Arrival in Lima

Our very satisfactory COPA flight arrived in Lima very late at night, so instead of having a few hours of sleep to catch a flight in the morning, we took a day to see Lima. This was the only part of the trip where I requested a specific hotel, the Gran Hotel Bolivar, from that era of grand dame hotels, where Hemingway stayed, etc. Despite some 'old and frayed' comments on Trip Advisor, I found the place to be wonderful and full of character, from the stained glass domed lobby to the quality of the linens on the bed. What a delightful change from the modern luxury chains ! We had a room overlooking the street, which was a little noisy from the constantly honking horns, but we were tired enough to fall asleep anyway, and I would certainly stay in the same room again. Many of the new hotels are located closer to the ocean, Miraflores, etc. We preferred to be closer to the historic downtown.