Peru is Not for the Faint of Heart: Part I - LIMA

Peru is Not for the Faint of Heart

PART 1 - LIMA

Peru has been a fantastic experience. There is so much to see and learn about in this small country. I hope that you enjoy reading about our experiences while visiting this wonderful country. I’ve decided to divide my travels into 3 parts. Part I is Lima, Part II is the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu and Part III is Cusco, Lake Titikaka and helpful suggestions.

We had one of those horrible missed flights courtesy of American Airlines so instead of arriving at 9:30 pm on the 19th of March, we arrived at 5:00 am on the 20th…OUCH!

We checked into the Miraflores Park Hotel in Lima and took a short nap. After our nap, we had breakfast including perfect cappuccinos for me which helped a lot. Breakfast is served on the top floor overlooking the ocean. There is inside and outside seating available. After breakfast, I had a brief site visit of the Hotel. The Miraflores Park Hotel is situated directly on the Pacific Ocean. Our room had a perfect ocean view. The beds and bed linens were comfortable and high quality and the bathroom had beautiful marble with a separate shower and tub and dual sinks. The hotel has a small efficient gym and spa on the upper floor.

We toured Lima with a lovely guide, Hugo arranged through Blue Parallel. He was so knowledgeable and proud of his city. We visited the different highlights of Lima including the Plaza de Armas, the Cathedral, the Archbishop’s Cathedral as well as San Isidro and the antique/Bohemian neighborhood of Barranco. Hugo suggested La Rosa Nautica for lunch. The restaurant is situated on the Pacific. You have to walk down the boardwalk to access the restaurant. Of course, I had to stop at one of the shops to purchase a few “must haves” for our granddaughter, Maddy. Lunch was delicious and I would strongly recommend that you try this restaurant when you visit Lima. After lunch, we drove to Lover’s Park (see picture below) where they have this amazing statue of two lovers kissing. The park is quite pretty with benches and flowers all around it. There is not a lot of green space in Lima so this place was a treasure. Before we returned to the Miraflores Park Hotel, we stopped at the Larco Museum which is a must see when visiting Lima because it houses a private collection of pre-Incan and Incan treasures.

After a brief nap, we went to dinner at Central Restaurant. This is also a must when visiting Lima. The décor is modern and the restaurant is housed on two levels with an open kitchen. We were able to watch the kitchen staff prepare our meal because our table was next to the kitchen. We enjoyed perfect service and creative cuisine. Best of all, the sommelier gave us a private tour of the entire restaurant. We were able to visit the kitchen, the urban garden on the top floor and the wine cellar. What a wonderful evening.