Hotel B

There are hotels that are meant to feel private and discreet — the kind of place that you’d accidentally walk right past, that has taxi drivers doing twelve-point turns and reversing up one-way streets. And then there are hotels that are meant to knock you out from the second you lay eyes on them — to inspire instant lust from the car window. Hotel B is firmly in the latter category.

Occupying a prominent corner near the sea in the up-and-coming Barranco neighborhood of Lima, the stately white mansion is a jaw-dropping symbol of the Belle Époque. It was designed in 1914 by noted French architect Claude Sahut; for much of the 1920s, the mansion served as the summer getaway of then-president Augusto Leguia. Past the regal façade is a glamorous interior with soaring ceilings, Italian marble fixtures, a grand living room illuminated by antique candelabras — you get the idea.

Guest rooms, spread between the historic mansion and the three-story annex added during restorations, fall into three categories. ‘Atelier’ rooms, with dramatic dark-wood fixtures, claw-foot tubs and private terraces looking out over the courtyard, are at the top of the heap. But even standard rooms feel romantic, even slightly decadent; filled with charming twenties-era furnishings, eye-catching artwork, a vintage suitcase here, a weathered map in a glass frame there, these accommodations call to mind a more glamorous era of travel.

That old-world theme continues downstairs, where La Biblioteca is stocked with antique maps and books. Breakfast is served on El Patio, the airy space between the old house and the newer annex; come dinnertime, a gourmet Peruvian menu and South American wine list await in the refined bar and restaurant.

Make time for a drink on the rooftop Sundowner Deck, where you can enjoy a traditional pisco sour (pisco’s originally from Peru, not Chile, in case anyone asks) while looking out at the sea.

How to get there: Hotel B is located 13 miles from Jorge Chavez International Airport (LIM). A transfer from the airport to the hotel can be arranged for $43, one-way.