The newest and most fashionable shopping center in Lima is Larcomar, and it should most definitely be on your list of things to do/places to shop. With a fantastic view of the Miraflores Bay, you can browse the stores for designer clothes, cigars, and other
souvenirs, eat at one of the many international restaurants (they have a HOOTERS), catch a flick, dance at one of the discotheques, or even go bowling!
Larcomar is clean and safe, making it an ideal place to spend the afternoon. You may choose to start your day down at the beach, and then hike on up to the shopping center for lunch, where you can sit at any of the cafes that overlook the Pacific Ocean.
Make sure not to pass up the little Peruvian art shops. They may be priced slightly higher than what you can bargain items down to at the local markets, but you are guaranteed quality work, and a safe shopping environment, making for a peaceful day.
The “For Tourists” section on the Larcomar web-site states:
Larcomar allows tourists to have the best choices for shopping and entertaining with high quality products and services. It has 12 movie halls, a modern theatre, an interesting Museum, Restaurants, Cafés, Discotheques, Bowling Center and electronic fun and action games for kids and adults.
Larcomar is a popular choice to hang out among Peruvians, which keeps it down to earth, fun, and friendly. That is part of the reason why it is such an attraction for visitors. It is a nice place to spend a relaxing day without being singled out as a the tourist Gringo. You can even get that Starbucks Coffee you have been craving since you left the airport in the States!
For a complete look at everything that is available at Larcomar, visit their web-site, which includes comprehensive listings of stores, restaurants, and events going on at the center.
Some people complain that Larcomar is “Americanized” and if you are looking for the rustic third-world, then you won’t be happy with a trip to this shopping center. However,
Lima is not the rough and tough third-world city you might have in your mind. Far from it, in fact. Sure, it has its poor spots, and its rough areas, but what major city in the world doesn’t? Rather than being “Americanized” Larcomar is a good example of the diversity that can be found in the city of Lima, and highlights the potential for development, not only in the Miraflores area, but throughout the city.
My recommendation, of course, is to explore as much as you can to get a full picture of any place you are visiting, try to rid your mind of any preconceived ideas you may have about a place before visiting, and keep an open mind.
Go to Larcomar to see the metropolitan side of Peru, and then take a bus to Cajamarca to see the campesinos and the typical adobe houses. Peru is a multi-dimensional country that deserves your time and exploration.
Larcomar is located where Av. Larco dead ends into the ocean in the Miraflores district. Which makes sense when you consider that the Spanish word for ocean is mar… Larcomar… got it?

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