After finishing up 5 weeks in Colombia I flew from Medellín to Lima hoping two weeks would be sufficient to get a feel for a country I knew little of besides being the home of Paddington Bear and Ceviche. I was pleasantly surprised.
Airbnb is fantastic value in Lima and on a par with what you may find for a similar price in Bangkok. Of the cities two most popular areas for tourists, Miraflores felt marginally more expensive than Barranco, but both areas possess plenty of new build apartment complexes at prices lower than what you'd be paying for a box room in London.
I stayed at the condo complex at Av. Almte. Miguel Grau 1430 which was generally clean, quiet and well maintained.
Unless staying during the peak summer months (December - April), the daytime temperatures weren't regularly high enough to specifically warrant having convenient access to a pool. Temperatures can reach up to 30 degrees, and with residential A/C not being common, you may want to factor that into your consideration if planning on working from home.
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New legislation
Recent changes introduced by the Turkish government has made short-term rentals for under 100 days more restricted. Keep an eye on Reddit threads for up-to-date assessments of how the new legislation is impacting short-term rentals in practice.
Most of the city's coworking hubs can be found in Miraflores and Barranco, but there are numerous options dotted across much of the city. WeWork has five good-quality locations, with three of them based in the San Isidro area, which is renowned for being a hub for business in the city, yet slightly further away from the main entertainment districts.
Specialty coffee shops are generally open later than you would find in Europe and can provide an alternative option until around 20:00 in the evening if needed.
Day-to-day expenses can be exceptionally good value across Lima. Lunches from traditional Peruvian restaurants can be found for under 20 soles (£4) across the city, generally featuring a starter, main, and drink.
Meals from more international restaurants can be found for closer to 40 soles (£8), and higher-end options begin to reflect prices you may find in Europe.
Drinks from coffee shops or bars can generally be found for half the price of what you would expect to pay in a European capital. Most routine Uber rides between Barranco and Miraflores are unlikely to exceed 15 soles (£3).
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The yen is currently at a 34-year low
While this is undoubtedly a negative for the Japanese, it makes for an exceptionally good time to visit Japan from abroad. Although this trend is unlikely to reverse significantly in the short term, it's still worth checking before visiting.
Read moreWhilst never bordering on hectic, there's a great ambience around the core areas of Lima. From 6 AM, the streets are alive with people running before work, and there's always a lively presence on the streets along the core retail areas in Miraflores and Barranco that's felt late into the evening.
Bars and restaurants generally liven up a lot later than you would find in the UK, with the nightlife across the city showing no signs of quietening down until well after midnight.
Peru Standard Time (PET) is year-round GMT-5, placing it right on the edge of where you can comfortably work to maintain some overlap with European colleagues. I would generally start each day at 06:30 local time, finishing a couple of hours earlier than normal.
For anyone maintaining North American hours, Lima's position is ideal, aligning perfectly with Eastern Time during US Standard Time, and with Central Time during US Daylight Saving Time.
I've written a guide on how to structure your day to get the most out of the time difference.
Without doubt, being able to speak Spanish with a degree of fluency is a huge asset when visiting South America. I had always put off visiting the continent due to my Spanish skills not extending beyond requesting a "cerveza grande".
But even with my incredibly primitive linguistic capabilities, it was not in any way to the detriment of the trip. English is spoken sparsely, but armed with a few phrases, some polite enthusiasm and a translator, it shouldn't deter you from visiting.
After spending 10 weeks speaking (limited) Spanish across the rest of the continent, I struggled arriving in Brazil.
While I was far from conversational in Spanish, I quickly realised when I stepped out of the airport my vocabulary didn't extend a single word beyond 'Obrigado!'.
In general, English is generally spoken incredibly sparsely. The most flowing interaction I had ended up being with an Uber driver where we periodically shouted out the names of Brazilian footballers playing in the English Premier League.
You can scrape by for a couple of weeks, but if you're planning on staying longer, I'd 100% recommend learning some basics to get the most out of the experience.
The coastal path stretching north from Barranco, known as the Malecón de Miraflores, is exceptionally well-landscaped and runs for around 4 miles. The stretch features parks, tennis courts, skateparks and cafes, and is especially popular with families at weekends.
A street food cevichería serving generous combination plates featuring fresh ceviche, arroz verde (green rice with herbs), yellow pasta, and crispy seafood. These street side cevicherías appeared uncommon around Miraflores and Barranco, but could be seen more widely in the central and northern districts. A large bowl cost around 20 soles (£4).
It's well worth spending an afternoon exploring the Centro Histórico, about a 30-minute drive north of Miraflores. Compared to the modern skyline of the southern neighbourhoods, the area surrounding Plaza Mayor De Lima is full of historic buildings, including the cathedral, which dates back to the 1600s.
Given the instability in Argentina over the past few years, I found that most advice on key topics, even if written within the last 12 months, bordered on being dangerously outdated.
I have attempted to summarise some of the most misleading points I encountered.
Card availability is now excellent across the city. Even if you are purchasing a single empanada, bananas from a greengrocer, or buying cans of beer off a man in the street before a football match. Some businesses may offer a 10% discount if you use cash, or charge a small surcharge for card payments.
"It's difficult to get a SUBE card"
This was true in recent years, as there had been a shortage of the cards across the city due to a lack of the plastics needed to create the card. I had no problems going to the nearest off-licence and getting a card on my first attempt. It's worth asking your Airbnb host who may have a spare.
The biggest misconception that may still linger, even if you are reading articles from 2023. If planning on eating out heavily, then expect European prices or even higher on more imported day-to-day goods. Eating out aside, day-to-day expenses are still good value by global measures.
This advice would continue to make sense for Americans who already have dollars, but I wouldn't recommend making an effort to purchase with the intent of exchanging them on the ground. Collecting money via Western Union was convenient and good value, which I would recommend to anyone visiting from outside the US.
"Make sure you get the blue-dollar rate"
The dramatic stabilisation of the peso by late 2024 means that this difference is nowhere near as significant as it was 12 months ago. At the time of writing, there was only a 10% difference between the official and blue rate. If you are only in the city for a short period you may not even have to grapple with this.
"Restaurant service is poor"
I did see some evidence of this, especially in cheaper, traditional restaurants. In comical fashion, drinks would not appear or the bill would never materialise. In more contemporary outlets, it was never a problem.
"It is a football mad city"
There is absolutely no doubt that this is as true as ever in 2024.
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