Trip Report: Lima Peru

I think the city of Lima generally has a bad reputation and many people simply pass through the airport en route to other destinations such as Machu Picchu.  Those who do stay here tend to stay in the miraflores area and dont venture into the city itself.  Now dont get me wrong, Lima's position as a culinary hotspot is no secret to those in the know, but there are also some very interesting historical sites in the city center that are often overlooked by the casual visitor. 

Lima was the capital of the Spanish empire in South America (and all of the new world for that matter).  As such, there are some very interesting and historical buildings in the older sections of town.  The main cathedral was constructed in 1535 and houses the remains of the famous conquistador  Francisco Pizarro.  The Government palace and the Archbishops palace are other excellent examples of Spanish colonial architecture, all located on the same square as the cathedral - Plaza Mayor.  A short walk away is the monastery of San Francisco.  This is certainly another must see as it houses an amazing courtyard and catacombs which are hundreds of years old.

While i certainly would not venture out into the city center at night, i found it to be perfectly safe during the day as long as you stick to the same general precautions that smart travelers should take anywhere in the world - don't flaunt your valuables, don't leave your wallet in your back pocket, etc.  If you want to experience some nightlife and dining i would suggest heading to Miraflores, a beautiful ocean front area complete with a very modern shopping mall and entertainment center. 

One additional tourist attraction that i would recommend is Huaca Pullana, an adobe pyramid from the pre-incan time period located right in the middle of a residential area.  The site also features a great restaurant.

During my 4 day visit I stayed at the Sheraton Lima Hotel and Convention center which is a great value as a category 2 hotel with award nights starting at 3000 points.  As an SPG gold, i was upgraded to the club level which included breakfast and a light evening meal daily.  The location isn't in the best of locations but this hotel did the job.  There is a supermarket right next door, it is an easy walk to the old town center and there is a free shuttle to Miraflores.  If I had Marriott Points to burn, I would stay at the J.W. Marriott, a beautiful hotel located in the heart of Miraflores overlooking the ocean 

Overall, I found the food in Lima lived up to its high expectations.  I had the best ceviche that i ever tasted and was also able to try some unique local dishes such as Guinea pig and beef heart.  All in all a great trip.

Lima Cathedral

View from my hotel room

Government palace on Plaza Mayor

Archbishops Palace

Monastery of San Francisco

Miraflores

Mangos Restaurant, Miraflores (see photo of food below)

J.W. Marriott in Miraflores

Dinner at Mangos

Interior of Sheraton Hotel

Huaca Pullana

Dinner at Huaca Pullana.  Beef hearts, Guinea Pig crab and ceviche

Miraflores coastline

Win a trip to space....ya seriously

Just got an email from KLM about a unique promotion that they are running.  On April 22, KLM will be launching a high altitude weather balloon.  The person who guesses where on earth the balloon will reach its maximum altitude, will win a trip to space aboard the SXC Lynx.  Full details can be found here.  Don't miss out on your chance to experience a trip to space valued at $95,000

Photo of the Week: Estonia/Russia

Narva is a city situated along Estonia's border with Russia.  In this picture the fortress on the left is in Estonia and the one on the right is in Ivangorod, Russia.  The Estonian fortress was originally founded by the Danes in the 1200's when they ruled much of Estonia.  My journey here was part of my failed attempt to get a last minute Russian visa and travel to St. Petersburg.   I was traveling in the Baltic states (Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia and figured a short side trip to Russia would be fun.  Having little experience dealing with Russian bureaucracy I figured I would catch a bus headed east and see where I ended up.  My plan was stopped short here in Narva where at least i could claim to have "seen" Russia.  As a tip, if you intend on visiting Russia, plan to have proof of sponsorship (from your hotel or a local) as well as some patience and a few months of advance planning.  

The new Kayak Explore spy function

Just noticed this today but the Kayak Explore page now has a "spy" function where you can see a real time stream of all flights booked out of any airport that you select.  I am a big fan of Kayak explore as i can quickly look at a map of the world and see if there are any flight deals that catch my attention.  With the old version of the software there were occasionally amazing deals that would pop up on the map that I couldn't seem to replicate no matter what i tried.  Hopefully with the spy function i can see if people are actually booking flights at that price.

Alitalia - 100$+ off for signing up for mailing list

Alitalia, the flag ship carrier of Italy is offering 100$ or more off a booking just for signing up for their mailing list.  Deal can be found here: http://www.alitalianews.com/index.php

Upon registering for our newsletter, you will receive an e‑Coupon valid for your next transatlantic ticket purchase on Alitalia.com’s US site, for travel between January 1 and December 31, 2013 on Alitalia operated flights. The amount of the discount varies depending on the Class you book per the amounts below.

• $100 off in Economy Class - all itineraries
• $150 off in Premium Economy Class – nonstop itineraries to Milan or Rome.
• $250 off in Business class – nonstop itineraries to Milan or Rome.

NYC to Uruguay for $374

There is a great fare that popped up today from NYC to Montevideo, Uruguay on Copa airlines for 374$ round trip.  Many dates seem to be available at the moment, but I doubt this price will stick around for long.  You can try a flexible date search on ITA to see what dates are available.  Once you've found dates that work, you can plug them into another booking site like Expedia, Orbitz, Travelocity, etc.  Copa is a member of star alliance meaning that flights can earn you miles on United or USair.

Photo of the week - Ebeltoft Denmark

Ebeltoft is a small quaint village in north eastern Denmark, about 30 miles from Arhaus.  The frigate ship Jylland is docked in the harbor.  There are not many "tourist attractions" here per say but the quaintness of this town is reason enough to visit if you ever find yourself in the area.