Peru - Lonely Planet Publications [267]
MIDRANGE
Hotel Trapiche Suites (51-7091; hoteltrapichehuanuco@hotmail.com; General Prado 636; s/d S70/90; ) It’s official: boutique hotels have reached Huánuco. Rooms at this snazzy new place have funky artwork on the walls, huge, comfy, colorful beds, copiously stocked mini-fridges and telephones. It’s clearly aiming at well-to-do business types (who, if they exist in the city right now are keeping a low profile) and offers a viable luxury alternative to the city’s other more staid top hotels.
Hotel Real (51-1777; real_hotel@hotmail.com; Jirón 2 de Mayo 1125; s/d S90/120; ) On the Plaza de Armas, this fairly comfortable, modern hotel has large rooms with good beds, cable TV and phone. It has a sauna, restaurant and a handy 24-hour cafe.
Grand Hotel Huánuco (51-4222; www.grandhotelhuanuco.com; Beraún 775; s/d S132/185; ) Also on the Plaza de Armas is this grande dame of Huánuco hotels. Its public areas are airy and pleasant, high-ceilinged rooms have solid parquet floors as well as a phone and a fuzzy, mainly Spanish-language cable-TV service. A sauna, billiard room, Jacuzzi, pretty good restaurant and bar are on the premises.
Eating
The 24-hour cafe at the Hotel Real is an excellent choice for midnight munchies or predawn breakfasts. For more formal dining try the stately dining room at the Grand Hotel Huánuco.
Govinda (52-5683; General Prado 608; menú S5; 7am-7:30pm Mon-Sat, to 3pm Sun) This Hare Krishna-run restaurant serves excellent vegetarian set meals with all the predictable permutations of tofu, veggies, rice and noodles in a somewhat gloomy setting.
Lookcos Burger Grill (51-2460; Castillo 471; meals S7.50-12; 6pm-midnight) This large, squeaky-clean restaurant serves mean burgers and sandwiches. Popular with a young student crowd, the upstairs sports a balcony and a hip bar blares out Peruvian rock (and sometimes karaoke) come nightfall.
Chifa Khon Wa (51-3609; General Prado 816; mains US$2-3; 10:30am-11pm) Khon Wa is the largest and most popular Chinese eatery in town. With two cooking areas, a children’s play park and fast, attentive service, dining here is a pleasure. The chicken fried rice (with very hot chilies) is a good option at lunchtime.
Shorton Grill (51-2829; Beraún 685; mains about S10; 11am-midnight) Just off the plaza, this grilled-chicken restaurant is thinly disguised as a grill; chicken, chips and beer is where this place is at, and it’s good.
Piazolla (51-2941; Beraún 847; meals S12-28; 6-11pm Mon-Sat) This upscale restaurant does quality Italian food including tasty pizzas: service is prompt and there is a good range of Chilean and Argentine wines.
Entertainment
Adamique (Beraún 636; 6pm-late) A suave, mellow kind of place with a small dance floor downstairs and a cozy upstairs area for drinks: the house sangria is what most of the clientele choose to knock back.
Cheers Karaoke (51-4666; Jirón 2 de Mayo 1201) Stop by this restaurant on a Friday or Saturday night to catch a could-be Peruvian singing star.
Getting There & Away
AIR
LC Busre (51-8113; www.lcbusre.com.pe; Jirón 2 de Mayo 1357) flies to and from Lima daily. The airport is 5km north of town. Take a cab (S10) to get there.
BUS & TAXI
Buses go to Lima (S20 to S30, eight hours), Pucallpa (S30, 11 hours), La Merced (S20, six hours), Huancayo (S20, six hours) and La Unión (S15, five hours), with companies all over town. The following are among the best:
Bahía Continental (51-9999; Valdizán 718) One of the more luxury options. Regular bus to Lima at 10am plus bus-camas at 10pm and 10:15pm.
León de Huánuco (51-1489, 51-2996; Robles 821) Lima at 10am, 8:30pm and 9:30pm, La Merced at 8pm, Pucallpa at 7pm.
Transportes Rey (51-3623; Jirón 28 de Julio 1215) Lima 9am and 10:15pm, Huancayo 8:30pm.
Turismo Central (Tarapaca 552) Pucallpa 7pm and 8pm, Huancayo 9.30pm.
Transportes Chasqui (Mayro 570) Tantamayo