Gran Hotel Bolivar Lima

Once you enter the lobby you entered a historical place original build 1924 and renovated 1936 (the upper 2 floors were added, they are closed now). I doubt the hotel was renovated ever since, so this beauty has faded in to a 3* hotel||By check in I was upgraded to a suite||The suite had a living room with a small eating table as well. The bed room had a comfertable kingsize bed. The bathroom was large, but by design I guess still from 1936||Personally I lived the historic feeling. But sadly the rooms have no central heating (there are small removable heating having a problem heating the room). The windows are thin, so you hear everything in the room. The bathroom even has window that never can be closed for real||The breakfast is not buffet style, but omelet style. If its not included, there are better places||The dinner at the hotel restaurant is good. But the music relatively loud, as it is a part of the bar today. The bar is said to have the best pisco sour (the national drink) in town (some sources even claim pisco sour was invented here.

What a strange hotel experience. The historical look is beautiful, but otherwise did not feel welcome here. When returning in the evening the place is covered in scary looking security guards, all of whom appear very skeptical that anyone actually stays at this hotel as a guest. And none of them speak English in order to discern who belongs and who doesn't. We were almost not allowed to enter the front door, and then once finally inside a man refused to let us go to the elevators and was unable to communicate to us why we couldn't go to the room we paid for.

Did not stay here but went there as a meeting point for a city tour. Great history. Worth visiting to see the architecture and read about the history of the hotel.

The historical aspect of the hotel is certainly impressive and gives it a unique charm. However, it’s clear that absolutely nothing has been updated since the hotel was first built. I understand the appeal of preserving history, but there are ways to maintain a property so that it ages gracefully — unfortunately, that’s not the case here. The moment we walked into the lobby, we were overwhelmed by a foul, nauseating smell that followed us all the way to the room. The walls were dirty, the curtains were stained, and the overall condition felt neglected. The only indication that the room had been cleaned was the strong smell of bleach, which mixed unpleasantly with the persistent odors in the hotel. Despite its potential, the experience was disappointing due to poor maintenance and a lack of basic cleanliness. With some care and investment, this place could truly shine — but as it stands, it feels like a beautiful building left to decay.

We stayed here so that we could spend a day and a half in Lima before flying home and because it seemed close to the sites we wanted to see. It is close to the sites. But that is about all it has going for it.||There are old hotels that have worn charm. The Waldorf Astoria 15 years ago comes to mind. ||And then there are hotels that are old, clearly not being maintained that are running on the fumes of their illustrious past. This is one of then. ||You can tell that 50 years ago this hotel was the epitome of class. And about then they apparently stopped giving a damn. ||The check in area is drab and uninviting. The wallpaper is peeling. ||The hallways are long and dark. Almost spooky. They brag about having the first two working elevators in Peru. Only one works now.||The rooms. Good lord the rooms. If you like period furniture and fixtures this is the place. Because they have changed nothing for decades. Not the soiled arm chair begging to be reupholstered. Not the chandelier with burnt shades and light sticks held together with masking tape. Not the bathroom straight out of 1930, including the tarnished mirror. Certainly not the outlets that look like they could catch fire if you glance at them the wrong way. Every surface needs a paint job but you would need a hazmat crew first to remediate the lead paint. ||One of the major chains should buy this place and thoroughly revamp it. Or it should be put out of its misery. The latter probably makes the most sense because central Lima is basically a derelict ghost town.||If you are looking for old school charm, this is not the place. Just stay in Miraflores with the nouveau riche.

We arrived at midnight. The lobby had a musician film crew & the music was loud. Filming went on past 6am. None of this was posted on their website. I guess we know where their priorities lie. We had just finished a 5-6 hr. bus ride back from Huacuchina. We all still needed a shower or bath. after all the music & filming went on all night. guess what??? NO hot water in any rooms. NO heat/ rooms were very cold. It is middle of May. The bathrooms are huge & they have that step up. The internet is great at this Hotel but very slow. By now it was 9am. : Coffee & Breakfast took a long time coming & there were only 2 tables. There are not a lot of people staying at this hotel. it does not take that much time to make coffee. Very Opulent Surroundings but we did not feel like Kings or Queens or even their guests. Service was SLOW. There were 3 of us. Rooms are okay. There were many, many tours going on. I guess that's how they make their money. not many people stay here. I would not recommend staying here for any money & the busy, busy, noise. & just the musicians that took over. We ended up getting our one night money back & then we asked for a refund for the next 2 nights & we left. I'm happy we did. not at Bolivar any more. the manager was a wonderful, polite, & apologetic person but the Hotel has to be updated. Internet, hot water, breakfasts etc....

This hotel was the best we stayed at in Peru, for its faded glamour, grand hallways and beautiful fixtures and fittings. Staff were friendly and helpful and the rooms were spacious and well equipped. The hotel looked a little worn but well looked after and original features had been kept, which was perfect in showing how film stars and politicians lived in 1924. The hotel celebrated its 100th birthday 2 days after we left. If I ever return to Lima, that hotel will definitely be my base. And the pisco sours there are the best we had in Peru, and we had one daily for 3 weeks, so lots to compare with!

The food and drinks were very good, but the service was somewhat distant; they should be more committed to their customers and were quite cold in their approach. However, what surprised me the most, and I won't let this go unnoticed, is that one of the glasses broke on the table because I accidentally bumped it against another glass. I called them to be careful, and they told me they would charge me for it—a cheap glass—but the lack of delicacy impressed me. If I hadn't mentioned it, they wouldn't have noticed. I've never seen anything like this anywhere else: charging for a cheap glass."