Peru - Lonely Planet Publications [69]
Hotel Continental (Map; 427-5890; www.hotelcontinentallima.com; Puno 196; s/d/tr with breakfast S120/150/180, s/d superior S180/210; ) Seventy-seven spacious rooms with spotless restrooms were remodeled in 2009 in modern, muted earth tones. Superior units are much larger and come with sitting areas. All have cable TV and wi-fi. Credit cards accepted.
Hotel Kamana (Map; 426-7204, 427-7106; www.hotelkamana.com; Camaná 547; s/d with breakfast S126/158; ) Popular with tour groups and business travelers, this secure and relatively contemporary hotel has 46 tidy, carpeted rooms enlivened by colorful bedspreads. English and French are spoken. Credit cards accepted. An on-site restaurant-cafe is open 24 hours. Overall, very good value.
Clifford Hotel (Map; 433-4249; www.thecliffordhotel.com.pe; Parque Hernán Velarde 27; s/d/tr/ste with breakfast US$55/65/80/95) Located on the same peaceful oval as Posada del Parque, this smartly decorated hotel is housed in a beautifully maintained casona that dates back to the 1930s. Though the decor in the public areas has Spanish baroque touches, the 21 carpeted rooms are modern and equipped with fans, cable TV and telephones. There’s a bar, a restaurant and cozy public areas in which to relax, including a nicely manicured garden with a gurgling fountain.
Hotel Maury (Map; 428-8188; hotmaury@amauta.rep.net.pe; Ucayali 201; s/d with breakfast US$58/69, d with king-size bed US$80; ) A longtime Lima outpost renowned for having been one of the first spots to cultivate a new-fangled cocktail known as the pisco sour (grape brandy cocktail) back in the ’30s. The public areas at the Maury retain old-world flourishes such as gilded mirrors and Victorian-style furniture. The 76 modern rooms, however, are up-to-date: simple, clean and equipped with Jacuzzi tubs. Credit cards accepted.
TOP END
Central Lima has seen its high-end business slip away as upscale establishments have popped up all over San Isidro and Miraflores. Call ahead or check websites for discounted promotional rates. Both of these places accept credit cards.
Gran Hotel Bolívar (Map; 619-7171; Jirón de la Unión 958; s/d/tr/q US$65/75/85/95; ) This venerable 1924 hotel located on the Plaza San Martín was, in its day, one of the most luxurious accommodations in Latin America, where figures like Clark Gable, Mick Jagger and Robert Kennedy all laid their heads. Today, it is frayed at the edges, but, like any grand dame, it possesses a rare finesse. (See the sparkling stained-glass cupola in the lobby for an example.) For anyone chasing the retro atmosphere of a gilded age, the Bolívar is a rare treat.
Lima Sheraton (Map; 619-3300; www.sheraton.com.pe; Paseo de la República 170; d US$139-360; ) Housed in a brutalist high-rise that overlooks the equally dour Palacio de Justicia (Supreme Court), the top hotel in downtown has more than 400 rooms and suites decorated in an array of desert tones. Units are equipped with wi-fi and cable TV and there is 24-hour room service. In addition, there are concierge services, two on-site restaurants, a bar, a gym, a swimming pool and a beauty salon.
West Lima
Mami Panchita (Map; 263-7203; www.mamipanchita.com; Av Federico Gallesi 198, San Miguel; s/d/tr US$25/35/45; ) A short taxi ride from downtown, the historic museums of Pueblo Libre and the nightlife of Miraflores is this Dutch-Peruvian guesthouse, situated in a charming, Spanish-style house. It has 14 simple, homey rooms and a flower-bedecked patio that is ideal for relaxing.
San Isidro
With a hyper-exclusive golf course at its heart, San Idro is where many of Lima’s elite can be found: inhabiting expansive modernist homes and sipping cocktails at members-only social clubs. (Want to fit in? Carry a tennis racket.) As is to be expected,