Peru - Lonely Planet Publications [281]
Hotel Continental (31-0046; www.hotelcontinentaltrujillo.com; Gamarra 663; s/d S75/120) High on professionalism, low on inspirational decor, this place has shipshape rooms, some of which look onto a concrete garden light well. There’s a restaurant downstairs and airport pick-up for S15.
Saint Germain Hotel (25-0574; www.perunorte.com/saintgermain; Junín 585; s/d S90/159) The boutiquey Saint Germain has great rooms to get comfortable in and the usual slew of modern conveniences, as well as immaculate bathrooms. The rooms facing inward are quieter than most and have windows onto a bright light well. There’s a bar and cafe here.
Los Conquistadores Hotel (24-4505; www.losconquistadoreshotel.com; Almagro 586; s/d S150/180, ste from S330, all incl breakfast; ) Courteous doormen will eagerly greet you at the entrance of this contemporary venture, a few steps away from the Plaza de Armas. The relaxing rooms here are carpeted and come with cable TV, phone, mini-bar and 24-hour room service. Suites have Jacuzzis. The swanky downstairs restaurant and bar is a good place to unwind over a pisco sour. Rates include airport transfers, wall-to-wall wi-fi, a travel service and the use of exercise rooms.
TOP END
Hotel el Gran Marqués (24-9161, 24-9366; Díaz de Cienfuegos 145; s/d S250/330, ste from S330; ) A couple of kilometers southwest of the city center, this hotel offers a sauna, gym, restaurant and bar. Unfortunately, it has to be content playing second fiddle in the top-end stakes to Hotel Libertador.
Hotel Libertador (23-2741; www.libertador.com.pe; Independencia 485; d S270, ste S375-600, both incl breakfast; ) The classy dame of the city’s hotels, the Libertador is in a beautiful building that’s the Audrey Hepburn of Trujillo – it wears its age with refined grace. It earns its four stars with a sauna, good restaurant, amiable bar, airport pick-up and comfortable rooms with all the conveniences you might expect. Try to avoid the streetside rooms unless you want to watch the goings-on, as they tend to be noisy.
Eating
The 700 block of Pizarro is where Trujillo’s power brokers hang out and families go out, and they’re kept well fed by a row of trendy yet reasonably priced cafes and restaurants. Some of the best eateries in Trujillo are found a short taxi ride outside the town center.
Jugería San Augustín (Bolívar 526; juice S2; 8am-10pm) You can spot this place by the near-constant lines snaking around the corner in summer as locals queue for the drool- inducing juices.
Diet Light (Pizarro 724; snacks S2-7; 9:30am-10pm) This perennially busy place serves not-very-diet, but yummy nonetheless, ice cream (S2 to S5) and whopping servings of mixed fruit (S3) – with ice cream.
El Sol Restaurante Vegetariano (cnr Industrial & Zepita; meals S3-8; 8am-10pm) Recently moved to a new location, ‘The Sun’ maintains a short but surprising list of meat-imitating dishes and always has a daily lunch menú for about S3. Plenty of nonvegetarians eat here, attesting to its hearty and delicious offerings.
Oviedo (22-3305; Pizarro 737; breakfast & sandwiches S4-12; 7am-midnight) If you’re sick of the tiny plate of eggs your hotel is throwing at you in the morning, check out Oviedo’s long list of breakfasts – from a simple Continental to a hearty criollo (spicy Peruvian fare with Spanish and African influences) that comes with a steak.
Mar Picante (22-1544; América Sur 2199; meals S8-25; 11am-10pm). This large, bamboo-lined seafood palace specializes in some of Trujillo’s best and freshest ceviche (raw seafood marinated in lime juice) and is packed daily with hundreds of savvy locals. Try the heaped ceviche mixto, which has various kinds of fish and crustaceans (S10 to S12). The restaurant is a S3 taxi ride south of town.
Chifa Heng Lung (24-3351; Pizarro 352; mains S10-18; noon-10pm) Owned by