Take In Lima's Best Views, Bites, and Hospitality From This Posh Hotel

Cityscape rooms with pizzazz at The Westin Lima

Photo courtesy Westin Lima Hotel & Convention Center

Designated a Grand Deluxe King Room on a high floor, the first thing I noticed about our room was the silence. The Westin Lima Hotel towers 30 floors over a swirl of highways but I didn’t hear a peep thanks to the soundproofed wall-to-wall windows. Our unit had all the trimmings to make us feel at home: fluffy robes, a safe, a coffee maker, a USB charge port, and bedside reading lights. Propped on the pillows of the Westin Heavenly Bed, a vial of lavender and chamomile oil to foster soundless sleep.

It felt more like a suite, with a chaise longue, large desk, walk-in closet, and luxurious bathroom with a walk-in shower and deep soaking tub which my limbs appreciated. Jasmine and white tea bathing products are provided in large bottles to combat plastic waste. The Westin Lima was the first hotel in Latin America to receive LEED Gold certification for its commitment to sustainability.

In total, this luxury spa hotel has 301 domains with connecting rooms and suites for families. Executive upgrades add further luxuries and VIP attention.

Embracing the elements at the Heavenly Spa

Photo courtesy Westin Lima Hotel & Convention Center

All guests have free reign of The Westin’s half-Olympic-sized swimming pool, yoga studio, and fitness suite with the latest cardio. The pool is heated to an optimum temperature for leisurely laps and ambient piano music makes it pleasant to while away an afternoon alone with a book or with kids.

Peru’s climate and high elevations can leave you feeling parched so the Thermal Circuit was a smart addition to South America’s largest urban spa. This 90-minute quest through whirlpools, waterfalls, and toxin-blasting hot chambers is a steal at 190 Peruvian soles ($50) per person.

Heavenly Spa lists individual and couples’ packages including chocolate massages and bamboo scrubs. Standard treatments can be performed in rooms and suites.

Traveling to Peru? Check out Matador’s Lima accommodations guides:

• The most convenient Airbnbs in Lima, Peru
• These Airbnbs near Machu Picchu provide a historical experience in the Rockies
• Wake up to views of the Andes in these A-frame mountain cabins
• Hotels near Machu Picchu perfect for post-trek relaxation

Criminally-tasty cocktails at Alphonse

Photo courtesy Westin Lima Hotel & Convention Center

Exploring this mammoth city makes for an appetite not always matched by an urge to stray too far after a long day and The Westin Lima’s dining portfolio is a bonus.

Our evening started with tracking down moonshine at Alphonse. Hint: look for the floating vinyl and remember the magic word for the Don. This buzzy speakeasy hosts live saxophonists and puts on ritzy Prohibition Parties amid its shadowy booths and vintage couches watched over by Alphonse Capone himself.

I hedged my bets and lucked out on the Double Down (St-Rémy VSOP mingled with Drambuie and a dash of smoked salt). My husband risked the Costa Nostra (Amaro Montenegro with vermouth, honey, and grapefruit) delivered to the table behind a cloud of liquid nitrogen. Classic cocktails are available alongside the signature inventions and costumed mixologists are thorough in explaining the menu.

Award-winning Peruvian cuisine at Maras

The Apatadito de Calamares at Maras. Photo: Hannah D. Cooper

Maras – named for the Sacred Valley’s salt mine district, photos of which hung in our room – is flawless from the salt table decorations through to the presentation. Led by Chef Anthony Macedo, Sommelier Julián Oliva, and Pastry Chef Sandra Aguayo, Somos has recognized Maras as Lima’s Best Hotel Restaurant for two consecutive years.

We rehydrated with zingy lemongrass lemonades over rolls served with housemade natural butter and rich olive oil. Our Tiradito Buendía starter, one of several ceviches on the menu, saw the catch of the day tossed with fresh garlic flakes and chalaquita dressing.

I continued the seafood theme with Apatadito de Calamares: squid in hot ink sauce, pumpkin-tinted rice, and chicha de jora. Gabriel was jungle-bound with a plantain curry infused with creamy Amazonian tucupi sauce served on banana leaves in a hulking granite dish. The sommelier was quick to suggest glasses of Alfredo Roca Cabernet Franc in place of the suggested white.

Starter and mains were enough to fill our tummies (we’d already guzzled an arrival treat of petit fours) so we compromised on sharing pudding. After making eyes at the cacao nibs we settled on Limeñita, a refreshing chirimoya, orange, and mint sorbet delivered to the table by our server Johann behind another flourish of vapor.

Maras joins forces with its hip sister El Salar (another nod to the salt plains) where piqueos peruanos and cocktails are served to a backdrop of murals by Edwin “Pésimo” Higuchi Fernández. Feeling invigorated by the lively energy – not a single table was unoccupied – and mouth-watering food at Maras, we were swept away by the Copa América and grabbed tangy pisco sours to catch the final minutes.

The Lobby Lounge Bar is another casual option with a display of over 1,000 pisco bottles and eye-catching contemporary murals by Mateo Liébana. Inspired by Lima’s traditional grocers, Market 770 lays on a delicious buffet breakfast and a seasonal à la carte lunch. Takeat deals in coffee, kombucha, sandwiches, and pastries to-go. Westin Executive Club guests can dine on the 29th floor with Pacific Ocean views on a clear day.

A convenient location on the Lima Costa Verde

Photo courtesy Westin Lima Hotel & Convention Center

Wedged between Miraflores and the Centro Histórico, classy San Isidro is a strategic choice for a first-time visit to Lima. It’s a 10-minute taxi/Uber ride to the ancient Huaca Pucllana adobe temple and the Magic Water Circuit. Fifteen minutes is all it takes to reach Lima’s paragliding booths and surf schools.

In the lightest traffic, it takes 30 minutes to reach Callao’s Jorge Chavez International Airport. The Westin’s front desk staff are clued up on the best time to leave and have drivers on speed dial. As the gateway to Peru, bilingual staff are on hand to help plan the next leg of the adventure.

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