Peru - Lonely Planet Publications [302]
BCP (33-6822; Grau 133)
Clínica San Miguel (30-9300, 33-5913; Los Cocos 111; 24hr) The best medical attention in Piura.
Internet (Tacna 630; per hr S2; 8am-11pm) Plenty of interneting to do here.
iPerú (32-0249; Ayacucho 377; 8:30am-7pm Mon- Sat, to 2pm Sun) Has tourist information; the airport also has an iPerú counter.
Lavas (30-4741; Callao 602; per kg S5) For some reason, laundry services are fiendishly difficult to come by; thankfully, Lavas will wash your ropas (clothes).
Oficina de Migraciónes (33-5536; cnr Sullana & Circunvalación) Does visa extensions.
Post office (30-9595; cnr Ayacucho & Libertad; 9am-7pm Mon-Fri, to 1pm Sat) Also on the plaza.
Sights
Jirón Lima, a block east of the Plaza de Armas, has preserved its colonial character more than most areas in Piura.
MUSEUMS
The small Museo de Oro Vicus (Museo Municipal; 30-9267; Huánuco 893; admission S2.50; 9am-5pm Tue-Sun) has an underground museum with gold from nearby Vicus culture sites. Some excellent pieces are displayed, including a gold belt decorated with a life-sized gold cat head that puts today’s belt buckles to shame. The hours here can vary with unexpected closures.
Casa Grau (32-6541; Tacna 662; admission by donation; 8am-noon & 3-6pm Mon-Fri, to noon Sat & Sun) is the house where Admiral Miguel Grau was born on July 27, 1834. The house was restored by the Peruvian navy and is now a naval museum. Admiral Grau was a hero of the War of the Pacific against Chile (1879–83), and the captain of the British-built warship Huáscar, a model of which can be seen in the museum.
CHURCHES
The cathedral on the Plaza de Armas was originally constructed in 1588, when Piura was finally built in its current location. The impressive gold-covered side altar of the Virgin of Fatima, built in the early 17th century, was once the main altar in the church. Famed local artist Ignacio Merino painted the canvas of San Martín de Porres in the mid-19th century.
Other churches worth seeing are the Iglesia de San Francisco (Jirón Lima), where Piura’s independence was declared on January 4, 1821, and the colonial Iglesia de San Sebastián (cnr Moquegua & Tacna) and Iglesia del Carmen (Sánchez Cerro), which has a religious art museum and the chair used by the pope in 1985.
Sleeping
BUDGET
Hospedaje Aruba (30-3067; Junín 851; s/d without bathroom S20/35) All white and bright, the small, Spartan rooms here all share bathrooms. This hospedaje (small family-owned inn) has a few random decorations that give it a slight edge over your run-of-the-mill cheapie.
Hostal California (32-8789; Junín 835; s/d without bathroom S20/35) Popular with shoestring travelers, this clean hotel has small, slightly stuffy rooms with fans and cold showers. Walls are thin, however, so pray for unamorous neighbors.
Hostal Moon Night (33-6174; Junín 899; s with/without bathroom S26/15, d S38/15) Five floors of passable, faux-wood-lined abodes with evening hot water and cable TV. Grab a top-floor room for some quiet and city views.
Hospedaje San Carlos (30-6447; Ayacucho 627; s/d S26.50/34) Winning the budget stakes by a nose, this brand-spanking-new little hospedaje has immaculate and trim rooms, each with TV. The back rooms are best for light sleepers. The smiles here are broader and more genuine than anywhere else in town.
Suite Plaza Hostal (30-6397; www.suiteplazahostal.queydonde.info; Apurímac 420; s/d S40/62; ) Although none of the rooms are actually suites, the Suite Plaza has cable TV and wi-fi throughout. The bright hallways and hyper-hygienic rooms make up for the abundance of unimaginative tile and pleather couches.
Los Jardines (32-6590; Los Cocos 436; s/d S45/70) Located in a smart, quiet residential area around Club Grau, the rooms here are enormous and all have TV. The friendly family who runs the joint offers laundry facilities and shares its small communal garden area.
Hotel San Miguel (30-5122; Apurímac 1007; s/d S45/75) Modern, sterile and overlooking a quiet park, this place dishes out standard but spotless rooms with cable TV and fans. There’s a cafe and