CultureMap Video
Peruvian getaway: Secluded resort offers tropical beaches and a slice of heaven
There's much, much more to Peru than Machu Picchu.
While I totally understand the obsession with the 15th-century Inca site that in 2007 gained notoriety as one of the New Seven Words of the World, to reduce one's experience of this South American country to one attraction is a crime, the punishment of which should be something along the lines of not ever eating real Peruvian ceviche or not getting drunk of way too many Pisco sours.
I was born in Peru and left the country when I was 13 years old. My family loves to travel, eat and shop — in that order.
So when we actually have the ability to take time off together — because today we're spread between my motherland, Canada and the United States — off we go on a trip to a different part of Peru in an effort to discover places not visited often by the typical tourist expedition.
Have you ever heard of Máncora?
Temperatures are such that they render the area ideal for vacations year round.
Confession: I hadn't either until it was decided that Máncora was to be the destination of our next family vacay.
Máncora is a town in the Piura Region of Peru — a two-hour flight or 20-hour drive north from Lima, the capital. As it is closer to the the equator and on the arid Pacific coast, temperatures are such that they render the area ideal for vacations year round.
Thanks to the frigid Humboldt current and the warmer Niño current, the conditions are one-of-a-kind for plankton-form waters to form a heaven for ridiculous seafood.
What does that mean for you? Eat all the ceviche you can find. That and pizza (I know how ludicrous that sounds, but the regional pizza is omg fabulous).
Although originally filmed to share with family and friends, the short video (above) summarizes our trip and offers a tour of the beautiful Arennas Máncora Hotel.
Just don't get offended by my ugh sense of humor.