Miraflores, Lima

We flew into Lima, Peru and stayed for a month. We rented a short term apartment off of a site called apartmentclubperu.com. They offer nicely furnished apartments in good, safe locations. We paid about $1600 for the month, which included all utilities and services. This came out to around $53 a day. For a family of five traveling, it was difficult to find a decent hotel at that price. It was a little more than we like to spend but, the plus was that we could cook our own meals and save money this way. We stayed in Miraflores, which is the upscale neighborhood overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Miraflores boasts high rise apartments and condominiums, restaurants, cafes, shopping, parks and a beautiful mall built into the side of a cliff. It is an ideal neighborhood which Peru has groomed to be one of their most attractive tourist destinations. We got to live like locals for a month and discovered little nooks and crannies we had not seen during our last visit. It was nice to enjoy the average 75 degree weather, walk along the waterfront, sit in green parks and indulge in fresh caught seafood.

This seafood platter we really enjoyed at a restaurant called "Sofia" in Chorillos, Lima. It was around $12.00 and was fresh caught by the owner that morning.( This a restaurant Anthony Bourdain went to so, we just had to check it out. We really like Anthony Bourdain and have gone to a lot of the same restaurants he has gone to in different countries. We call it the Anthony Bourdain food tour.)

This is a photo of Lima's skyline and the fishing boats on the Pacific Ocean.

People relaxing on the beach under colorful umbrellas.

Christmas in Lima was surreal!

Pelicans hanging out at the outdoor fish market.