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An awesome city : Lima: Built in 1540 on land given to the Dominican Friar Vicente Valverde by Francisco Pizarro, the church and monastery of Santo Domingo is one of the oldest and most historic in Lima. Here, you will find the relics of Saint Rose of Lima; San Juan Masias; and Saint Martin de Porres, the first black saint in the Americas. The statue of Saint Rose was given to Santo Domingo by Pope Clement X. The monastery is best known for its tile mosaics picturing the life of St. Dominic, Santo Domingo de Guzman, who founded the Dominican order. Inside the colorfully painted cloister is a peaceful green garden. The church is a short walk northwest of Plaza de Armas in central Lima.

This museum displays the wealthy businessman Yoshitaro Amano’s collection of pre-Colombian textiles and artifacts, amassed throughout his travels. The perfect place to take the kids or a date, El Circuito Mágico del Agua has daily light shows that are projected onto spouting fountains. If you want to get wet, go during the day and enjoy their interactive fountains that shoot water up from the ground. Central Restaurante comes in at number 5 in the Top 50 Best Restaurants in the world, and their chef and owner has been voted best chef in the world. Enjoy the exotic Peruvian cuisine, arranged and served by altitude.

Lima is home to many fine religious buildings, but the San Francisco Monastery is one of the best. Providing an oasis of calm in the midst of the hustle and bustle of the city, its rooms showcase beautifully preserved Baroque architecture, gilded altars, and works of religious art. Don’t miss the monastery’s library with its massive religious texts and Harry Potter-like ambiance. Easily containing the most comprehensive array of pre-Colombian ceramics, Museo Larco has, however, become known for one particular part of its collection: the Erotic Gallery. This room has left more than a few tourists blushing due to its display of ceramics depicting unabashedly X-rated scenes. For the more serious historians, the museum has an exceptional range of more family-friendly pottery, spanning cultures as diverse as the Chimu, Nazca, Wari, and Moche, as well as being home to the greatest of museum crowd-pleasers: mummies.

Magdalena was by far our favorite neighborhood in Lima, in part because of its great location (just a quick bus or taxi ride to Miraflores, the airport, or Downtown), and in part because of its quiet neighborly feel. Magdalena’s not a hopping place when it comes to nightclubs and sightseeing, but it’s the sort of place where your neighbors will greet you on the street, where old couples go out for an evening stroll, where neighborhood kids play impromptu futbol games in quiet intersections. See extra images of this fabulous ocean view penthouse on @AmazingPeruPenthouse on Facebook. Need a place to book in Lima, Peru? Explore more info at Amazing penthouse in Lima, Peru with full ocean view.

Miraflores is one of Lima’s more exclusive neighborhoods and definitely one of its most scenic since it sits on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. It is THE beach resort and entertainment center in Lima. The beach is very popular with surfers and paragliders. Miraflores oozes with upscale shopping opportunities, but travelers interested in Peruvian arts and crafts will head to Avenue Petit Thouars. Miraflores also is a magnet for people who like to party in its bars, clubs and casinos. As a residential area, it blends the charm of colonial housing with today’s high rises.