It is an easy answer when asked which city I liked more, Lima or Cusco. Lima, Peru was superior in most ways to Cusco. I will breakdown the differences, but in the end, it came down to authenticity. Yes, you will most likely see both Lima and Cusco, but I think the bulk of your time should be spent in the country’s capital, Lima

It could have been that I gotten sick. Or perhaps it was the lousy food in Cusco, I just didn’t enjoy my stay there. Overly fake, touristy, and just boring. It is almost a must stop for those going to Machu Picchu and there are some interesting ruins around the city. Overall, everything was contrived, whereas Lima was a “real” city. I can see through fakeness a mile away, hench my distain for Cusco. Let me do my usual comparison with food, history, activities, beauty, and vibe. Let us start with Food

Which City Has Better Food Cusco, Peru or Lima, Peru

This one is a no brainer, the food in Lima was excellent, and the food in Cusco was below average. On second thought I am being too generous. It was terrible. Mountain food is normally not very good, and Cusco was no exception. Take out the Lama and we were left with bland, boring dishes. I don’t think it was just unlucky choices, I believe the food was just bad in Cusco.

To begin with the market was not very good. It could have been because my illness at the time, but then again, it could have been the dry chicken soup and lack of anything that resembled cleanliness. The restaurant scene was the same. Almost every restaurant, no matter how highly rated turned out to be disappointing in Cusco, Peru.

Lima on the other hand was the exact inverse. Sure, the markets were equally dirty, but take that out and I can say I was surprised, and at times happy by the food scene. Neither Lima nor Cusco had markets like Europe, but Lima did have seafood that was comparable. I ate some of the best seafood on this side of the world in Lima.

Everything was better in Lima in terms of food, and I think I know why. Besides being right next to the ocean Lima catered mostly to locals. A guy in the cab at Cusco even told us, no one from Peru eats in this city. That is a terrible indictment on a food scene. Restaurants in Lima on the other hand were filled with locals, therefore the establishments tried to make things authentic. They could not get away with serving what tourist think Peruvian food should be, they served the real deal.

What you get in Lima, Peru is something not found in Cusco, authenticity. Amazing, unique flavors and fresh ingredients. Even with the handicap of being a mountain area, I think Cusco would have been alright if it didn’t cater to tourists so much. In terms of food when deciding either Lima or Cusco, the choice is simple…Lima.

Point 1 Lima

Which City Has Better History Cusco, Peru or Lima, Peru

From an outsider this is clear, Cusco is probably better for those who love history. Especially if you love Inca history, although there is certainly a big European influence. Not a positive one considering what the Spanish did, but an influence all the same. It could be argued that history is all this city has. Every area is full of either old Spanish buildings or what remains of the temples that weren’t torn down.

It was rather impressive the way they were able to build certain structures that stood the test of time. It was also disappointing, had the Spanish not come and destroyed so much of it there would be a lot more to see. Luckily there is Machu Picchu, that is not too far from Cusco. Of course, any history in Cusco seems to pale in comparison once returning from Machu Picchu. Still, this is a place for history lovers, of course, the locals know it and (overly) act accordingly.

Lima has its history as well, but it is really a normal city. In all honesty I didn’t dig too deep into the history of Lima, I was too busy eating. It has its ruins, but nothing like that of Cusco, you aren’t transported to a different time like you are in Cusco. So, if you are thinking “I love history”, should I spend more time in Cusco or Lima… for this variable only, I pick Cusco, Peru.

Which City Has more to do Lima or Cusco?

Let us take Machu Picchu out of this, it isn’t in Cusco. It is funny, on the surface one would think Cusco is better than Lima in this category but looks can be deceiving. I got bored quickly in Cusco. If you don’t like looking at old ruins (that aren’t really that old compared to the ones in Asia and Europe) then you are out of luck. First, compared to Lima there is no night life, at least none I saw. The bar scene was somewhere between weak and nonexistent. There was one nice place to get a cocktail, but it wasn’t full of people or lively.

There was some, but very little, street food. No real activities outside of seeing old ruins. Even the walkability of Cusco wasn’t very good. Many places had huge hills and if I wasn’t feeling like I was climbing Everest, then I was dodging people selling me crap. It took away from any enjoyment I got from walking and exploring.

Yes, Lima does not have as many old ruins, but it still has more to do. It is lively at night, especially at Barranco. The shopping is better, it has more Museums, and it is on the Ocean. Just walking the city is fun and it goes on a lot longer. Warning: Do not wander into the wrong Neighborhood, especially at night, Lima is not a safe city. I never felt bored in Lima, never searched for a place to eat or a good bar (except at 9:00AM). There were cool parks, nice churches, just a lot of uniqueness to it. In Cusco I was bored within two days, having seen all I wanted to. If you want to know where to spend more time Lima or Cusco, based on things to do…Pick Lima.

Which city Is more Beautiful Lima or Cusco?

They are totally different, but I guess if I am going for purely visual beauty, I would choose Cusco. It also depends on what you like to look at and where you are. If staring at the ocean means more to you than looking at old buildings, then maybe you would prefer Lima. Lima isn’t ugly, in fact I found the tourist areas to be nice. I missed their square, which would have added a whole new dimension.

Still, Cusco almost looked like a movie set. It was well intact and had a great backdrop of the mountains. There was Spanish art and Inca stones throughout the city. Had it been empty, I would have enjoyed walking around it. The main square or Plaza de Arms is a nice place to sit and get a bad meal, overlooking some historic buildings. So yes, I think most would agree Cusco is more beautiful to look at, but…

Which City has a better atmosphere

This is the crux of why I feel one should spend more time in Lima then Cusco. Lima is a city; it is energetic and real. I love real cities, especially when they have a personality. Cusco is a more of a tourist trap. I go into more details here, as to why I hate Cusco, but to be brief, it is fake. Everything from the people pretending to be natives, to food, to the streets it is all geared toward tourists.

At every turn I felt like someone would bother me in Cusco. Who is next to try to take my peace or money? What other thing am I looking at that is just a replica? The whole city is set up to milk tourists as much as possible. You may miss this if you are the type of traveler to hit an Applebee’s in Rome, but if you like authenticity you will hate Cusco.

Lima, felt like a city. Certainly, it had its areas that were more touristy friendly. And yes, some dangerous parts, but at the end of the day it felt like I was somewhere completely different, but real. This is not to say I didn’t run into my share of arseholes or problems, but at the end of the day it was good experience. The Atmosphere is what puts Lima over Cusco by a mile…that and the food.

Where To Spend more Time Lima or Cusco?

So many writers here would say “they are both fabulous cities” but not me. Cusco was terrible. Lima was pretty fun. May never go back, but I had a good time. So where to spend more time on your trip to Peru? Spend 4 or 5 days in Lima and two at most in Cusco. That is all you need in that city.

The post Lima or Cusco, Where to Spend more time? appeared first on Man in Flight.

So, is Lima, Peru worth visiting? For me it is a definite yes, it was my favorite part of my trip to Peru. The food, the vibe, the variety, made Lima an incredible place to visit. Lima, Peru is a real city, unlike the other main attraction, which is a Disney land like tourist trap. If you are a traveler not just a tourist, you will appreciate the area. It may be possible that the four days I spent in this city weren’t enough to give an opinion, which is fair, but I will anyway.

This is not to say it is a perfect destination. As I will point out at the end of this post, things can and will go wrong. Still, if I am being objective, I would say Lima is a place to spend some time, especially if you are going to visit Machu Picchu. Don’t just use it like a cheap whore as a jumping ground to your other destinations, explore it and I feel you will be happy. Below is why I know Lima is worth seeing.

Why Lima Peru is worth Visiting: The Food

Above all else I like to eat (and drink), Lima, Peru gave me this opportunity in a unique way that I had not experienced since before the “virus”. People rave about Peruvian food, and for good reason. The meals in this city were outstanding. To begin with the seafood is top notch. Obviously being by the ocean this should be the case and they lived up to expectations.

I am going to tell you something that was written in a million other places, but I am saying it so now you know it is true. The Ceviche is really that good. Well in Lima, Peru Ceviche is good, in other parts of the country (the landlocked one) it was terrible. The fish above was so fresh they were still writing its obituary when served. Add to that the spice level, it was perfect and unique. Surely Lima will fall into my top ten cities for eating. Of course, I say that every time, but this time I mean it. Lima, Peru is worth visiting for the seafood alone.

On top of Ceviche there was Octopus galore, Pulpo al Olivo is an Octopus dish with an olive sauce on it. Of course, grilled octopus, no self-respecting seafood city wouldn’t have that. Then there is Peruvian Tiradita, which is thinly sliced seafood, scallops, you get the idea the seafood is the bee’s knees.

An Asian Influence

Before coming to Lima, I didn’t realize just how big Asian food played in the cuisine of Peru. What you get is a wonderful and crazy mix of flavors and dishes I have never heard of before coming to Lima Peru. Lomo Saltado is a stir fry with of all thing’s French fries and beef. There are also onions and tomatoes, the dish is comfort food at its finest. Other dishes like Chaufa de Marisco (a fried rice dish) and Tallarin con Pollo (noodles with chicken) were on many menus.

Now you might be saying, well that is all and good, but I can get that anywhere in the country. Not really, the other city just didn’t have the quality of food Lima had. Lima is worth spending some time in because it offers the best of Peruvian food. I can’t speak for other cities in Peru; outside of Cusco and I will say that food was awful.

Other Great Things to Eat

One thing I loved about Lima Peru was the prevalence of desserts. The Chocolate in Peru is a as good as they say. I had this brownie that I still dream of in Lima at a place called Intro Café Bar. As a side they also have a delicious breakfast and are one of the only places (I found) that serve Pisco Sours at 9:00am.

Lima also has street food, although not as much as I was promised. Still the carts of Picarones were a great way to fill in that time between third lunch and first dinner. Five Pisco Sours and a couple of orders of these and you will forget all about your horrid time in Cusco. Is Lima worth visiting for the food alone? Very Possibly.

A Quick Warning about the Food

One thing I should warn those going to Lima about, well really all of Peru, be careful where you eat. I have had street food around the world and yet Peruvian street food worried me. While it was not as plentiful as the You Tubers will have you believe, I wasn’t running toward it so that worked out. One false bite and your colon will never forgive you.

I wasn’t crazy about the markets either. Eating at a market in Cusco was a big disappointment, I couldn’t bring myself to eat at one in Lima. I understand these places don’t have a health rating system like here in the United States but give me some air cover! Thailand, Turkey, Greece, and Spain here at least I could pretend these places were clean. The street markets in Lima had more flies than grains of sand. It is almost as if they were trying to kill you.

Lima is worth visiting for the food alone, just be careful, you don’t want to be running back and forth to the bathroom every two seconds.

Why Lima, Peru is Worth Visiting: The Vibe

Admittedly, I didn’t explore the entire city, I may have walked 25K steps a day, but it was mainly between the two most popular neighborhoods. Miraflores and Barranco were both great in their own way. Yet they both had a different feel to them. Let me start with Miraflores.

Miraflores

You can describe Miraflores as the more touristy of the two places. It is certainly more crowded than Barranco, at least in my experience. Still, it didn’t feel like a tourist trap. First it was clean, cleaner than most cities in the United States. This neighborhood was great for just walking around.

There were little shops and hotels everywhere. Cafes and restaurants littered the streets as well. Sometimes it may have been hard to find a drink, but I guess not many people drink at 8:30am. Once you search just a little you will run into a bunch of great eateries.

There is a giant mall called Larcomar, which is beautiful, but at the end of the day is just a mall. It is right on the ocean. The view is one you cannot miss, given the steep cliffs of the Lima coastline. Add to this the beautiful churches and amazing parks, and it is a nice area to spend a day or two strolling. I am always amazed when a park is clean and usable as opposed to Denver and New York. Miraflores was touristy but had a great feel to it.

Barranco

When driving from the airport Barranco felt a million miles away from Miraflores. The feel of the neighborhood was different, but after walking back and forth between the two I realized they weren’t that far from each other. They weren’t exactly close either, but at least it was a straight shot.

If you had to move me into a neighborhood in Lima Peru it would be in Barranco. Of course, not in the Second Home Peru, you can read about that in the link. The backstreets felt really peaceful, lined with trees and paintings. Not as many tourists, of course not as many people that spoke English, but I survived.

This area was artsy, but not in a pretentious way. It has a cool feel to it and is open much later at night then Miraflores. Coming back from Miraflores it felt like it was lined with great places to eat. I wish I had another day to just walk around this area. It felt real, yes you were in another country, but it also felt like a “normal” city. Lima is worth visiting for the great atmosphere.

The Ocean

If you like the water than Lima has a ton of it (Oceans aren’t small). You may have to hire a sherpa to get down to the beach, but the cliff makes for some incredible views. I wouldn’t say the beaches I saw were nice (a bit rocky), but it is more than I can say about other, let us say, more inland areas of Peru. Most likely if you are like the millions of other people you aren’t going to Peru for the beach. Still, it is nice to know it is an option. The weather was great in November, not exactly beach weather, but it made walking the coast pleasant.

Other Things to Do in Lima Peru

There are a lot of things to do in Lima Peru. Regrettably I missed most of them. Ruins such as Huaca Pucllana are popular. The city has its own Plaza De Arms which is a big attraction. Unfortunately, I listened to too many blogs that told me to spend most of my time in Cusco. These areas were more inland from my hotel. I would have ended up walking to them, which isn’t a terrible notion. Had I had one or two more days. You can also swim with the sea lions, which I am kind of pissed I missed. Thanks, other blogs! If you are looking for a lot to do, then Lima is worth visiting.

Some Warnings about Lima

You need to keep a heads up when you are in other countries and Peru is no exception. Yes, Miraflores and Barranco are great, but there are certainly less welcoming areas of the city. Only once or twice did I feel unsafe in Lima, overall it seemed safe, but I could have gotten lucky. According to the crime Index it is rated as “very high”. You need to be careful and keep your wits about you.

At one point in the trip, we sat on the patio of a cafe we ate at a million times indoors. Big mistake. Every 5 minutes a homeless man or woman carrying a baby would approach us. They would not leave us alone. One guy even had a picture of a kid…that isn’t selling me buddy.

Another man was different. He looked like he just gotten into a fight with a tiger, clearly drunk, yet spoke (almost) perfect English. Told some story that he gotten robbed, I told him “No Soles.” His reaction “No Soles!?” and he spits at the glass. If it wasn’t for that partition, we would have been fighting. I saw him the next day, he must have gotten robbed again, same clothes, same alcohol stench. Just be extra careful, this isn’t Rome. Stick to crowded and touristy areas.

The Drivers

People in Lima make New Yorkers look like the queen driving a bumper car. They are nuts. Cab drivers get that crazy look in their eye when they see a red light. I missed getting into a terrible accident at least twice. My last cab driver was going over 100 on the way to the airport. He must have really wanted me out of the car.

This does not help pedestrians at all, trying to cross the road can be challenging and I imagine the level of fatalities is high. Safety standers are much looser in other countries. Keep this in mind.

Conclusion: Is Lima, Peru Worth Visiting

That took a long time to simply say, yes Lima is worth seeing. There may be a bit of danger if you are in the wrong area, but for the most part it is safe. The food is great, there is a lot to do, and it has a nice vibe. Don’t pass on Lima Peru!

The post Is Lima worth visiting appeared first on Man in Flight.

What seemed like a beautiful establishment, turned out to be somewhat of a nightmare. As mentioned, it had all that I could need or so I thought. A beautiful view of the ocean, located in a great neighborhood, and it looked unique. Add to that the glowing endorsements from other visitors and I thought I hit a home run. Especially given the price of about $80 per night. Turns out I wasn’t even playing baseball. I cannot recommend Second Home Peru, regardless of any positives, it was a bad hotel and took away from my comfort.

Maybe I was rusty, I usually do better at picking living arrangements when traveling. I was pretty much 0-3 in terms of hotels in Peru, but I think Second Home Peru was my worst choice. It didn’t have to be that way. Let me describe my experience in this review of Second home Peru, in Lima Peru

Good Aspects of Second Home Peru

I would be lying if I said this hotel was all bad. There were certainly things to love about this place. Second Home Peru was like dating a beautiful woman who was revealed to be crazy. She will win you over, but then you catch her boiling your rabbit. Ok not that bad, but close. The first positive thing about this hotel is the location. The Barranco neighborhood is by far my favorite area of Lima. Second Home Peru was in the heart of this area.

This neighborhood is like a clean SoHo with dozens of good restaurants and bars. It was just fun with a good vibe. Personally, I liked it better than Miraflores, but that is just me. Maybe it isn’t exactly what you expected when thinking of Peru. So what? You get a great experience all the same. The West Village is probably not what people expect when they go to New York, but it is the best area in the city… same concept. It is also close to the beach, which is nice.

The Water

I already told you this, but Second Home Peru, Lima Peru was right on the water. At least in sight, you are 200 ft higher than the ocean (but stairs are near). For a coastal city it was hard for me to find a lot of hotels with an ocean view. Even more so with a balcony. This is due to the ridiculously steep drop off from the city to the coast. If you read my blog before you know that I love a good balcony, and Second Home Peru had a great one. This turned out to be more of a curse than a blessing, but more about this later.

The Art

No review of Second Home Peru, in Lima Peru could be complete without mentioning the amazing art. The original owner was a famous artist in the city and the grounds are built like a beautiful museum. Besides a balcony lover, I am also somewhat of an art junkie. I am not an expert by any means, but I do enjoy it. I think it is safe to say that this hotel had the best art I have come across outside a museum.

Every area of the hotel was filled with something beautiful. The artist is extremely talented and versatile. The grounds had everything including paintings and sculptures. I have attached some pictures to drive the point home, but you get the idea, the place is gorgeous… on the outside of your room. It was also very quiet (also on the grounds of the hotel only), which was nice. You would think with all these great attributes I would be writing a glowing review. Such a peaceful surreal environment what can possibly go wrong? A lot! Things went off the rails as soon as we walked in.

My Experience in Second Home Peru

I was already in a bad mood. I spent five days in Cusco, and if you read this article about Cusco, you know I hated it. The first leg of our trip in Peru was spent in Lima and after a rocky start, we had a lot of fun in the city. So, leaving Cusco and heading to the Second Home Peru in Lima was like a new beginning. Not even a homicidal taxi driver could ruin this part of the trip, or so I thought.

Pulling up to the hotel, it is a little confusing on how to get in, but I figure it out, ring a bell and there you go. The owner (who was really the son of the actual owner, his more successful father) opens the door. He looks at me like I eat babies for fun. I ask him in Spanish if he spoke English. This enraged him further. “Yes, I speak English” he snarls. Maybe it was rude of me, if it was, it was unintentional. The fact that 50% of the time the person DIDN”T speak English might have been the reason I asked. So instead of assuming he did I thought I would start off in their native language.

I apologized and said, sorry it was a long journey from Cusco…I am met with an obnoxious “I KNOW”. OK, so I will not talk to you. My partner (at the time) decided to look around at all the beautiful art. Another curt “stay right here, don’t move” happens. F*ck this guy. I felt like he wanted us out of there as soon as we walked in.

The Room

Ok, this guy is an arse in every sense of the word. Doesn’t matter, at least I won’t be in a hot room like I was in Cusco. I need sleep and food. Between the latitude and cave of a room I was in in that city I was never comfortable. We are taken to our room; the setup is weird as hell. The bathroom is hovering over the bedroom and is open. Not to be crass, but you can hear every “sound” coming from this area. As many of you know the food in Peru only encourages these noises (and frequently). I need more privacy in the bathrooms of Peru, not less. It was also equipped with the little garbage next to the toilet, this country hates me.

The guy showing us the room leaves and I am left to explore. First thing I do is look at that view, it is a great view yes, but the road beneath is friggin loud. This problem will become more profound later that night. At least we have air circulation, let’s see how this A/C works.

Well, that’s the rub isn’t it; I find no air condition in the room. It was not very hot outside; I was convinced it would be fine. As you might have guessed it was not… getting back to the room after another trying Peruvian day (in which I was spit at, but that is another story), we just needed to sleep.

Sleep at the Second Home Peru (or lack thereof)

I would have not been able to have grown up in an era without AC, because I need to regulate my temperature Lucky, we have this great door to keep open to cool the room down. Of course, the summer near the beach, you get a pleasant array of flying insects. To make matters worse I had raided a local grocery store earlier, passing out with some juice on the table and am welcomed to some more guests. Ants, everywhere…I hate ants. These guys got there so fast it made me wonder if it was their room to begin with.

So now we have ants everywhere (I killed a lot of those fuckers) and flying bugs galore, I guess it is better than the heat. Yet it was still hot. What is funny is on the beach below the bar plays music until the wee hours of the night. If not the bar, then people in the parking lot. Combined that with ridiculously loud traffic where locals honk like they get paid by the beep and it is hard to sleep with the door open. Hell, it was hard to sleep with the door closed. Needless to say, given the above my review of the Second Home Peru in Lima Peru is a poor one. How can I give a hotel a good review when I could not even sleep?

To Recap

For those of you who need a score keeper, yes, a beautiful hotel. That is about it, we have a nasty owner, a hot room that is noisy and there are bugs everywhere. Add to that the extremely unfortunate design of the room and I hated this place. It was just not comfortable. That is it. At the end of the day, above all else, a room needs to be at least basically comfortable. If I am waking up tired, I have no need for the hotel.

There were other things that bothered me. Like the fact that we were being glared at by the owner most of the trip. Or that it mentioned a breakfast, I am sure some people got one, but I was left going to a place outside the hotel (which was actually great, probably ant free also). Lastly, to kick us in the arse as we are leaving, while packing up my bags at 3:00am there is an Earthquake. Not the fault of the Second Home Peru… or was it! Nothing like your room shaking while on the side of a steep cliff. A great way to cap off a cluster fuck. The picture above is my room from the beach below.

Conclusion: Review of Second Home Peru, in Lima Peru

A beautiful hotel and great location can’t make up for an uncomfortable stay with a less than accommodating staff (well owner, the rest of the staff was OK). It is a shame, a few tweaks and an exterminator and that place would be top notch. When you wake up tired and pissed from your hotel stay it is not a good feeling.

The post A Review of Second Home Peru, in Lima Peru appeared first on Man in Flight.