com/ . If we decide we want something more private, we will rent a condo or something.
We have reserved the "penthouse" suite, which in reality is the two rooms at the top of a house plus a private bathroom, 5 floors up, no elevator (hmmmm). But to counteract the lack of an elevator, the rooms are surrounded by a rooftop terrace, and we can see the Andes and El Misti, the famous volcano in the area. This is also a very small B & B, with only 3 rooms available for rent (it's actually Max and Lula's home), so it won't be like living in a hotel.
We also have the option of getting our meals there (authentic Peruvian), and Lula and Max (a Peruvian and Swiss couple) are being very flexible with us. For the first couple of days, we will have 3 meals a day there, at least until we get acclimated to the altitude (Arequipa is around 7600 feet).
What is also great is that Lula runs the only accredited Spanish language school in Arequipa. We aren't particularly interested in the accreditation aspect, but we will most likely take at least a week (perhaps 2) of 4 hours/day of Spanish language instruction with her.
Arequipa has a gringo community, but from what I can tell online, it is mostly young people and there doesn't seem to be the strong network of gringos as there were in Cuenca. Thus, our Spanish needs to improve.
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