Hotel Paracas, a Luxury Collection Resort, Paracas — Hotel in Paracas

A recent business trip to Lima was extended to see Machu Picchu and the Nasca Lines, the latter of which led us to the Hotel Paracas. As a SPG member, we used points to stay at nearly no cost. The hotel is beautiful. The rooms are very nice and clean. The staff is mostly helpful. If in this part of the country, I would likely stay here again. There are a couple of issues to be wary of. First, the beach, which you can't really use (swimming prohibited, at least while I was there), smells horrible. My wife, who's sensitive to smells, could barely stand it. It's safe to say she would not return. I'm not sure if something can be done, but a better job of cleaning it would be a good start. It was not well groomed. Second, the food is a bit pricey for the area (roughly U.S. prices, in a country where U.S. prices are otherwise really high), but acceptably tasty. A hamburger, for example, is about $20 (but cerviche was only out $25). If you use points, you won't get breakfast, and the buffet is about $25. There isn't much in the vicinity to eat, so we felt a bit stuck. We tried to get out (we had a car), but the group didn't really feel safe doing so. The Hotel Paracas is a luxury resort in an otherwise very poor area (including Pisco, which is a 15-20 minute drive away). We ate across the street at a hotel where the food was decent (I don't recommend the beef) and the prices a lot better. Third, I do not recommend driving from Lima to Paracas. It's not that the roads are that bad, though it was a 4 hour drive for 220km (140 miles). The toll road is very nice, which makes up the bulk of the trip. However, we were essentially mugged by Peruvian police at both toll booths. The car rental agent advised this might happen, though we were still a bit unprepared for it. The police (a group of about 15 after each stop) would tell you broke some law and hold you there until you paid them something. It was so institutionalized that there were Peruvians selling snacks to the many cars that were pulled over. We had expected a rogue cop, not a group of 15 or so cops behaving in this way. We panicked a bit, and ended up having to pay more than we should have. Here's the program. They pull you over and tell you have broken some law (if not, they'll make one up). Play stupid for a while. I don't recommend speaking Spanish even if you do. They'll eventually hand you a book with some laws in it and tell you broke one (thinking or knowing you can't speak Spanish, they'll point to some law that has nothing to do with you, but has a high fine). Put 20 soles in this book, folded, so that it cannot be seen from the cameras capturing the whole event. (We learned this trick from one of the police, who made us thank him for taking our money before he let us go). That is, you need to have them hand you something into which you can hide a payoff. The key is to play stupid (or actually be it; they may let you go if sit for long enough, since that looks suspicious), and do not panic! Sadly, the hotel staff acted like they had never heard of such activity, but we met other Americans that had experienced the same thing. We were warned about it by the car rental staff. There's no doubt the holdup is institutionalized. Note that we traveled on a weekend, and maybe it happens only on Friday and Saturday when the environment is target rich. We had no issues returning on Sunday. Next time, if there is a next time, I will take a bus or a train. There's no use for a car in that area other than getting to-and-from Lima. The Nasca lines and the Bellestas Islands are worth seeing. Fourth, the Concierge service at the hotel was mixed. One was mostly helpful, the other not at all. The travel group, which is about the only think the one concierge could point you to, set up a flight over the Nasca lines at $250 a pop, but the planes were very nice and expertly piloted . It was a very easy trip, but perhaps better deals are available (though maybe...

This is an amazing hotel on so many levels. The location in relation to the town is perfect. Only about a 7-10 minute walk into town for restaurants and shopping. Within the grounds, the property is absolutely gorgeous, perfectly maintained (always being landscaped and cleaned to perfection). The 2 pool areas are spacious and very easy to enjoy, with poolside food and drink service. The staff service throughout is amazing. They also have a dock, and we were able to reserve a tour to the Ballastas Islands directly with the hotel, that left from that dock. So you don't even need to leave the property to jump on one of the most popular tours out of Paracas, you can just walk out to the hotel's dock, which took us 1 minute from our room. Just book the tour while you check in (or call ahead of time). The price was the same as the tours in town, and had far fewer people than the sardines packed into the town's tour boats. The rooms are clean and spacious. Very much decorated like we're on the beach (not beach-themed, but tile throughout, rattan furniture.. definitely reminds me of coastal/beach hotel rooms). Room service was great, and housekeeping always did a fantastic job. They have an Italian restaurant right next to their more formal restaurant that's open throughout the day. I'll just say, remember that this isn't Italy. The pizza and pasta were fine for a snack, but obviously, this isn't where you go to have your mind blown for Italian fare. Their breakfast is very good, and has a good array of higher quality options. Their dinner had a few absolutely mind-blowing dishes, and a few that were average. Overall, I'd say if you have the energy, go into town to get a cheaper, more local meal. But if you want to stay close and dine at their hotel restaurant, it's probably in the Good/Very Good category. Overall, an excellent stay. I would...

Welcome to paradise resort hotel ! Stayed 3 nights here with my familly in January 2013 and we will keep an unforgettable memory. Didn't know that this beautiful hotel resort was established since 1944, which made it even more prestigious. We loved everything here; the architecture & design, the beautiful swimming pool, the massages at the spa, the room was well decorated and had everything as a normal standard Starwood room, we liked the free wifi in the lobby, the food (delicious peruvian meals) & drinks (pisco sour) at the restaurant & at the bar, the service by the staff at the restaurant and bar/swimming pool were very kind, true and friendly. The view on the Ocean from the beach but as well the desert (Paracas National Reserve) was breathtaking in the evening with the sunset. *Now the little complaints, even though I'm fluent in Spanish with an accent, the people at the front desk where not too friendly (except the bellman) and had a bit of attitude with us everytime we were asking questions + check-in/check-out, which I didn't like since the amount of money for 1 night is already high, you except a kind service with a smile here, this is not an cheap motel here. Same thing for the concierge, who couldn't gave us too much informations about the area and sent us to their tourist vacation agency into the resort. A regular concierge or even a simple bellman in every hotels could give suggestions for booking tours, restaurants and so on. We finally booked a tour with a official private local guide via the concierge instead of their pricey tourist agency to visit the Paracas National Reserve, worth the visit (around 2/3hours). Despite these little irritations, our stay at this resort hotel was fabulous. It's totally worth it to stay here, you will have an amazing time, perfect for couples or as well familly. I'll still...