Best Boutique Hotels in Lima

The historic Country Club Lima Hotel blends classic elegance with modern comfort. This 83-room boutique feels upscale with classic decor, wood accents, and up-to-date amenities such as iPod docks and flat-screen TVs. Palatial bathrooms are gorgeous and many feature separate soaking tubs. Features here include a small but intimate outdoor pool, small fitness room, guest privileges at the 18-hole Lima Country Club, and over 300 pieces of original art and colonial furniture displayed throughout the hotel. There is also an excellent restaurant, Perroquet Restaurant, and the English Bar serves some of the best cocktails in Lima.

The Antara Hotel is a small 27-room property with an equally small (but attractive) lobby with Spanish Colonial-style decor. Rooms are spacious with wood-burning chimeneas (some also have charming small patios), original paintings, Peruvian ceramic hand-crafts, and classic décor that can feel a little dated to some. The property lacks in amenities (there's no fitness center or pool), but it does offer a small spa with great treatments, a wonderful restaurant and bar, and a couple of nice freebies, including a welcome drink and a bottle of water. Its location in the heart of Miraflores -- within walking distance of parks, shops, and restaurants -- is also a big draw.

The 20-room Duo Hotel, located in quiet and safe Embassy District in the exclusive neighborhood of San Isidro, is one of the city's more modern boutique options. It has a pleasant (but small) dipping pool and sundeck in the courtyard, a solid bistro on-site, and freebies such as Wi-Fi and breakfast buffet. Spacious and bright rooms have high-tech amenities and contemporary decor with pops of color. But the hotel is not within walking distance of any major tourist sights, and bathrooms need an update.

The 20-room Basadre Suites is located in San Isidro, a quiet and safe neighborhood between hopping Miraflores and Lima’s Historic District. Rooms are basic but quaint and have some attractive decor details, and come with flat-screen TVs and mini-fridges. The grounds are charming, with manicured lawns, a small pool, and quirky little fountains made of rock. Great freebies such as Wi-Fi and breakfast add to the value.

A boutique just a block from the beach, the Runcu features clean, bright rooms with large windows, flat-screen TVs, and colorful accent walls. The Runcu is a small hotel with few amenities, but the hotel's cheerful demeanor, the pleasant rooftop terrace with city views, and freebies such as breakfast, coffee in the lobby, and Wi-Fi, make the Runcu a good mid-range pick. It's on a busy street in popular Miraflores, though, so street noise can be an issue at times.

Housed in a beautifully restored Spanish Colonial-style pink mansion in the heart of Miraflores, the Antigua Miraflores Hotel is a charming property, with tiled floors, wonderful woodwork, and lots of traditional Peruvian details throughout. The gorgeous common areas were renovated in the early 2000s but preserve the flavor of an elegant colonial residence, from the small but solid restaurant where the free breakfast is served every morning, to the tranquil courtyard. However, the rooms, though spacious and bright, are basic, with dated comforters, and can feel a bit musty. All in all, its location on a quiet street in hopping Miraflores is hard to beat, and the property's historic charm helps compensate for the average rooms.

The Casa Andina Classic - Miraflores San Antonio is a mid-range, 49-room hotel in the safe Miraflores neighborhood. Basic rooms are clean and contemporary, and the hotel is within walking distance of the beach. Freebies include breakfast in the sunlit restaurant, Wi-Fi, and parking. The property was renovated in 2011, and has flat-screen TVs in the rooms, unlike its sister hotel, Miraflores Centro. It's is a decent pick for its lovely interior patio, tranquil neighborhood, and some rooms with balconies and soaking tubs.