Gran Hotel Bolivar Lima  

Wonderful character, very helpful staff and great location in historic Lima.

Very noisy all night from the traffic.

Loved the old world charm of the exquisite old building located in the beautiful San Martin Plaza. Large room and bathroom with a bathtub.

the street noise was horrendous - traffic and honking horns all night. Staff not very friendly except for the bellmen

Historical hotel with beautiful architecture is in a wonderful location. We splurged with a suite with balcony. Food is excellent.Lots of hot water/bathrooms very clean.Bed was comfortable but would have liked a larger one. Slept well as noise level was low on our side of hotel. Since we could not stay for breakfast, we were given a carry away bag. Thought that was very nice. Look forward to returning to Lima and will definitely stay at Gran Hotel Bolivar again.

Room needs upgrading but again this is an historical hotel. Our room needed.painting and rug could use cleaning. That being said staff cleaned room daily and left fresh towels. No complaints with service or staff.

Location and history

Staff were very slow, place was a bit run down and in need of upgrading.

Historic beautiful building.

The reception staff were rude and not helpful. Very pricey for what you got. Loud and very hard beds.

We liked the location and the service was good.

We had a room right above The street and there was honking of horns the entire night. Hard to sleep. It was the noisest two nights I have ever spent traveling.

location and style

Staying at the Gran bolivar hotel is like staying in a museum. the staff is friendly. there are restaurants in the area and shopping and the best pisco sours in town. we had an early flight and they gave us a breakfast bag full of goodies to take on the plane It's a 5 star at 2 star prices.

It is an ideal spot for looking at the old sights in Lima, most are in walking Distance or a short taxi ride and you can sit in the Plaza San Martin and relax in the cool of the evening. The suites are large light and airy with comfortable sofas and chairs.

This is a grand historic place. We really enjoyed the grandjure of the building. The reception desk was helpful and friendly. The room was clean and well kept, but unfortunately we had an early flight and missed out on the breakfast, and any connection with other employees. We will definitely stay there again if we return to Lima.

We called the hotel directly in the morning and were told they were full. Fortunately, later in the day, we tried your web site and got a room. It seems, with today's communications, that they should be able to connect callers with room holders rather than just turn them down and risk having empty rooms go unfilled.

Large, airy room with huge bathroom with full bath and bidet, and a walk- in cupboard for clothes & luggage. Good location. Liked the old- fashioned style - like stepping back in time.

No wifi in the room at all, though we could pick up the signal for our floor (3rd) down in the breakfast room. Breakfast somewhat limited with no fruit or cereals. Taxi outside wanted $15 to Parque del Reserva but we walked 2 minutes away from the Hotel and got one for $7.

The past grandeur of the hotel was evident everywhere. We loved the historical and architectural details of the hotel. The street noise was a bit much at times but we felt it was a vital part of the entire Lima experience. We loved our room and we loved the restaurant patio and especially liked our usual server Lorenzo who was more than accomodating. Beautiful old hotel in a great location. Will stay there on my next trip to Lima!

Hotel certainly needs some updating but if you're a fan of past historical grandeur and architecture there's nothing to dislike. Room could have used a good dusting and bathroom could stand some modern renovation but all in all it's very quaint and quite charming for us.

The location is second to none! The square in which it's located is beautiful

The hotel must have been truly magnificent...75 years ago, but now it needs at least a US$ 2,000,000 renovation. I will gladly buy the Ford Model T in the lobby when they get ready to do the work

The building is neat and old. It is in a good location is central Lima.

The bed was uncomfortable. There was a wedding that night, and the reception music was very loud until 3 am, and we had to get up at 4 for an early flight. Some kind of loud fan outside our bathroom too.

I liked its air of faded elegance and its history of having housed the most famous celebrities who visited Lima in the thirties and forties. The building is beautiful, if a bit faded and run down. I also liked its location near the main plaza and the historic district. We were able to book a suite at a very reasonable rate.

We found the service at the restaurant to be appalling. The waiters went out of their way to be rude and breakfast service (which was included in the room rate) was delivered with hostility. So unpleasant was the experience that after our first breakfast at the hotel, we decided to have breakfast (every day of our seven-day stay) outside of the hotel even though we had paid for breakfast at the hotel. Several of our fellow guests commented on how rude the waitstaff in the restaurant were. In contrast, the reception and cleaning staff was very polite and helpful.

Location, grandeur, size of room,

Hot water intermittent or not at all, room furniture minimal or not enough, breakfast room very hot

A pleasure to be able to experience the Grandeur of pasttimes. Would not be able to afford such a place during it´s hayday. They don´t build them like this anymore

Bathroom could be sypathetically restored & the traffic noise (not too bad)

If you appreciate antiques you will like this hotel.

bathrooms could be updated with new tile and take the 2nd toilet out of the restroom it runs and does not work, more like a eye sore.

Incredible historic hotel, 1924 and it feels as if you've been transformed back in time.

Inside the rooms, the comfort could be increased. Older bed, bedding, etc.

The location is excellent. The hotel itself has old world charm and first impressions of grandeur are overwhelming (how can we afford this?), when the price is very moderate.. Our triple room was large, with a separate baggage storage room and a small nook with a desk for the computer. It was also very quiet as it was facing inside rather than to the busy street. The 'cathedral' pisco sours were huge and wonderful. The food in the dining room was good. We liked everything about the hotel.

Old world grandeur at an excellent location and very affordable.

There are some things we didn't like, but it wouldn't be fair to hold it against the hotel. It is old world, and therefore you can't expect all modern amenities.

We loved the building. The staff were friendly and helpful and the price was reasonable. For some reason our booking through booking.com had not registered with the hotel - it's unclear whether this was the fault of the Bolivar or of booking.com - however the hotel readily accepted us. Luckily they had a suitable room available.

The old hotel is beautiful, inside and out. The location is great, by shopping, restaurants, and a 10 min walk to the old churches. Very safe area.

The rooms need updating, especially the beds, but this all costs money and takes time for a hotel of this size.

The History of the Hotel

Main Counter staff were very mechanical,burocratic, money up front.

This is a grand, colonial style hotel built in 1924, which still boasts doormen, marble floors and historical elegance. It is also the birthplace of the Pisco Sour! Most of the luxury hotels have since migrated toward the Lima suburb of Miraflores - but this is a gem and an experience for adventurous travelers. Imagine an historic first class hotel one might find today in Havana, Cuba, and you will get a very good feel for the ambiance of the Gran Hotel Bolivar Lima. I would stay there again in a heartbeat - and recommend it to anyone ready to move beyond the look and feel of a typical modern hotel. The stay included a wonderful breakfast served in an elegant setting as well - great cafe con leche, eggs, fruit and service! We spent one night at the start of our trip in the Miraflores section and closed out our last night in Peru at the ghbl - which was a wonderful way to say goodbye to Lima!

The beds and pillow were a tad stiff - but I slept like a baby!