Top Tips for an Unforgettable Honeymoon in Peru: Our 2022 Adventure
Embark on the honeymoon of a lifetime with our expert guide to exploring Peru in 2022! From ancient ruins to lush rainforests and vibrant cities, Peru offers a kaleidoscope of experiences for adventurous couples. In this post, we'll share our firsthand tips and must-see destinations to ensure your honeymoon is nothing short of extraordinary.
Day #1 We started out trip at the Nivison chicken Farm stay which is great hospitality as always. Lucky for us my cousin lives very close to the train station in South Bend, IN. Not only do we usually get farm fresh eggs when we stay, we also get the luxury of good Michigan wine. My cousin is now co-owner of Domain Berrian Cellars so he always has a good bottle on hand.
Day #2 was such a long stressful day. We took the train from Michigan City to Chicago. Then jumped on the L to O’hare airport. (note:budget extra time if taking train). The Copa airline desk Clerk set us up for failure right off the bat by giving us the wrong information about our health affidavit. We stopped in Panama city, Panama and got to enjoy our new priority pass which was a blessing with a 6 hour layover. Free meals, wifi and drinks! We made it through immigration with no problem realizing the affidavit that was required could have easily been filled out while waiting in line 🤬. Then to end our almost 24 hour travel day we went to baggage claim to find that both our packs had not made it. We put in a claim and crashed at our hotel that was luckily directly across the street from the airport.
Since this trip we have invested in Samsung SmartTags. This would have taken away all the scariness of not knowing where our luggage was. We are samsung users but Apple also makes the same product called Airtags.
Day #3: After some much needed rest we cleaned up, did an inventory of what we had, and came up with a game plan for worst case scenario of not getting our luggage. One thing to always remember when taking an adventure is you are gonna have conflict and you can let that ruin your adventure or face it head on and move forward. To start our day we got a complimentary breakfast from our hotel Costa del Sol Wyndham. This was such an excellent morale booster and an incredible spread of food. After we cleaned up and checked out of our hotel we headed over to some outlet malls close by to pick up some extra sets clothing. From there we made the trek to our airbnb in San Miguel. This really got us into the culture and we were able to see a lot of cool sites. After we checked into our airbnb we decided to stock up on food and hygiene products. This area is full of small market places with fresh produce which was really fun to explore and see how different the emphasis on fresh is here in comparison to America. Next with our pantry and fridge full we decided to go grab some dinner at Chicken Brothers which was very American of us but still hit the spot. We called it a night after that clocking in around 13 miles of city walking.
Day #4 we woke up slow and made up some sleep time from the long previous few days. We also received some good news that our bags had been found. The airport was now delivering them which was a huge sigh of relief. We cooked breakfast at our airbnb then headed out to find some coffee in the city. La Crepera is what we decided on for coffee and a snack(crepes). Later we got dinner in the city at Pizzeria Zarelle. Very good flaky crust with chorizo, ham, and ground beef. We finished the night off with a stroll back through downtown San Miguel. When got back to the bnb we also finally got our packs back 🙌 .
Day #5 Ryan started the morning with a 5 mile run along the pacific ocean which was so scenic and with it being a saturday everyone else was out being active as well. I saw everything from soccer practice to BMX bikes doing tricks on half pipes. When I got back we cleaned up and headed out to explore more of the city. After walking for a while we stopped for a coffee break at Cafe boutique Praga for a wonderful latte and to rest the legs. Next we headed to some Ancient ruins that are located right in the city known as Huaca Pucllana. Very interesting to see this structure hold up after all this time while right in the city. We took a quick stroll through a park nearby where we found some beautiful art work from some local artists! After that we grabbed some dinner at che cha tea bar. We splurged a bit and got a bottle of wine and some amazing comfort food. I got a spicy beef short rib with rice carrots and green onion. Kate got gnocchi with a pumpkin puree and mixed veggies. We finished the night with a walk along the coast near the Pacific. Ended up hiking around 13 miles for the day around the city.
Day #6 we slept in we still were catching up from our intial trip in but felt refreshed and ready for another long day of hiking to a new part of the city. Our first stop was the market we picked up some tangerines for a snack. We found a nice park nearby there to sit and enjoy them with some crackers. In the park there were alot of activities to watch including traditional dancing and pick up soccer games. Next we went to Mali museo de Arte. We were hoping for more art work like we found in the park the day before but it was mainly artifacts and religious paintings. Next we went to the Magic water circuit to see the awesome water fountains. This was like a mini water park and would have been even more fun with some warmer weather. After that we found dinner at a small Cafe called Lucio Caffe Dos De Mayo. Kate had chicken bacon pasta and I had an Asain dish with chicken rice and a salsa slaw. Then we called it a night. This was our last night in the city and we were ready for the mountains.
Day #7 We started the day with a walk down to the beach so I could touch the pacific ocean for the first time! After that we cleaned up the bnb, packed, cooked up breakfast, and prepared ourselves for a long day of travel. We tried Uber for the first time to get us to our bus station. This was a bit scary as they like to drive a bit wild but we made it fine. Before boarding the bus we had about an hour to kill so we stopped at Scarcletti for some coffee drinks. The bus ride would take us all the way to Cusco which travels through the night into the mountains. A 22 hour bus ride and it was a doozy. Think Tail of the Dragons height multiplied by 4, the time it takes by 16, and it comes with a fearless driver while you sit on the 2nd story of a large tour bus 🥴. While the ride was quite an experience the landscapes and mountains distracted quite well. These mountains are no joke breaking 22,000 ft in elevation. We arrived in cusco around noon and had about a 3K hike to our airbnb. Our host was incredibly kind and helpful going as far as sending a video of where to go once you arrived at the correct building. If you find yourself in cusco we highly recommend you work with him. (Cusco Airbnb). Once settled in we headed to the San Blas Market nearby. We picked up some more local produce for breakfast and snacks for the next few days. After the market we found dinner at LA Perla criolla. Another low key evening and early bed as we were both exhausted from the 22 hour bus ride.
Day #8 We had another low key day waking up slow and cooking breakfast at our airbnb. During the day we explored Cusco a bit more and have found we enjoy it much more then the bigger city life feel of Lima. We spent alot of time in our airbnb acclimating, catching up on work and planning/booking future trips.
Day #9 Rainbow mountain tour! This was the first time we used airbnb experience and it was a great time. The tour included transportation from cusco to the trailhead, breakfast and lunch, and a guide with lots of information. The trek was around 6 miles total with about 2,000 ft in elevation gain. The peak was at 16,633 ft which was the highest peak either of us had ever climbed on. To put this into perspective we were only 700 ft shy of being the same height as everest base camp. While this was a bit of a tourist trap it was well worth it. Some of the most beautiful landscapes we both had ever seen. We ended the day with a nice American meal to refuel at Burgers and beers.
Day #10 We started the day checking out of our airbnb and finding a nice Cafe Cafet 109 to relax in before catching our bus to Ollantaytambo. We were also lucky enough to have a great view of the main square in cusco in the Cafe to see all the festivities. After some coffee we got a call from the bus company and they let us know that the bus didn't book enough people so they hired a cab driver to get us to Ollytaytamba. The drive was a bit sketchy as there was a bit of a language barrier and the driver decided he was speed racer. While the drive kept us on our toes we got to our airbnb an hour early which gave us some extra time to explore the next city. Ollytaytamba is quite small in comparison to the previous 2 towns which was a great change of pace. For dinner we found a nice diner and had pizza with pisca sours. Pisca was fun to try as it is a Peruvian brandy. We ended the night after that just relaxing in our airbnb.
Day #11 we started the day with a Smoothie we made from the local market then found some good coffee. After coffee we went and found a trail that took us up to some great ruins. We also scoped out a longer trail which we planned to hike the next day. For dinner we found a nice Mexican style restaurant with a great view of the Andes. We called it night after that planning to get a longer hike in the next day.
Day #12 we did an extended hike with lots of views of the Nevado Veronica, a large snow capped mountian. After our hike we went to the train station to confirm our ride to Matchu Pitchu and that we could store our large packs for the 2 days we would be gone. Once confirmed we went to find a good dinner then went to bed early. Our train departs at 5 AM which means we had to be up at 3:30 AM.
Day #13 we had the early morning train ride which was very pretty with the sunrise and lots of epic landscapes. Once we arrived we stopped at La boulangerie de Paris for breakfast. We both had lattes, I had a empanada with ham and cheese, and Kate had a chocolate pastry. Next we did a hike to a pretty waterfall just outside of town. A hidden gem I would say because it was not very busy, however they do charge you a small fee to get onto the trail.
Day #14 we had an early morning and did the hike from our hostel to Machu Picchu. What a cool experience it was to do this all by foot instead of waiting in line for the bus. We also summited the mountain over looking the ancient village called Huayna Picchu. This was a 9 mile 3000 ft elevation gain hike. Not only do you save money by taking it by foot but you get the whole experience.
Day #15 This was a laid back travel day we took the train back to Ollytaytamba then a locals bus to Urubamba. We were excited that the airbnb had a washer, a luxury we hadn't had since our first airbnb.
Day #16 was a lazy day we got caught up on laundry. The main event of the day was going to the big market of Urubamba. We got food to make breakfast for the next few days and dinner for that night.
Day #17 we went for a 9 mile hike to see the salt mines. Was a pretty view and nice to get out and about again. For dinner we found a cute restaurant a few blocks from our airbnb. This was by far our best restaurant experience on the trip. (Tierra Cocina Artesanal)The waiter spoke great English and went through the entire menu. I ended up get Lomo Saltado which is a classic Peruvian dish with beef tips, rice, potatoes, with roasted tomatoes and onion. Kate had a pork dish with cole slaw and Spanish rice. We also got some fresh bread with salt directly from the mines we were at earlier in the day. Lastly we got to experience our first Peruvian wine which was a blend of malbary and merlot. If you find yourself in Urubamba go this restaurant you will not regret it!
Day #18 We headed back to Cusco. We started the day with some lattes at a local Cafe then caught a bus ride to cusco. We found this was definitely the cheapest way to travel if you are not on a major time crunch as they do stop fairly frequently. Once into cusco we tracked down our airbnb and settled in. We had a market nearby that we stocked up with essentials then went to dinner. For dinner we went to Kion which was a Peruvian Chinese fusion place. The food was great and we got some fun cocktails as well. After dinner we went to main square which was still hopping with people from the festival. We also caught some fireworks and a great view of cusco with all the town lights.
Day #19 we decided for our last few days to do a food tour. We started the day at Llama Cafe for breakfast. I got the traditional huevos rachareos with pork and Kate got a pancake combo with ham and scrabbled eggs. For lunch we got drinks at Paddy's Irish pub with stuffed wonton. We got to check out a church afters then we're pleasantly surprised with a car show of vw bugs. For dinner we went to seafood ceviche and were able to watch the entire car show from our table. We both ended up getting ceviche dishes and I got a passion fruit pisca sour.
Day #20 Our last full day in peru. We went to breakfast at Jack's diner and got some giant portion plates with lattes. We spent most of the day packing and relaxing before a long trek home. For dinner we had pizza at Incanto just around the corner from the main square.
Overall our honeymoon trip was amazing and unforgettable. We learned so much about culture, food and alternative ways of travel. If you plan on going we highly recommend spending time in the town of Cusco. The town is beautiful with tons of history and fun things to do. Being airbnb hosts it was intersting staying in mostly airbnbs on this trip as well as using airbnb experiences for the first time. We definitely plan on using the app for travel and excursions in our future.
Thanks for reading our post! -Ryan & Kate