We arrived at the hotel after an easy 30 minute or so taxi ride, and checkin was quick and efficient. This hotel receives very good reviews online, so we were really looking forward to our three nights here before setting out for Cuzco and Machu Picchu.
Room:
As a Starwood Platinum member I was upgraded to a one bedroom suite without having to ask. The room was clean with a very large shower room. The only slightly odd feature is that the door/wall of the shower room that faced the hallway was glass and completely transparent. Slightly awkward if you don’t want to be watched while showering. It was a nice rainshower, and there were plenty of towels, soaps, etc in the room without having to ask.
The room had the standard Westin Heavenly Bed, and I did ask – all suites in the hotel are single king bed only. There are no suites with doubles at this property. The bedroom had two walls of floor to ceiling windows, giving a fantastic view over the city. In the living room, one of the walls was also floor to ceiling glass with a fantastic room. There was a nice desk and sofa in the living room, and plenty of room to spread out, work, or entertain just a few guests. Temperature control in the room was excellent. I like my room very cold when I sleep (somewhere around 16-18C) and the air conditioning in this room had absolutely no trouble handling that.
Sunset view from the room:
Service:
All the staff we encountered were friendly, helpful, and went well beyond the call of duty.
Reception was warm and friendly when we checked in, and the agent spoke excellent English and was genuinely helpful, explaining all the features of the hotel. In the executive lounge, all the agents we encountered were friendly, although English ability seemed to be a bit more limited here. They did, however, remember us from day to day and welcomed us back each time.
When we checked in there was a problem with our keycard, but one of the bellmen helped us with the elevators, and he was exceptionally friendly as well. Finally, the concierge helped us a few times with taxis, directions, and restaurant reservations, and was also extremely friendly.
Location:
Perhaps the one minor downside of this property, although it never really came into play for us. The hotel is definitely not in a tourist area, but more in the financial district. There is a huge grocery store and plenty of restaurants within walking distance, but beyond that it’s not ideally situated for tourists. Getting a taxi was really no problem, however, and since taxis are incredibly inexpensive in Lima it never once bothered us. It was a short 10 minute (20 max) ride to most of the places we wanted to go, so the inconvenience was minimal.
Breakfast:
We had breakfast in the executive lounge each morning, which had a large spread of both hot and cold food. There were several breads and pastries, cheeses, cold meats and fish, and an assortment of fruits including some local fruits I’d never seen before. On the hot side, there were pancakes, bacon, etc. It was way more than a continental breakfast, and definitely one of the better executive lounge breakfasts I’ve ever had.
Restaurants / Bars:
Although we didn’t try any of the hotel’s restaurants or bars, we did do cocktail hour in the executive lounge both nights. It ran for two hours from 6-8, and featured a huge spread of hot and cold foods as well as complimentary local beer and wine. The attendants were never shy with refills, and I think we finished off several glasses of wine each night. Another plus, the lounge was nearly completely empty. I don’t think I ever saw more than 10 people in it, and it was a nice quiet getaway and place to unwind after the day.
Pool / Gym / Facilities:
Unfortunately we didn’t use the pool or gym, although it was pointed out to us that they were included.
Overall Review:
Overall, this was a fantastic property and felt like a bargain for the rate we paid of under $200. Although the location isn’t the best, the service was fantastic and everything “worked like it should” throughout the property. It felt new, clean, and never once did we feel like there was something missing. Combined with the excellent service and features in the executive lounge there’s no doubt I’d return to this property if in the area again. We didn’t have any problems during our stay, so we didn’t get a chance to see how they’d recover from them, but I suppose that’s better than having problems in the first place!