Lima, Peru is an incredible city, combining modern, hip food, fun and nightlife with colonial and ancient culture. Although many people simply stop for a day on their way to sites like the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu, the city is a fun place to spend time and is packed with history to see and experiences to enjoy.
Lima is a fairly large city and has many neighborhoods and areas. I like the Miraflores neighborhood, located next to the Pacific Ocean about 30 minutes from the airport. The area has hotels and even casinos, but is a real residential area and will be filled with locals out having fun. Like South Beach in Miami, it has many luxury apartment towers, with their upscale residents. Those residents like fine food and fun bars and the area is teeming with them.
Parque Kennedy is the large green space in Miraflores and is always inhabited by craft fairs, flea markets, music and theater performances. During my last visit I went to an antique fair in the park, along with a Shakespeare performance on the small stage. The area also has some great shopping, as the stores are Peruvian and local, not many American chain stores here, you really feel like a resident, not a tourist.
My choice
What was once simply the Marriott has been renovated, redesigned and made even fancier, now known as the JW Marriott Hotel Lima. A glass tower directly on the ocean-side cliff, it’s a beautiful building, with rooms to match. This is a luxury hotel, rooms are about $310 per night with some online specials.
You are also literally on top of the LarcoMar shopping mall, which provides some great retail therapy, along with restaurants and other things to make your stay fun. I like having so many food options close by.
JW Marriott Hotel Lima
Malecon De La Reserva 615
Miraflores · Lima, Lima 18 Peru
marriott.com
Budget
Peru is visited by a lot of backpackers and young travelers and you can find hostels and cheap hotels in every neighborhood. With the strong U.S. dollar, a corporate-style room in a small hotel will be under $50. Hostels can be found under $20, with dorm-style accommodations even cheaper.
In Miraflores I like Hitchhikers Backpacker Hostel. The hostel offers $10. per night dorm-style rooms or private rooms with a private bathroom for $25. The location is in Miraflores, but be a bit careful at night, especially if you’re alone. The hostel puts you close to the beach and to the neighborhood action of the area. The place has a cool, community vibe and backpackers will be able to network and find other fun things to do in Lima and Peru. The hotel provides airport transportation for $18., I recommend it for your arrival to make things easy. The Lima airport has a confusing mix of authorized and unauthorized taxis.
Hitchhikers Backpacker Hostel
Calle Bolognesi 400
Miraflores, Lima, Peru
hhikersperu.com
Luxury
Orient-Express is a trusted luxury brand with a big presence in this South American country. In addition to running the train service to Machu Picchu, the company has several hotels in Peru. The Miraflores Park hotel is the flagship property in Peru and sets a new standard of luxury. Along with the sumptuous surroundings inside, the hotel overlooks the ocean and the best rooms have amazing sea views.
Packages include weekend getaways and other specials, along with experiences combining a stay in Lima with stays in their other properties in Cusco, the Sacred Valley, even Machu Picchu. The hotel is an all-suite property and rates start around $350. per night.
Miraflores Park Hotel
Av. Malecón de la Reserva 1035
Miraflores, Lima 18, Peru
miraflorespark.com
Freddy Sherman is a world traveler and editor of the travel blog travel4people.com. You can follow him on twitter, @thefredsherman
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