In November 2021 my cousin messaged me that he booked a trip to Peru and encouraged me to join for travel in March 2022. American Airlines was running a web special ticket and the price was only 31000 miles for round-trip tickets from Kansas City to Lima. Without hesitation, I reserved the same ticket.
Our trip would start with 4 days in Lima, in the Miraflores area. This is a great section of the city with many attractions and great restaurants. We reserved the Crowne Plaza Miraflores for around 20000 points per night with the 4th night free with IHG.
We would next go to Cusco area for the next 4 days. We reserved Latam airlines tickets from Lima to Peru making sure to use the Peru website instead of the US website for some considerable savings. Starting off with 1 day in Cusco. We reserved the Hilton Garden Inn using around 20000 points per night. Next would be the real adventure. The two-day, one night trek up to Machu Pichu. We made our reservations with Sam Travel and we were very happy with their service. The booking also included a 1 night stay at a hotel in Aquas Calienties. The last two nights in Cusco we returned to the Hilton Garden Inn as a base to explore Cusco. Finally, we made our trip back to Lima for a final night at the Holiday Inn Express San Isidro area.
Overall, we really loved our trip and Peru. People were very nice and friendly, prices were incredibly affordable coming from the US, and the scenery of the Sacred Valley area was incredible.
The flight from Kansas City to Dallas was right on time and everything worked perfectly. Dallas airport provided a nice break in the Amex Platinum lounge with a nice lunch, spa treatment with massage gun, and a refreshing shower. The flight from Dallas to Lima was also on time with no issues. I reserved the front row seat to give my 6’5” frame space. Luckily I had no seatmates and it was a nice comfortable flight. The last time I flew American “long-haul” was a trip to Hawaii where no food was offered. So I was pleasantly surprised when they provided a sandwich for lunch. Arriving in Lima was a painless process with quick immigration and not too aggressive taxi vendors. We booked an uber to the hotel which took about 45 minutes at a cost of around $12.
Bulkhead. Great legroom.
Lunch is served. Inca Kola...tastes like a mix of cream soda and bubble gum.
The Crowne Plaza hotel offered us a great resting spot for our next 4 days. The room was very comfortable and cleaning service left the room spotless for us every day. It was a great source to explore Lima for the next 4 days.
Crowne Plaza Lima Miraflores
Breakfast at Manola Cafe. Very delicious and a great start to the day.
Plaza De Armas
Plaza De Armas. Unfortunately the main square is still closed off due to Covid. We found Peru to be very strict with covid precautions with everyone wearing masks outdoors and stores checking vaccines upon entry.
Plaza De Armas
Catacombs at Basilica de San Francisco
Catacombs at Basilica de San Francisco
Catacombs at Basilica de San Francisco
Mercado Central Selling a variety of foods and items.
I was surprised by the amount of cheese.
Chicken Soap. 6 Soles. Currenty exchange rate is $1 = 3.76 Soles.
Delicious Fruit Smoothie
Fruits
Biggest avacado I've seen in my life
Cevicheria Mi Barrunto. Very delicious, although this was our most expensive meal of the trip at around 70 soles.
Stopped at a local massage parlor near our hotel. I made the mistake of telling them I'd like a deep tissue massage. What followed was a massage that tried to take the soul out of my body. Anway, I enjoyed it...and it was only $20. We returned the next day for another massage, but this time a relaxing one.
Larcomar Area. Very nice area for walking around
Sunset at Larcomar
Primos Chicken. Peru has a variety of wood-grilled chicken restaurants. This was our first try. It was good, but we later had much better chicken.
La Picaroneria. Delicious desserts made from vegetables.
Fruits for breakfast. Very delicious and sweet, especially the mango
We visited Parque de las Leyendas in the morning. We found this to be a great experience and the animals looked very healthy.
Old Site
Animal
Animal
Animal
Lunch at Larco Museum. Absolutely amazing atmosphere, great service, and delicious food.
Grilled Trout. 49 Soles
2nd lunch at Sietta Sopas.
We ordered the traditional soap again. The broth was very delicious, although the chicken was a bit tough. The purple drink was delicious though.
Our friendly waiter who asked if we were looking for "Peru Woman"
Walking at night near JFK park, where locals were cheering for the Peru Soccer team. With the win tonight, they were still eligilbe to play in the World Cup
Park
Night cap sandwich.