Restaurants & Hotels

Restaurants & Hotels

Dining out in the Central Highlands is a very casual experience. Restaurants are mostly small, family run eateries serving regional fare. Breakfast is usually bread with jam or butter and juice. The midday lunch, the day's largest meal, combines soup, salad, and a rice and meat dish. You'll find snacks everywhere, from nuts and fruit to ice cream and sweet breads. Dinner is after 7 PM and extremely light. Don't worry about dressing up or making reservations. Tipping isn't customary, but waiters appreciate the extra change. All parts of the animal and almost every animal is considered. Guinea pig farming is among the more profitable occupations, so grilled cuy is a menu staple. Heartier fare comes in stews, which are spiced with ají to stave off the mountain chill.

Accommodations in the Central Highlands lean toward the very basic. Only the largest properties have air-conditioning, hot water, TVs, phones, and private baths. If you don't need pampering, and you don't expect top-quality service, you'll travel easily—and cheaply. The majority of hotels have clean, modest rooms with simple Andean motifs. Bathrooms usually have showers only, and if hot water is available it's only in the morning or evening. Most hotels have a restaurant, or at least a dining room with some type of food service. If you want a homestay experience, ask your hotel or a local travel company, who can often hook you up with hosts in the area.

Rooms are almost always available. But if you'll be traveling during the region's popular Semana Santa (Holy Week) or anniversary festivities book tours and hotels early. Also book early around the anniversary of the Battle of Ayacucho in mid-December.