Peru - Lonely Planet Publications [73]
Casa Andina (213-9739; www.casa-andina.com) San Antonio (Map; 241-4050; Av 28 de Julio 1088; d with breakfast US$89-129; ); Miraflores Centro (Map; 447-0263; Av Petit Thouars 5444; d with breakfast US$99-109; ); Colección Privada (Map; 213-4300; Av La Paz 463; d/ste with breakfast from US$300/419; ) This relatively new Peruvian chain has three hotels at various price points scattered around Miraflores. The San Antonio and Miraflores Centro branches are more affordable, each boasting 50-plus rooms decorated in contemporary Andean color schemes. Colección Privada is the company’s luxury outpost, situated in a tower that once served as the home of the now-defunct Hotel César (where Frank Sinatra once stayed). In a nod to its history, the elegant lobby lounge is still home to a grand piano played by the same pianist from the César. The hotel’s 148 chic, earth-palette rooms are spacious, sporting pre-Columbian flourishes and organic bath products. The best part: the nightly turn-down service; rather than deposit a chocolate on the pillow, the hotel’s staff leaves a deliriously stupendous cocada (coconut cookie).
La Paz Apart Hotel (Map; 242-9350; www.lapazaparthotel.com; Av La Paz 679; s/d ste with breakfast S365/456, 2-bedroom ste S760; ) This modern high-rise may have a businesslike demeanor, but the service is attentive and the rooms are comfortable. Twenty-five super-clean suites, all equipped with kitchenettes, minifridges and separate sitting areas, are tastefully decorated. The most spacious of these sleeps up to five people. The hotel also has a minigym and a small conference room.
Miraflores Park Hotel (Map; 242-3000; www.mira-park.com; Malecón de la Reserva 1035; d from US$215; ) Surely the best of Lima’s smaller luxury hotels, the Miraflores Park has glorious ocean views and all the frills expected of a five-star inn, including a gym, a sauna and a pool overlooking the ocean. Some rooms even come with Roman-style tubs. Want to indulge? For US$50, the bath butler will run an aphrodisiac-salt-infused, petal-strewn, candlelit bath – with champagne and fresh strawberries.
JW Marriott Hotel Lima (Map; 217-7000; www.marriotthotels.com/limdt; Malecón de la Reserva 615; d from US$250; ) The most upscale hotel in Lima, the five-star Marriott has a superb seafront location by the LarcoMar shopping mall and sparkling rooms with every amenity imaginable, including minibars and whirlpool baths. There is also an executive lounge, restaurants, a bar, a casino and an open-air tennis court and pool.
Barranco
At the turn of the 20th century, this was a summer resort for the upper-crust. In the 1960s, it was a center of bohemian life. Today, it is cluttered with restaurants and bustling bars, its graceful mansions converted into hotels of every price range.
Hostal Kaminu (Map; 252-8680; www.kaminu.com; Bajada de Baños 342; dm S25-30, d without bathroom S70; ) For travelers who want to be in the thick of it, nothing beats this centrally located crash pad with an easy reggae vibe – and a sleepy pooch named Bingo. If you have your own gear, you can camp on the roof for S15 per night.
Point Lodge (Map; 247-7997; www.thepointhostels.com; Junín 300; dm S26-34, r per person S34; ) This whitewashed villa is a long-running hostel that is equipped with all the toys that backpackers love: cable TV, a DVD collection, free internet, pool and ping-pong, a garden with hammocks and a convenient in-house bar.
Backpackers Inn (Map; 247-1326; www.barrancobackpackers.com; Mariscal Castilla 260; dm/d with breakfast US$11/30) On a quiet street, this eight-room backpacker hangout is housed in a renovated mansion with ocean views. The dorms have big windows and attached bathrooms with 24-hour hot water. Rates include free wi-fi and there’s a kitchen, a