Gran Hotel Bolivar

The hotel is cute and historic, but I’m incredibly frustrated. It’s 1:30 a.m. and my family can’t sleep at all. We can clearly hear a singer on a microphone and crowds chanting along, as if we’re inside a concert instead of trying to rest in a nice room on vacation. There are two separate loud music sources, one rock and one reggaeton, with people singing and occasional shouting into a mic to announce things or get the crowd going. It seems to be the hotel bar and maybe another bar across the street, with gridlocked traffic outside. The honking never stops, and the traffic is worse at night than during the day. I’ve never stayed anywhere with noise this bad. It doesn’t even compare to NYC. Come see the historic building on a walking tour, but don’t try to sleep here. Stay away from this whole area.

The bar has a great location and good service. A pisco sour or some tasty local food makes it worth checking out, though it isn’t cheap. With some thought, this could be the Raffles of Lima.

It was once majestic and is still historic, but now feels worn out and faded. Nice enough for a drink, though I wouldn’t stay overnight.

The hotel has a beautiful historical look, but the whole experience felt strange and unwelcoming. In the evening, the entrance was lined with intimidating-looking security guards who seemed doubtful that guests actually stayed there. None spoke English, so it was hard to explain who belonged. We were nearly stopped from entering, and once we got inside, a man wouldn’t let us go to the elevators. He couldn’t explain why we couldn’t reach the room we’d paid for.