Peru, the Land of El Dorado, is a famed destination, most notably for containing both the celebrated ruins of Machu Picchu, near to Cusco (also spelled as Cuzco), and the lion's share of equally legendary Lake Titicaca. Peru is a modern country with a healthy economy and a tourism sector that still is the stuff of dreams, from backpackers to luxury tourists. While Peru event venues are thrilling, groups must first adjust to the country's altitudes before they can enjoy themselves.
The main international airport is in Lima's port, Callao, seven miles north of Lima's center. The Jorge Chavez International Airport (LIM) receives flights from Atlanta, Houston, Miami, New York, Newark and Toronto (Arequipa and Cusco also have excellent airports with regular flights from Lima.)
While there are no dedicated convention venues in Peru, the country did open its World Trade Center in Lima in 2010.There are also excellent hotel venues in Lima, mostly in its Miraflores and San Isidro districts, and many have ample meeting and function space. Choices include the 431-room Sheraton Lima Hotel & Convention Center, which has 16,000 square feet of meeting space; the 300-room JW Marriott Lima, which has 13,347 square feet of meeting space, and the 244-room Swissotel Lima, which has nine meeting rooms and a 6,200-square-foot ballroom.
Cusco's most famed hotels, perfect for events and historical finery, are the 240-room Libertador (not far off from being a museum), which has five meeting rooms, the largest hosting up to 250 persons, and 126-room Monasterio Cusco (literally a museum, although some rooms are not large), which has meeting rooms, function space and even an event chapel dating to 1592. In Cusco, you might not want to leave the Libertador and Monasterio hotels, but the lobby and public spaces of the city's Royal Inka I hotel, beside the attractive Plaza de Regocijo, also is a national monument and has 58 guest rooms (try and snag one of the two that allow access to the blue balcony), while a trip on the luxury Hiram Bingham train (owned by Orient-Express Hotels, as is the Monasterio) from Cusco to Machu Picchu is an experience its 84 passengers are unlikely to forget. Orient-Express also owns the only hotel right at Machu Picchu's entrance, but for some, the Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel (where the train has its own station) is better, wedged between tropical forest and the Urubamba River's steep slopes.
In Lima, those planning events could chose between its foremost attraction, The Gold Museum, which has much gallery space and definitely a wealth of exhibits; the Casa Museo Jose Carlos Mariategui, the former home of one of Peru's greatest philosophers, and, for those wishing swankier confines, the Lima Golf Club, which has a large clubhouse and numerous spaces for events.
Two culinary treats famed in Peru are ceviche (raw fish cooked in citrus juice) and the pisco sour, an alcoholic drink. Restaurants in Lima serving such fare, and with group space, include the Restaurant Huaca Pucllana, which sits amid an archeological site, the restaurant at the private Los Inkas Golf Club (arrangements have to be made) and the wonderful Astrid & Gaston. Two choices in Cusco with local fare include A Mi Manera, which has galleries of new Peruvian art, and Deva, in an old house, its frontage consisting of Incan brickwork.
