Country Club Lima Hotel
You'll find old-style elegance together with modern amenities at the five-star Country Club Lima Hotel. Built in the 1920s, the hotel is located in the bustling San Isidro financial district, although from the inside it's hard to tell. The hotel overlooks the district's urban golf course, while towering trees on the grounds preserve a tranquil air of days gone by. Relax with a cocktail in the patio bar, and you'll find yourself daydreaming of men in tails and women with parasols strolling back from a day on the links. While it sprawls over an extensive property, the Country Club has just 83 suites, making service much more personal. The hotel was completely renovated in 2008, conserving its charm but subtly improving on its finer details.
Room to Book: Guests recommend the presidential suite for its colonial decor and huge terrace with views of the golf course greens.
Insider Tip: This hotel makes a fantastic pisco sour, the drink of choice in Peru. Sip one at the patio bar.
Miraflores Park Hotel
The Miraflores Park Hotel is located in a quiet corner of the Miraflores district, at the end of the Malecón, the cliff-top seawalk that meanders above the Pacific Ocean. Rooms offer a lovely view of parks and the ocean below. This small, five-star hotel — part of the luxury Orient-Express group — features a top-notch bar and fine dining. The restaurant, Mesa 18, combines Peru's expansive cuisine with international fare. Once you enter this oasis, it's easy to forget you're in the middle of a metropolis of nearly 9 million people.
Room to Book: All the rooms in this hotel are suites, from junior to presidential. You really can't go wrong.
Insider Tip: Book a treatment at the Zest spa, on the 11th floor, which has the added soothing effect of an ocean view; also up here: an infinity pool with equally stunning views. If you don't want to leave your room, call the "bath butler," who will draw you a luxurious bath with your choice of bath salts and soaps in the privacy of your suite.
Delfines Hotel & Casino
Delfines Hotel has an attraction unlike any other in South America: dolphins. This modern five-star hotel in San Isidro is home to two dolphins that frolic in an indoor pool. The hotel's bars and restaurants are centered around the dolphin pool for good viewing. The hotel has 206 rooms; the ones in the front of the hotel overlook Lima's premier golf course, across the street, and the Pacific Ocean in the distance.
Room to Book: The best room in the house is the Suite Olimpo, which has a King bed, sauna, Jacuzzi and amazing views of Lima.
Insider Tip: The hotel sponsors a dolphin-research institution off site, while caring for the two animals kept in the pool. Guests can get hands-on experience assisting the caretakers at feeding and play time.
JW Marriott Hotel
Lima's only Marriott hotel is a gleaming, green-glass 25-story tower on the Malecón in Miraflores. All the rooms — from the standard double to the presidential suite (the preferred choice of rock stars and other celebrities visiting Lima) — have spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean. Making its location even better, the JW Marriott is just steps away from one of Lima's main tourist attractions, Larcomar, a huge complex of shops, restaurants, a movie theater, pool hall and bowling alley. If that isn't enough entertainment for you, the hotel also has a casino.
Room to Book: It's all about the view here, so if you want a great one ask for an Ocean Front suite.
Insider Tip: The JW Marriott has one of best gyms in the city, with weight and aerobics machines, complimentary trainer services and exercise classes — not to mention the six-mile Malecón just out the front door, which is perfect for jogging. There's also a swimming pool and tennis courts, and a menu of spa services. If you're a fitness freak, this is the right place for you.
Swissôtel Lima
Although totally modern, Lima's Swissôtel is faithful to the charm of grand hotels of the past, with a sweeping lobby and spacious accommodations. It is located in the heart of the San Isidro financial district, surrounded by the business towers from which many of Peru's top firms manage the country's development. The top four floors in this 244-room hotel house executive suites, providing additional privacy and comfort; these floors have their own staff, who greet guests with tropical fruits and provide assistance for business and social needs.
Room to Book: The star accommodation is the 250-sq-meter presidential suite, which has a private dining room, outdoor terrace, Jacuzzi and sauna to guarantee relaxation.
Insider Tip: Come here for the best chocolate pastries in the city. You can order them from the in-room menu or from the small pastry shop at the side of the hotel.