On first glance, the Hotel Garza seems to be a very nice hotel, but it doesn't take very long for the inadequate security precautions to make themsevles evident. First of all, most Peruvian hotels in which I've stayed have only one main entrance, which requires everyone to pass by the front desk and main lobby. This is not the case at the Garza, which has several entrances and exits, and allows potential thieves easy access to the building. The one night I stayed there, there were several people wandering the halls that obviously were not guests at the hotel. If that weren't unnerving enough, the locks on the doors are so loose and flimsy that they could have easily been compromised by even the most unskilled thief.

The hotel staff is also untrustworthy. I inadvertently left my digital camera in my suitcase, which was left in the hotel's locked storage room. The lock on this door was much more substantial, and I saw the bellboy put the suitcase in the room and lock the... more