Restaurants & Hotels

Restaurants & Hotels

The north coast has excellent seafood, while simpler, but equally delicious, meat-and-rice dishes are more common in highlands. Some of Trujillo's fancier restaurants expect you to dress up for dinner, but most spots along the coast are quite casual. Depending on the restaurant, the bill may include a 10% service charge. If not, a 10% tip is appropriate. Throughout the region, almuerzo (lunch) is the most important meal of the day. It's eaten around 2 PM. Cena (dinner) is normally a lighter meal.

Cities along the north coast, especially Trujillo and Chiclayo, have a wide range of lodgings, including large business hotels and converted colonial mansions. The latter, usually called casonas, offer personalized service not found in the larger hotels. In smaller towns, such as Barranca and Casma, luxury lodgings do not exist, but you'll have no problem finding a clean and comfortable room. The highlands have excellent lodges with horse stables and hot springs; you can also find family-run inns with simple, basic rooms. Assume hotels do not have air-conditioning unless otherwise indicated.

Finding a hotel room throughout the coastal and highlands areas ought to be painless throughout the year, although coastal resorts like Máncora and Punta Sal are often jammed in summer and holiday weeks. Sports enthusiasts head to Huaraz and Cajamarca in summer so make reservations early. Plan at least two months in advance if you want to travel during Easter and Christmas, when Peruvians take their holidays.