Surely the best of Lima`s smaller luxury hotels, the Miraflores Park Hotel has glorious ocean views and all the frills expected of a five-star hotel, including a gym, a sauna, a squash court and a small outdoor pool overlooking the ocean. Some rooms have glass walls with stunning views. Want to indulge? For US$40 let the bath butler run an aphrodisiac-salt-infused, flower-petal-strewn, candle-lit bath for you and a guest.

The most memorable place to stay in all of Cusco is Hotel Monasterio, a 415 year old monastery that has been converted into Peru’s most elegant five-star hotel. The stone lobby leads to a dramatic stone courtyard, graced with an ancient cedar tree and lined with two stories of stone archways. Colonial paintings line up along hallways, with wrap around two other fabulous stone patios. The rooms are decked out in old-world Spanish décor, including carved wooden headboards and colonial paintings, and include all the plush five-star comforts. The can even be pumped with oxygen, simulating an altitude 900 meters lower that allows guests to sleep more soundly.

The lodge began as a state owned hotel in the 1970s, but it was privatized in 1995 and ultimately acquired by Orient-Express Hotels, which also operates Cusco´s finest hotel, El Monasterio, and Peru Rail. Orient Express is not allowed to make any additions to the building, so it remains a small, modest hotel on the outside with an elegant interior. The 31 rooms have been outfitted with antiques, king-size beds, and cable TV and the slightly more expensive rooms have views over the ruins. There are two restaurants, one serving gourmet à la carte items, and the other offering an extraordinary buffet.