PERU QUESTIONS

[omegaet]

mmm2009....We have a habit of searching out the on-lineenglish language newspapers for the countries we visit. Here is a link to the one we read for Peru:



http://www.livinginperu.com/news/



We have been able to find a number of good ideas and suggestion by reading this newspaper. Their travel section covers some of the specific areas you will be visiting and you might find something of interest.



The Gastronomy section may be of interest as well.



Did you decide where else you might visit during your upcoming trip to Peru?

[[email protected]]

My husband and I liked LIma when we were there and did not find it any more congested than NYC or other big US cities. We stayed in the Miraflores Park as part of our OE trip and loved it. We walked around at night - restaurants, hung out on the beach and sat in the local parks in the evening with all the locals and had no problems but Miraflores is one of the more upscale regions of Lima so like any where else it all depends on the neighborhood. The best time to go to Peru is usally June - Sept. when there is less chance of rains, mudslides, etc. especially in the Amazon and MP areas.

Denise

[kyshel]

Thanks Denise--so timely, too. I';m heading to ATL to meet my sister and we're off to Lima tomorrow night. Also staying OE Miraflores Park with back to back pkgs--all those massages and dinners!
Let the "chick trip" begin!

[mmm2009]

thanks for posting the article omegaet - it is very interesting. Still trying to secure our dates for our Peru trip - have you been to Lake Titilaka? We are trying to decide if we should add on to our 4 days in MP/Cusco or just keep it as is. Is it better to just spend more time in the Sacred Valley area, rather than spend time traveling to other destinations in Peru? thanks again for the tip on the online newspaper - great idea.

[omegaet]

mmm2009...no, have never been to Lake Titicaca, so that's why we added the Hotel Titikaka for our upcoming August/September trip. The staff at Andean Experience http://www.andean-experience.com/ have been very responsive and very helpful. The hotel includes a variety of interesting (at least to us) excursion opportunities....most of which are included in the package price. Our friend in Lima, a resident Peruvian, has been to Puno. Her input was one of the influencing factors on our decision to visit and stay at Titikaka.



If you're thinking about heading up the Lake Titicaca, remember it is well above 12,500 feet and you will likely need some time to become accustomed to the altitude, even if you are coming from Cusco.



There is an excellent Mystery Auction available right now for a property in Urubama Valley (we've booked some time at the location during our upcoming trip). You might just wish to stay there and enjoy the spa. There are loads of thing to do in this region and the longer you are there, the more you can explore.



The Orient-Express Miraflores Park package in Lima is still one of the great packages available (I'm sure kyshel will have a detailed report on her visit during the next few days). Lima, especially the Miraflores neighborhood, is loaded with great restaurants (Mesa 18 just opened right in the O-E Miraflores Park http://www.mesa18restaurant.com/web/mesa18/index.jsp).

[kyshel]

regarding Mesa 18, Omegaet:

the website photos are not indicative of the food we were served at Mesa 18 (2 dinners) nothing we ordered looked remotely that delectable

the menu (and restaurant) is new and I think they still need to work out kinks.
our experience was very disappointing and as a result, never had a dessert--we left after 2 courses

the appetizers we had were heavy: foie gras was sadly covered with an orange compote/chutney kinda sauce--lukewarm drenched over cold goose liver (mine had a membrane that should have stayed in the kitchen).
Next time I ordered a stuffed squid appetizer--short tubes with peppers falling out when cut into--on top of a hockey puck of potatoes and butter. The squid was cooked very nicely but the "stuffing" was about as edible as the puck. The cebiche my husband shared with me was good, tho.

entrees, hmmmmm...

My husband had a pasta he liked but didn't share it with me because it was rather small.
I had a beef one night with a very dark rich demiglace but the ribeye steak had a great deal of fat and gristle that was not visible. Sadly that was discovered once I started to chew...ick His meat cut was better the next night.

I tried a special trio of beef the second night and had to ask for a serrated knife for two of the meats (they don't have one for diners!?) One meat was so weird tasting, I had a bite and left it.
Well after I had given up, the maitre'd offered to replace my entree (we were done by then) so I passed.
He then presented me with the bill (it was supposed to be part of the LL pkg) with 15% taken off. I mentioned the LL deal and zeroed out the check, signed it and left w/out desert (again) AT least they didn't charge us $10 for bottled water.
We left a very nice cash tip for the waiter each time we dined, as the wait service was very good. The kitchen makes some excellent breads. (I would be remiss to omit that!)

I can't equate Mesa18 quality with the hotel.

On a side note, at the Observatory Restaurant for breakfast, we had difficulty getting eggs "cooked"--they were always served with clear egg whites and even the liquid centers of our omelettes were never hot enough to melt cheese. The scrambled eggs on the buffet were lumpy yellow soup. I had my eggs cooked 3 times and finally accepted the rock hard ones over the raw style. It was not a case of language barriers--the staff was very well-spoken and skilled in English. (good thing since my Spanish is HS level)

All in all, not the food experience I expected.

[omegaet]

kyshel.......Oh my....and the expectations have been set so high for Mesa 18. Well, maybe it's just start-up bumps and they will improve (they had better do it soon, considering their menu prices). They had better do something and do it quickly, since there are a number of excellent restaurants within walking distance to the hotel. As for theObservatory Restaurant, I don't know if they installed a kitchen on the top floor during the renovation, or if the food is prepared at ground level and brought up. Whatever, doesn't sound like those logistics have been solved.



What about the spa?

[kyshel]

rte: Zest Spa

We had a two table treatment room with shower--no other amenities--no steam room etc--Zest Spa is 2-3 rooms that we could see (one with shower that we noted, a separate toilet room and nothing more--another disappointment for the property.


As for Observatory kitchen-- the eggs were "clearly" prepared at the omelet station on site.

We actually had a reservation for Wednesday eve at Mesa 18 and changed it to Tuesday, which was timely, since it would be closed for private party (as the card sent to our room on Wed AM indicated) and dinner would be served upstairs at Observatory. Short notice but I guess no loss ultimately.Message Edited by kyshel on 07-11-2010 04:53 PM

[travel2fun]

kyshel, do you feel like this package was over hyped? Food not so good, room just average and the spa is not really a spa. How about the weather? Was it overcast and you view of the ocean blocked? Did you take the city tour?

[kyshel]

not really overhyped, T2F--it is THE place to stay in Lima. Considering the prices for good lodging, MFP is a good value as LL pkg.
The room was lovely--HUGE bath/shower/sauna, good bed, GREAT ocean view. City is typically overcast most of the year but the weather was a surprise--60-65 winter temps--just a bit damp. The city tour was very convenient to see the highlights--it was kinda weird to get a bus to take us from hotel to another bus, but our guide was good and we had 3+hours for the tour.
I will say, I would never have spent $78 for a massage at Zest--not worth it, considering there is a special school in the neighborhood where the blind therapists charge $11 for an hour. Our gratuity was almost that much...