Magdalen House by DOT Light — Hotel in Lima Metropolitan Area

My wife, adult daughter, teenage granddaughter, a friend, and I traveled to Lima to participate in a two-week volunteer project. The coordinator had searched for safe and reasonably-priced hostel-type accommodation for our group (eleven in all, mostly early-twenties), and found Magdalen House to be the most suitable. This four-storey hostel is in the safe and walkable city of Magdalena del Mar, one of the many cities that make up greater Lima. This city of about 85 000 is between the Pacific Ocean (about eight blocks away) and a main thoroughfare called Avenue de la Marina. Found on Marina are several "Inca" markets, as well as a large American-style shopping centre, and many restaurants (including McDonald's, Chilis, etc.). The large, European-like city of Miraflores is a short taxi ride away and well-worth visiting, as is downtown Lima. The rest of Lima, from what we saw, is hardly what one would describe as a tourist destination: perpetually grey skies (pollution and humidity), crowded and often unfinished buildings, and horrendous traffic on main roads (think of five lanes of traffic trying to squeeze through roads built for three lanes, horns blaring, etc.). Pedestrians have absolutely no rights or recognition at uncontrolled intersections, which, for most Canadians, takes some getting used to.||||Magdalen House is one of the most highly-rated hostels in this part of Lima. The staff is very friendly and helpful, although they speak next to no English (luckily, our coordinator was bilingual). The rooms are basic but satisfactory, each with its own private bathroom. The bathrooms are clean with tiled floors and shower. (The sink has only cold water, but the shower has both hot and cold.) There is no central heating, so the room and bed seem somewhat damp and chilly at first, but luckily, the beds have heavy blankets. The room my wife and I had was on the second floor, and overlooked a central courtyard that went right to the top of the building. It was very noisy in the early morning, as the staff prepared breakfast, moving the heavy wooden tables and chairs (on tiled floors). We considered asking for an outside-facing room, but never got around to it (or else we got used to the noise). Laundry services are available (for a reasonable amount), WiFi service is excellent, and there is a lounge with two computers and a printer. Breakfast is provided in the dining room; it consists of tea and coffee, fresh rolls with strawberry jam, and the staff will provide a fried egg. The kitchen is available for patrons' use for lunch and dinner, with a large fridge for their use. (Fresh food markets are nearby, and at the mall is a huge, modern supermarker [Wong] with anything you could find in a North American store.) The stove is small with two gas burners, and a microwave oven is available.||||Before traveling to Peru, we were advised to bring lots of American money (especially ones). This was unnecessary as the Peruvian currency was expected for use (we traded a lot of our American $ for Peruvian Soles at the Western Union at the mall). Also, we were advised to bring transformers and adapters for our laptops, hair dryers, etc. These were also unnecessary as the outlets at the hostel (and also at two hotels in Cusco) were fine for our electronics.||||Transportation in and around Magdalena del Mar was fun and convenient in the "Tuk-tuks", small, two-passenger covered motorcycle-adapted taxis (about 2 soles--75 cents). A regular taxi to the airport was about 50 soles. ||||Magdalen House has an excellent website (magdalenhouse.com) including a YouTube video of the hostel. It would be very useful to access this site if you are considering a...

I returned to Magdalen House, and found things even better, great service as usual, good breakfast served during early mornings (however if you wake up late can self-service coffee and bread eggs etc). The staff is always attentive to your specific needs (like if you need extra towels) the place has basic facilities such as laundry, pay phone one of the best security features is that the hotel has closed-circuit cameras which provide extra security for guests. ||||Having the hotel owner present (most of the times) makes things better for guests, the owner is very attentive to guest' request not like most hotels in Lima, this hotel is a home away from home. I really enjoyed my last stay and found people from many countries staying some from Germany, Venezuela, USA and Spain, every one was friendly and Roger as the rest of the staff made my stay very pleasant and enjoyable. ||||If you plan to visit Lima and think about a nice place to stay choose Magdalen House, since most (touristic areas) like Miraflores are currently under construction, yes many places in Lima are in the process of building new roads (like Ave. Larco) and new depart/buildings. Magdalen is also located near LIMA airport and also near many business Plaza San Miguel, while at night the area is very quiet, not like noisy zones (miraflores, barranco, etc). Magdalena is a friendly city, and as most cities in South America one has to always take precautions while visiting. One extra tip, the hotel has their own taxi service (provided by a fee) their driver can pick up or drop passengers at any time with prior reservation or scheduling of course. ||Best time to visit Lima? since most hotels lack air conditioning I will say between May and October when their climate is cool, Lima has many places to visit zoos and parks.||||Hope to return soon and next time I will post more comments...

I stayed at Magdalen House for over 2 weeks, the place is very clean, and cozy; the staff makes you feel as welcomed like a family member from day one; and all of them are very helpful, they have (in site) laundry washer and dryer, public coin-phone inside, and a great basic breakfast during early morning (included in their price) 2 eggs, coffe, and 3 fresh pieces of bread. ||Pictures at their website are very accurate, rooms, bathrooms, and beds are cleaned daily.||||The place is located a few blocks from bus stops, and near stores restaurants shops and more, I stayed in other hotels but this is not just another hotel, it is the only place I will stay in Lima, it is like a home away from home, were you can stay with family ||||Thanks to all their staff my visit to Lima was an enjoyable...