Anonymous wrote:Peru's economy is the best in Latin America and you can find Ritz and Marriot hotels and check out Larcomar. If Peru is so poor I wonder why there are so many Argentineans, Spaniards and Chileans immigrating to work and live there. You probably went to Lima 20 years ago when it was poor. Have you been there in the last 3 years? Central and Astrid & Gaston are on the top 50 restaurants in the world and if you go to Miraflores, the Mercedes, Range R overs and BMW's on the street don't signal poverty to me.

You MUST be Peruvian because to say that Peru's economy is the best in Latin America makes no sense. Brazil? Chile?

But Peru. No, sorry. Not true!

Anonymous wrote:Bariloche, Argentina - http://llaollao.com/en/

Amazing scenery, great food, really cool old hotel with an awesome spa. Ah...

yes!

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks everyone!

To 14:31 I'm leaning towards Antigua and Lake Atitlan. To that poster, did you have any safety concerns while there? I understand Antigua is OK but i'm nervous about passing through Guatemala City.

No need to br nervous. Guatemala City has somd really nice places!

Re: Lima. DH and I adored it. We stayed at the Marriott in Miraflores and with the view of the beach and the prettiness of the area, it was romantic alright. I do think central Lima is a bit rundown (Miraflores did not appear rundown to me at all), but it's a picturesque sort of run-down. It all depends on what you consider romantic, OP. We like being alone in exotic (to us) places and if it's a bit shabby, we don't mind. If you need not just your accommodations but the surrounding area to be very polished, Lima is probably not for you. If you do choose this route, I also recommend going to Cuzco and Macchu Picchu from there. Cuzco is a tourist trap but a pretty one and Macchu Picchu is amazing. (I'd rec doing the Orient Express train from Cuzco to Macchu Picchu, if it's in your budget, it's well worth it).

I'd also rec Chile. Santiago is a nice town, even if I don't think there is much to do there for longer than a weekend, and you can take a train to Vina del Mar, which is pretty and picturesque and on the beach. You can also go to Valapraiso, which is pretty much one of the most inanely gorgeous cities I've ever seen. Built for romance, IMO (provided you are in good shape to hike those hills ) We also went to the Atacama desert, which is gorgeous and there are plenty of activities/tours etc. Not sure if that would be romantic, but certainly pretty.

If you just want a city trip, I don't think anything can beat the glamour and gorgeousness of Buenos Aires.

I've never felt unsafe at any of the above, though DH is super good with navigation so we stayed away from areas that were supposed to be dangerous (unless they were dangerous only at night so we went there during the day).

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks everyone!

To 14:31 I'm leaning towards Antigua and Lake Atitlan. To that poster, did you have any safety concerns while there? I understand Antigua is OK but i'm nervous about passing through Guatemala City.

So I actually went to Guatemala city on my own - it was my first solo trip. I was a 25yo female at the time. I flew into Guatemala city and then took a shuttle to Antigua - my boyfriend met me in Antigua a month later and we traveled to Atitlan together. So I really didn't spend much time in Guatemala City itself. I never felt unsafe in Guatemala though. This was in 2008.

Bump

OP here. Thanks everyone!

To 14:31 I'm leaning towards Antigua and Lake Atitlan. To that poster, did you have any safety concerns while there? I understand Antigua is OK but i'm nervous about passing through Guatemala City.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Peru's economy is the best in Latin America and you can find Ritz and Marriot hotels and check out Larcomar. If Peru is so poor I wonder why there are so many Argentineans, Spaniards and Chileans immigrating to work and live there. You probably went to Lima 20 years ago when it was poor. Have you been there in the last 3 years? Central and Astrid & Gaston are on the top 50 restaurants in the world and if you go to Miraflores, the Mercedes, Range Rovers and BMW's on the street don't signal poverty to me.

HAHAHAHAHAHA

Lima is disgusting. OP, ignore the Lima posters. Cusco is breathtaking. Lima is squalor. Chile's economy is and has been the strongest in SA, never Peru. No Chileans are emigrating to Lima. What a laugh. I highly doubt the other SAs are either. OP, try cartagena or Ecuador.

You sound like you are a bitter Chilean who is not informed. Articles in Chilean newspapers have quoted IMF reports stating that the Peruvian economy is growing at a faster rate than Chile and that it will surpass Chile in the near future. I bet I can also find articles in Chilean newspapers reporting Chileans going to Peru to look for work. LOL!! Funny when the truth smacks you in the face.

http://www.andina.com.pe/ingles/noticia-imf-perus-economy-to-surpass-chile-by-2018-469756.aspx

My guess is that the poster who does not like Lima is probably Chilean since it is my understanding that there is a lot of animosity between those two countries. I was curious about the emigration of Spaniards and looked it up. BBC article attached below confirms that Spaniards are going to South America for better opportunities and there are thousands of Spaniards who emigrated to Peru according to a Spanish man featured in the article. Now the BBC is not bullshit news outlet so I believe it. Lots of countries have their good and bad parts. I visited Peru and personally find it more friendly than Argentina. We visited because it has world class accommodations and more to explore (i.e. Macchu Picchu, Nazca Lines, Lake Titicaca, rainforest, etc.) than the other countries in Latin America. It all depends on what you look for and what your idea of romantic is.

http://www.bbc.com/capital/story/20141003-why-are-spaniards-fleeing-home

Anonymous wrote:You can get a lot more bang for your buck with cheaper flights to Central America. I'd recommend either Costa Rica or Guatemala for a romantic trip.

Guatemala - Hang out in Antigua and then go to Atitlan - a gorgeous lake with beautiful hotels and such surrounding it. We stayed here and I found it quite romantic: http://www.lacasadelmundo.com/web/index.php/en
Google image search to get a good feel for the hotel

Costa Rica - Endless opportunities. Snorkeling and dolphin watching in Manuel Antonio - we rented a huge townhouse here: http://www.hotelmonoazul.com/

We also loved Arenal and the hot springs. Monteverde was lots of fun.

And for the record, I say this as someone who has also had a couples trip to Buenos Aires. It is a wonderful place to visit, but if you are talking about a 3k budget, flights are like 1k each.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Peru's economy is the best in Latin America and you can find Ritz and Marriot hotels and check out Larcomar. If Peru is so poor I wonder why there are so many Argentineans, Spaniards and Chileans immigrating to work and live there. You probably went to Lima 20 years ago when it was poor. Have you been there in the last 3 years? Central and Astrid & Gaston are on the top 50 restaurants in the world and if you go to Miraflores, the Mercedes, Range Rovers and BMW's on the street don't signal poverty to me.

HAHAHAHAHAHA

Lima is disgusting. OP, ignore the Lima posters. Cusco is breathtaking. Lima is squalor. Chile's economy is and has been the strongest in SA, never Peru. No Chileans are emigrating to Lima. What a laugh. I highly doubt the other SAs are either. OP, try cartagena or Ecuador.

What is the point of spewing this much vitriol over this topic?

You can get a lot more bang for your buck with cheaper flights to Central America. I'd recommend either Costa Rica or Guatemala for a romantic trip.

Guatemala - Hang out in Antigua and then go to Atitlan - a gorgeous lake with beautiful hotels and such surrounding it. We stayed here and I found it quite romantic: http://www.lacasadelmundo.com/web/index.php/en
Google image search to get a good feel for the hotel

Costa Rica - Endless opportunities. Snorkeling and dolphin watching in Manuel Antonio - we rented a huge townhouse here: http://www.hotelmonoazul.com/

We also loved Arenal and the hot springs. Monteverde was lots of fun.

Anonymous wrote:Peru's economy is the best in Latin America and you can find Ritz and Marriot hotels and check out Larcomar. If Peru is so poor I wonder why there are so many Argentineans, Spaniards and Chileans immigrating to work and live there. You probably went to Lima 20 years ago when it was poor. Have you been there in the last 3 years? Central and Astrid & Gaston are on the top 50 restaurants in the world and if you go to Miraflores, the Mercedes, Range Rovers and BMW's on the street don't signal poverty to me.

HAHAHAHAHAHA

Lima is disgusting. OP, ignore the Lima posters. Cusco is breathtaking. Lima is squalor. Chile's economy is and has been the strongest in SA, never Peru. No Chileans are emigrating to Lima. What a laugh. I highly doubt the other SAs are either. OP, try cartagena or Ecuador.

Peru's economy is the best in Latin America and you can find Ritz and Marriot hotels and check out Larcomar. If Peru is so poor I wonder why there are so many Argentineans, Spaniards and Chileans immigrating to work and live there. You probably went to Lima 20 years ago when it was poor. Have you been there in the last 3 years? Central and Astrid & Gaston are on the top 50 restaurants in the world and if you go to Miraflores, the Mercedes, Range Rovers and BMW's on the street don't signal poverty to me.

Bariloche, Argentina - http://llaollao.com/en/

Amazing scenery, great food, really cool old hotel with an awesome spa. Ah...