Peru - Traveling to Lima and onto Cuzco. Help!!!

Will be traveling in mid March for 1 week to Peru to see Machu Pichu.
We will be traveling UA in biz SFO - IAH - LIM and return via same route in 1 week.

Q1. As the inbound flight arrives at Lima airport at 1035pm, should we just stay at a paid lounge in domestic side before catching the first TACA flight out to Cuzco the next morning? I don't think the SUMAQ lounge is available for onward domestic flights. Am I correct?

Q2. On the way back to SFO, the return flight out of Lima on UA is very late at 1150 pm, also on biz. I believe there are some early afternoon flights from Cuzco on Taca. Will SUMAQ lounge let us use the lounge for more than 8 hours? I don't even know if we will be able to get boarding pass if we arrive back in Lima so early in the day. Or should be just return from Cuzco one day early and visit Lima city?

We'd like a relaxing trip but at the same time, we are super excited to go to South America for the first time.

Will be traveling in mid March for 1 week to Peru to see Machu Pichu.
We will be traveling UA in biz SFO - IAH - LIM and return via same route in 1 week.

Q1. As the inbound flight arrives at Lima airport at 1035pm, should we just stay at a paid lounge in domestic side before catching the first TACA flight out to Cuzco the next morning? I don't think the SUMAQ lounge is available for onward domestic flights. Am I correct?

Q2. On the way back to SFO, the return flight out of Lima on UA is very late at 1150 pm, also on biz. I believe there are some early afternoon flights from Cuzco on Taca. Will SUMAQ lounge let us use the lounge for more than 8 hours? I don't even know if we will be able to get boarding pass if we arrive back in Lima so early in the day. Or should be just return from Cuzco one day early and visit Lima city?

We'd like a relaxing trip but at the same time, we are super excited to go to South America for the first time.

Biz on this route currently (unless something changes) are on the old 767 domestic configs. The service and food are decent but the seats are just domestic first class.

1. Not sure about the lounge situation. I normally stay at the Costa Del Sol Hotel connected to the airport, but my flights to PIU are normally a little later in the morning. I am assuming your flights are very early in the morning. Also the hotel is not cheap.

2. You won't be able to check in for the flight until 8 pmish. There is also a EWR flight that leaves from LIM at 10:30 pm so that actually helps or else they probably wouldn't start checking in until 9 pm. It is normally about 3 hours before the flight that checkin begins.

Although I have never gone on to Cuzco I have made the IAH-LIM flight a lot. I would also recommend the costa del sol (it's actually a Ramada). It's right outside baggage claim and is pretty nice.

If you really want to crash in the lounge (I would not recommend), I have been in it over night twice due to constantly delayed UA flights and the only sleep you'll get it due to exhaustion.

There are actually 2 different contract lounges (Sumaq and another 100 feet away). On a C ticket, and/or star gold, they seem to be interchangeable. Meaning that sometimes I'd stop at one and theyd send me to the other. I assume it was because of capacity but both are regularly packed to the gills. Not sure if that is how you plan on accesing or not (access this way involves getting an invite from the united ticket counter so I don't think it'll work for your transit to Cuzco). I would definitely say that the first lounge you come to down the hallway would be better to try and sleep in though. Furniture is less modern but i think it's more comfortable.

I highly recommend going back to Lima a day earlier and just hang out in the city. You won't be dissapointed hanging out in Miraflores district. Beach and Pacific Ocean shouldn't be missed.^

Please follow as the thread moves to the appropriate regional travel forum, as these good questions are not UA-specific. Ocn Vw 1K, Moderator, United and TravelBuzz.

Will be traveling in mid March for 1 week to Peru to see Machu Pichu.
We will be traveling UA in biz SFO - IAH - LIM and return via same route in 1 week.

Q1. As the inbound flight arrives at Lima airport at 1035pm, should we just stay at a paid lounge in domestic side before catching the first TACA flight out to Cuzco the next morning? I don't think the SUMAQ lounge is available for onward domestic flights. Am I correct?

Q2. On the way back to SFO, the return flight out of Lima on UA is very late at 1150 pm, also on biz. I believe there are some early afternoon flights from Cuzco on Taca. Will SUMAQ lounge let us use the lounge for more than 8 hours? I don't even know if we will be able to get boarding pass if we arrive back in Lima so early in the day. Or should be just return from Cuzco one day early and visit Lima city?

We'd like a relaxing trip but at the same time, we are super excited to go to South America for the first time.

Q1/A1 : SUMAQ not available for onward domestic flight. However, you will have lots of company. So many intl flights arrive in LIM late at night with people connecting to early morning dom flights that the entire cafe area of the airport remains open. Decent seats and lighting, generally safe. You will need to recheck your bags too. I'm not sure you can enter the domestic airside until about 4am usually.

Q2/A2 : Separate note. I would avoid the "afternoon" flights out of Cuzco. The airport can get fogged in pretty bad starting about midday and there is a knock-on effect towards the afternoon. Get out before noon if you can and spend an extra day in Lima exploring the catacombs, historic square area (Unesco world heritage site and beautiful at night), miraflores ...

Q1. As the inbound flight arrives at Lima airport at 1035pm, should we just stay at a paid lounge in domestic side before catching the first TACA flight out to Cuzco the next morning? I don't think the SUMAQ lounge is available for onward domestic flights. Am I correct?

Correct, Sumaq is only for international departures. Info on the paid domestic lounge (it's 24/7) here (http://nlg.aero/en/viploungesvc.html)and here (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/17850933-post5.html).

I agree with amieuro about spending an evening in Lima. But if that is not possible, there is a new VIP lounge in domestic terminal called Caral, with showers, 24 hr open as I read in prioritypass.com, however the Ramada hotel would be the most comfort option.