Excerpt from 2002/10 Excat - Bare Eyes

Here is a money-saving tip, that should save you the cost of an annual membership to this forum. Ask your hotel to be sure to delete the tax, 18 percent for IVA. I spoke to three different hotel staffers at two different hotels and did not get the same exact story on tax exemption. The gist is that a visitor who does not carry a Peru passport can have the hotel tax deducted from the bill for at least 60 days each year. A colleague's hotel photocopied the ID pages of his passport. My hotel photocopied every page of my passport, including the blank pages. The 10 percent service charge is still added to the bill.

In picking out a hotel, try to select one close to Avenue A. Benavides (which runs east-west and should not be confused with Avenue O. Benavides which runs north-south along the west border of Kennedy Park) and Avenue Larco. There is a Maria Isabel supermarket located a short block from that corner and is open 24 hours. It accepts a US dollar bill in payment for groceries and gives change in soles. When I stayed in the El Pardo Hotel and Hotel Dorado, these hotels were only about three blocks from another Maria Isabel supermarket on Ave. Pardo and Ave. Arica. If you are on a budget, then the supermarket is excellent. I bought 1.5 liter of agua con gas (soda water) for 2 soles, a bottle of dark Guyana rum for US $4, a carton of wine for 7 soles, whole roasted chicken for 10 soles, bread rolls for 5 soles per kilogram (2.2 lb), and luncheon meat for 6 soles per kilogram and up.

Here is a link to two different sites giving hotel information and general area information, which can certainly be useful for the first time visitor.........
http://www.peru-hotels.com/lima.htm
http://www.peru-hotels.com/
CFK