heating in low to mid hotels and hotels
 

My trip to Peru is at the end of the month and part of July. I have never traveled to anywhere in South America. This is a solo trip. I am in approximately average to good health but in cold weather occasionally when outside or after just coming inside, I have an attack of Reynauds syndrome or something similar and my feet get too numb or cold and I have to start running around like crazy and it takes awhile to regain feeling in my feet. I have reserved rooms in low end hotels and hostels in addition to 3 overnight bus rides. When I bought my plane tickets I didn't want to think the weather would be a problem and I didn't know that low to mid end logging places in South America are not heated.

How am I going to survive well? Have any of you stayed at non-high-end logging places in Peru?

Firstly, overnight travel on buses won't be a problem as far as cold is concerned. The first line bus companies like Cruz de Sur are excellent and very comfortable. much better than buses in the US or Europe. I advise booking VIP/Ejecutivo/First class which is much like business class on a decent airline - lie flat seats etc and not much more expensive.

You don't say where in Peru you are going (its a huge country!). It is the austral winter so it will be cold up in the Andes at night but the sun is very strong and it warms up rapidly during the day (take sun hat and sun glasses). As in most places, layering is the best solution. "low to mid range" doesn't mean much but most small hotels and hostels will not have central heating but these days many will have portable space heater but you may need to ask. If the cold is a big issue for you then you clearly need to ask your accommodation in advance and chose somewhere that does have some form of heating - check direct with the properties or look at the facilities listed on booking.com or Expedia. Personally I always take merino thermals which pack small , are very warm and can be worn during the day or at night. dont forget the warm socks

It will be hot and humid in the Amazon and most of the coastal areas so zircon or fans are what you need

I am spending 2 nights in Lima, afternoon bus to Nasca, 1 night in Nasca, overnight bus to Arequipa, 1 night in Arequipa, overnight bus to Cusco, taxi to Ollantaytambo, 2 nights in Ollantaytambo, 3 nights in Cusco, back to Lima, 3-1/2 more nights in Lima. Day trip to Machu Picchu, not making time for the Amazon Jungle area, Lake Titicaca, or Northern Peru.

I have not been using sunglasses. I have a pair. I use a sunhat every day in Michigan that the temperature isn't cold enough for a warmer hat. I picked hotels rooms or private rooms in hostels, on booking that looked appealing and were in approximately close enough to certain museums. I forgot to observe that the descriptions do not say they are heated. I grew up in a house in Michigan built in 1965 that never was updated with central or window air conditioning. I thought only lack of air conditioning could exist. I didn't know lack of heating in a hotel was a thing. My parents never cared about the lack of air conditioning but they acted like something terrible was happening the few times it was cold and there was an electric power outage which meant the electric starter and electric blower of the forced-air natural gas central heating wouldn't work. Yeah I picked the highest class seats on Cruz del sur buses.

Some of us remember, michaelpianko, that you were willing to criticize staff of the Art Institute of Chicago for simply doing their job. See https://www.fodors.com/community/sou...1726312/page4/ post # 69 and preceding. Until or unless you indicate a change in attitude, I won't offerany adivce.

"I have not been using sunglasses" I would use them here. The UV saturation at altitude is very , very high. The same with sunscreen. It may not be very hot but you can burn very quickly. If you have booked accommodation on a refundable basis, then just go back and check and change if you feel it is unsuitable. If not refundable then , as suggested, contact them and ask about space heaters. It is a lot better these days than it was when I first visited!

Booking shows that the first hotel has air conditioning. It says nothing about heat. Often my circulation is good and I can spend time outside in Michigan in winter if I am dressed good enough with snowpants or if I try jogging with multiple layers and thick socks. Occasionally in Michigan if we get a really cold spell and I go outside for more that 5-ten minutes, and my circulation at the moment isn't good, I remember this happening infrequently in the late afternoon or evening, and if I haven't been doing enough activity, my feet and hands get too dangerously numb and I have to run around like crazy to try making my circulation improve to prevent myself from having some dangerous problem happening. I was conditioned to feel like an unheated house is dangerous while lack of air conditioning is just a manageable minor lack.

The second hotel lists "fan" but heat isn't listed
The list of information on booking about the other hotels doesn't say anything about heating (or cooling)

IME most fans in room will blow warm air and aircon units in Peru often have a heating mode. As suggested previously, message the hotel directly using the booking.com facility or email and ask your specific questions. keep it simple and if e-mail , write in Spanish (use Google translate if you dont speak Spanish)

I am not a medic and will not offer medical advice but if I had circulation or other medical issues, I would check with my doctor for medical advice before going to high altitude

Thanks for your input. My trip worked out ok. I bought a knit hat and knit gloves shortly after I arrived in Peru. I put the hat on my head at least some evenings before I went to sleep. I wasn't as cold as I feared I would be. My room in Cusco came with an electric heater near the ceiling. It wasn't the cheapest or most expensive room I could have got. My other rooms didn't seem to have any heating. Night temperatures were approximately in the 40's Fahrenheit. Maybe the fact that I did more walking that I do in a typical day near home cause my circulation to be better than I expected.

I’ve spent a few winters in Peru and I completely understand what you mean. Most budget and mid-range hotels in Peru don't have central heat, especially outside of Lima. It can get pretty cold in the Andean cities (Cusco, Puno, Arequipa), and hotels usually provide blankets, or a small space heater or the like.

A few tips that helped me:

• Bring a light weight down jacket or decent fleece you can wear namely indoors.
• Make sure to ask if the hotel you're interested in provides extra blankets or portable heaters. Many do, even if they aren't advertised online.
• If you run cold or suffer from Reynaud's, make sure to pack warm socks or even heated insoles for your shoes. This helps a lot.
• Overnight buses can be cold too. Sit back away from the door, and keep a warm layer handy.

If you can afford to “splurge” for one or two nights at a slightly better hotel at higher elevation it can be worth it, if only for the heat. Not to worry though, with a bit of planning and layers you should be just fine. Peru is an awesome country, even in the cold!