Why Not to Skip Lima, Peru

My expectations were set low for Lima; it seemed like a stopover city on the way to Cusco. Researching Peru was about how all beautiful Machu Picchu is, the charming city of Cusco, and all the day trips. In my opinion, Lima is very overlooked and underrated! It’s a beautiful seaside city with lots to see, delicious food and felt very safe.

We arrived in Lima early on December 27th and had two days to spend before heading to Cusco. I wish we had a third day to make a day trip to Huchachina, although it would have been an 18 hour day, it’s such a unique place.

We arranged transportation through our hotel, Second Home Peru, and when arrived, we were blown away by the gorgeous ocean views and how accommodating the staff was! We got to the hotel around 8 am, and they let us check-in, even though check-in was at 2 pm. It was a perfect surprise since we had been traveling all day. We sat outside on the balcony patio, which overlooked the ocean and the Miraflores district buildings. It had such a homey feel to it, a small bed and breakfast with their cats and dogs wandering around and the owner coming to introduce herself.

After taking in the beautiful views, we decided to go exploring. We stopped at a cute cafe right around the corner, La Bodega Verde. It had a gorgeous outdoor patio and interior with a ton of healthy breakfast options.

There’s a walking path along the water from the Barranco district to the Miraflores district. The walk was beautiful; there is a ton of greenery, ocean views, and pretty architecture. We walked to Laracomar, a nice shopping center in the Miraflores District. It took about and a half roundtrip, but I felt safe the entire time, which I appreciated.

We grabbed drinks at our hotel bar; they make really a great pisco sour drink, a must-try while in Peru! We sat outside on the balcony and enjoyed the beautiful view.

We ate at Isolina, which many locals recommended, and it’s been featured in a lot of press. The best part was it was a block from our hotel! We liked it so much we dined there both nights.