Peru - Lonely Planet Publications [249]
Hotel Sauna Blub (22-1692; www.hotelblubperu.com; Pasaje Verand 187; s/d S85/120) A little west of the center overlooking the river (or its bone-dry bed), the Blub has well-appointed rooms with cable TV, telephones, minifridges and a rather intense maroon color scheme. There is also, as the name implies, a sauna.
Hostal El Marquez (21-9026; www.elmarquezhuancayo.com; Puno 294; s/d/ste incl breakfast S100/140/180) This comfortable hotel is better than most, though is somewhat lacking in character. Recently done up, carpeted rooms get the usual direct-dial phones and cable TV, while three suites feature a large bathroom with Jacuzzi tub, king-sized bed and minibar. A small cafe offers room service and continental breakfast is included.
Hotel Turismo (23-1072; www.hoteles-del-centro.com; Ancash 729; s/d S100/145; ) This pleasant-looking old building with wooden balconies and public areas has a certain faded grandeur. Rooms vary in size and quality but all have bathrooms. The hotel has a restaurant and bar and is part of the same organization as the Hotel Presidente.
Hotel Presidente (23-5419, 23-1736; www.hoteles-del-centro.com; Real 1138; s/d incl breakfast S100/145; ) This good modern hotel includes breakfast in the price, and has ample, nicely carpeted rooms and spacious bathrooms.
Eating
Good news for snack lovers: the blocks of Real south of the Plaza abound in cake shops and snack stalls selling strips of grilled pollo (chicken) and lomo (beef), often in kebab format. Huancayo has some fabulous restaurants: regional specialties include papas a la huancaína (boiled potato in a creamy sauce of cheese, oil, hot pepper, lemon and egg yolk, served with boiled egg and olives). The city is also known for its trout, reared in nearby lakes.
Panadería Koky (23-4707; Puno 298; snacks from S3; 7am-10.30pm) This modern bakery-coffee shop is a contender for the best breakfast stop in the Central Andes, serving tasty sandwiches, pastries, empanadas, real espresso and other coffees. It’s lively from morning until evening and now even does a line in pizzas and other more substantial fare. There’s live music sometimes from the upstairs balcony.
Café Paris (Real 370; snacks from S3; 4-11pm) A hip little joint that favors Nirvana over Andean music and is frequented by trendy young huancaínos (Huancayo residents). It does elaborate coffees and cakes, among other snacks.
Nuevo Horizonte (Ica 578; mains S3-8; 7:30am-10pm Sun-Fri) Inside an atmospheric older house with attractive ceilings, this place has an excellent vegetarian menu using soy to recreate Peruvian plates such as lomo saltado (strips of beef stir-fried with onions, tomatoes, potatoes and chili), as well as straightforward veggie meals.
Chicharronería Cuzco (Cuzco 173; mains S5-8) Traditional plates of chicharrones (deep-fried pork chunks) at this carnivore-dedicated hole-in-the-wall are about S7.
Café Obama Pub (76-9618; Puno 598; meals S8-10; 11am-midnight) New on the eating scene but linked to the president only by name, Obama Pub has Beatles memorabilia as the decor theme and hamburgers, huge sandwiches and cakes as the grub of choice. It does good pisco sours too.
Delicias Marinas (21-1119; Arequipa 564; menú S12-18; breakfast, lunch & dinner) They say the highlands can’t do ceviche (raw seafood marinated in lime juice): this bright little place is out to prove them wrong.
Restaurant Olímpico (23-4181, Giráldez 199; mains S12-20) Here for more than six decades, this is Huancayo’s oldest (though modernized) restaurant. It features a large open kitchen where you can see the traditional Peruvian dishes prepared and a popular Sunday buffet lunch.
Antojitos (23-7950; Puno 599; meals S15-25; 5pm-late Mon-Sat) This restaurant-cum-bar, housed in an antique-filled, wood-beamed, two-story building with the obligatory Lennon and Santana posters, brings in vociferous crowds of upscale locals bent on having roaring conversations over the sounds of anything from cumbia (a salsalike Colombian musical style) to Pink Floyd. The well-prepared