Lima, Peru
Our trip to Peru began with two days to explore Lima, the largest city and capital of Peru. The city itself is a great destination to visit, full of rich culture and exciting neighborhoods that boast their own individual flavor. You should dedicate some time here to explore, and we wished we had more time to see all of the sights.
During our time in Lima, we stayed at the Villa Barranco- a 1920s 8-bedroom colonial home that has been renovated into a stylish boutique hotel. You enter the hotel through a doorway adorned with greenery into the lush garden. Staff greeted us upon arrival and helped us with our luggage. While the rooms are quite spacious inside, we did get two rooms for our family of four because the hotel’s largest suite was already booked. Some hotels also have fairly strict occupancy limits in Peru, so this is something to keep in mind when booking. The lobby featured a beautiful wooden grand staircase, along with some seating to enjoy while checking in. Staff are attentive and kind.
The decor in the hotel was unique and bohemian, similar to the style of the Barranco neighborhood. Breakfast was served family style each morning in a light-filled room. We met other travelers in this room at breakfast-some had traveled from Asia to visit Peru. The bookcase was adorned with medicine bottles and unique trinkets that made you want to stare, and the furniture had vintage appeal. For breakfast, you ordered from a menu, but outside there was a freshly squeezed juice bar, and yogurt stored in a small fridge along with granola and other toppings. A fresh fruit bar featuring fresh figs, gooseberries, strawberries, blueberries was just inside the door. Fresh fruit and a sweet loaf were also available atop the table each morning. My typical breakfast order was a cappuccino along with an omelet, while my children raved about the pancakes each morning.
If you preferred to dine outside, you could sit at these gorgeous stone tables in the garden. My family and I played some cards outside during our down time on the deck. The fence in front of the hotel was lined with gorgeous bougainvillea of every color, and the hotel is very walkable to get to restaurants and shopping and sites in the neighborhood. We ate at Awicha for dinner, and we had the best lunch at Alanya Reposteria. The bakery here is gorgeous with a wide assortment of artistic and delicious desserts as well as to-die-for coffees and cocktails. My children ordered the pizza which was an absolute delight, and I got the most colorful and delicious salad. If I had more time, I would make several visits to this restaurant as the entire menu was enticing. Every detail in this neighborhood, from the homes to the food to the art, was photograph worthy, and my son took lots of photos with his camera.
The Barranco neighborhood of Lima is known for its vibrant street art, mouthwatering food, and hidden coffee shops and bars. Walking along, you’ll see fun street art and graffiti- in the photo below I had a yellow bus drive by at just the right time. My son took many photos of the street art, and you will want to as well, so be sure your phone or camera is charged and ready to go. You’ll see many colorful and whimsical murals, along with many people posing in front of them for their own mini photo shoots.
One of our favorite stops for shopping was Jade Rivera’s art gallery. He is a Peruvian artist whose pieces all tell a story with many depicting birds as a representation of freedom. Others focus on children, nature, and have a focus on imagination and achieving your dreams. He does large murals as well as smaller prints, and we bought some art from his gallery for fair prices to hang in our home.
Mural by Jade Rivera
Below is the Puente de los Suspiros, or the Bridge of Sighs, which is a landmark in this neighborhood. The saying goes that if you make a wish and hold your breath the entire time that you are walking across it, then your wish will come true. My daughter followed this tradition, so we will see if her wish comes true. We purchased some churros that were being sold by a local woman here as well as a pretty necklace for my daughter.
The beach here is a rocky one, but we saw many surfers in the waves. The view of the Pacific was gorgeous and we enjoyed the ocean breeze as we walked around.
We didn’t have the time to fully explore the Miraflores neighborhood, but we did make it to Larco Mar which is a large modern shopping center on the coast. Here you can find larger chain stores along with some Peruvian based stores. I purchased a nice baby alpaca ruana here at Alpaca Sol. We also ate brunch here at Mangos Restaurante with views overlooking the ocean, a buffet with traditional Peruvian foods and breakfast food, and a chocolate fountain and painting station for the kids. The dessert table was especially enticing.
