LatinPass/GlobalPass - Sleeping in the Lima Airport.

A question for everyone who has spent the night at the Lima Airport waiting for the 6:00am Taca Peru flight to Cuzco. Where did you try to sleep/spend the night and what advice can you give to anyone who will be doing this in the future?

Get a Diners Club card. There are both a pre-immigration domestic and post-immigration international lounges open 24 hrs a day free for cardholders and I think 1 guest. Has cable TV,comfortable lounges, free softdrinks and Pisco.

My Iquitos flight times have changed from a 8:30 departure to a 6:30 am departure. My wife and I arrive at 12:20am from Bogota on the Avianca flight this Wednesday.

I have a reservation with Sheraton but it is not hardly worth it for a few hours sleep. Any suggestions on where we can crash out or if there is an airport hotel attached to terminal? We are not Diners Club members but we do not mind paying a fee. We will be flying Business class to Iquitos if this helps!`

[This message has been edited by davistev (edited 06-19-2000).]

I'm fairly sure that non-cardholders can access the lounge for a fee ?$US15-20 although others have posted that the lounge is not always open overnight - it has been the 3 or 4 times that I've needed it.Given your flight times and the distance to the Sheraton and all those flights that arrive at Lima at midnight I don't think that you'll get more than 3 hours in bed at the Sheraton - they do have a 24 hour casino in the hotel though. So the money saved on the hotel room you could spend at the tables!

Or..........

There is a Transit Lounge within the international (departures) area that is open 24 hours, and it is dark and has tinted windows. If you don't mind sleeping in a chair or on the floor, that would be an option-- it felt very secure both nights I was there, and there were a few other passengers sleeping, but there was plenty of room to stretch out. As I recall, the chairs have armrests so you can't lay on them. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/frown.gif

Re. Diners Club Lounge-- you can access it if you have a First Class boarding pass-- but you may not be able to get in overnight if you don't have the boarding pass yet.

If you do decide to sleep in the airport, you may want to "borrow" an ACES blanket and pillow-- but leave extra extra room in your carry-on for it because their pillows were fluffier and the blankets were thicker than average airline coach pillows and blankets.

If you feel like going all out, you might want to buy a $2 air mattress from Target for the occasion. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

I spent one night in the DC lounge & would recommend it - but check to be sure its open the night you're there. I was really able to snooze there... the few folks that were there didn't care that I cut off the TV.

On an other occasion I spent I also spent a night (accompanied by my girl friend) in an all-night restaurant bar on the upper level of the International terminal (outside of customs). Semi-comfortable couches. At the other end of that level some folks were crashed on the floor near the restrooms.

I posted a more detailed answer under the LP-Who's Really Going thread so you may want to check there for more detail.

Hiker Guy

Thanks for the info on the Diners Club lounge in Lima. I have cancelled my reservation at the Sheraton and will try the DC lounge.

Right now I am at the International Mall in Miami at the Internet kiosk. This mall has a LatinPass promotion going on at the moment - Spend $500 and get 500 LatinPass Miles. It's nice to see the LatinPass symbol in the mall.

We are staying at the Fairfield Inn West and it is not bad for $54.00

Thanks.
Dave Stevenson

Just got back from my run last night. We spent the night in the DC lounge and because we were just doing the LIM-CUZ-LIM with no stopover in CUZCO we left our bags with the people running the DC lounge so we didn't have to carry them. They have comfortable couches or, if you are tall, you can pull two chairs together. They did not want us sleeping on the floor.

There is also an Ambassador's Club (not open 24 hours) where you can catch a hot shower but their hours are wierd (closed at 9am and opened again at 4pm). http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/biggrin.gif

There is a very strong fishy smell in the LIMA airport so I wouldn't have enjoyed spending the night outside the DC lounge. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/frown.gif

We met eight fellow travellers on our journey. It was a total blast! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/cool.gif

Hi Pegasus, welcome back. Hopefully you'll catch up on sleep fast. The nice thing about Latin American travel is no jet lag!

NO JET LAG - mmmm, my wife and I are very tired as we flew from China. We are currently in Bogota Airport waiting for our flight to Lima whereupon we will sleep at DC lounge so as to be ready for flight to Iquitos. Put bluntly, we are buggered!

3 Nights in Toronto, Canada was clearly not enough this trip. Oh well.
Dave Stevenson

Hi Pegasus and vindesante! I´m in Cuzco, halfway through my million mile run. I rejoined myriad in Quito where we had a wonderful tour. The Sheraton let us check out at 8 pm at no charge for our late Aces flight into Lima (after upgrading us both to juniior suites!). Craz was on the plane and we all spent the night at the Diners club lounge. We talked more than we slept and the lounge attendant just left us there alone between 2 and 4am. Toured Cuzco yesterday and the amazing Machu Picchu today. I am having a blast so far, including the company of Randy, milesrus, myriad, pegasus, Crazand Teddy the Lurker.

My wife and I ended up sleeping in the VIP club lounge (next to the internet cafe upstairs) for $10 each. Very comfortable - hostess very nice. Awoke to a hot coffee, biscuits and CNN. Flew to IQT on TACA PERU business class (also very nice). Currently staying at Del Pila Miraflora Hotel for $65 (excellent room). Having a great time. Strangely I have not met any other FTer´s yet. Must be all in Cusco.

Adios - off top Quito in the morning on ACES for the weekend.