US$10–25

The bulk of San Isidro’s hotels are oriented toward high-class business travelers, but there is one great exception to this rule. Youth Hostal Malka (Los Lirios 165, San Isidro, tel. 01/442-0162, www.youthhostelperu.com, US$8 dorm, US$19 d) is a rare find with its own rock-climbing wall. This converted home has simple, clean rooms, Internet, laundry service, and a grassy yard with a table tennis table. The hostel is a block from a park, and a supermarket and a few restaurants are down the street. Rooms with private baths are US$2 more.

US$100–150

Like its sister hotels around the country, Hotel Libertador San Isidro Golf (Los Eucaliptos 550, San Isidro, tel. 01/421-6666 or U.S. tel. 800/537-8483, www.libertador.com.pe, US$115 s or d with breakfast) is an elegant, classy act. These four-star rooms are a great value, with dark-stained furniture, elegant carpets, golf course views, and all the creature comforts, including luxurious bathrooms with tubs. There is an elegant pub downstairs with lots of wood and the Ostrich House Restaurant serves up ostrich and other delicious steaks. Features include a sauna, whirlpool tub, and gymnasium.

Over US$150

At the top of El Olívar, a park shaded by ancient olive trees, Sonesta Hotel El Olivar (Pancho Fierro 194, San Isidro, tel. 01/712-6000, www.sonesta.com, US$230 s, US$260 d with breakfast) has spacious though quite ordinary rooms, a beautiful sitting area with bar, and a rooftop pool. Ask for a room with views over the olive grove.

Built in 1927, the Country Club Lima Hotel (Los Eucaliptos 590, San Isidro, www.hotelcountry.com, US$295 s, US$310 d) has a classic, turn-of-the-20th-century elegance. Couches fill a marble lobby decorated with Oriental rugs, dark wood, and high windows. Perks include an elegant restaurant, an English bar, a gymnasium, and an outdoor pool. Suites are decorated with museum pieces from Museo de Osma. Ask for a room with a balcony or a view over the golf course, which as a guest you’ll be able to play.

Sandwiched between the Camino Real Mall and a glassy office park, Swissôtel (Via Central 150, San Isidro, tel. 01/421-4400 or U.S. tel. 800/637-9477, www.swissotel-lima.com, US$330 s or d with breakfast) is one of Peru’s leading business hotels. All rooms have king-size beds, down comforters, large bathrooms with tubs, and wireless Internet. Each floor has its own security card. You have your choice of food: Swiss, Italian, or Peruvian. An elegant swimming pool surrounded by grassy lawn, a tennis court, a whirlpool tub, a sauna, and a gym make for a relaxing afternoon.

Los Delfines (Los Eucaliptos 555, tel. 01/215-7000, www.losdelfineshotel.com, US$219 s or d, buffet breakfast included), with a pool full of leaping dolphins, was an extravagant concept from the go-go Fujimori years. But guests eating breakfast or having a drink at the bar seem to love the hotel pets: dolphins. The comfortable rooms feel new and are decked out with deep blue carpets, elegant tables, and bathrooms. Amenities include a casino, luxurious outdoor pool, spa with massages, aerobics room, sauna, and whirlpool tub, and the restaurant serves first-class Mediterranean food.

An upcoming luxury hotel, which will likely become Lima’s most expensive hotel, is Westin Libertador (tel. 01/421-6666 or U.S. tel. 800/537-8483, www.libertador.com.pe, US$300 s or d with breakfast). This 301-room skyscraper, right in the middle of San Isidro’s financial district, is set to open in 2011 with two restaurants, a bar-lounge, luxury spa, and conference facility.

Long-Term Stays

With a minimum stay of 15 days, Loft (Jorge Basadre 255, Of. 202, tel. 01/222-8983, www.loftapar.com), an apartment rental agency, offers travelers well located, fully equipped apartments in San Isidro and Miraflores. Rates start at US$500 a month for the studio but there are also one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments.

© Ross Wehner and Renée del Gaudio from Moon Peru, 3rd Edition