We have our vineyards near Ica, the pisco making region of Peru, so I know the area very well.

Pisco itself is not a town worth visiting much. It's a commercial port and there is a promenade along the sea, but it's not very well kept.

But right next to Pisco, just 2km south, is Paracas, which is where you would take the boat to see the Islas Ballestas. Paracas is small, but pretty, and the bay is excellent for sailing, sea kayaking, etc. Limeños often go to Paracas for special weekends away from the crowds, because it's sunny all year round (Lima itself is not warm in winter, we have fog and grey skies then).

If you have the extra day or two, I would recommend that you spend one night in Paracas. The Hotel Hacienda (next door to the Hilton) is very nice, and a little more traditional than the others. If you have more money, Hotel Paracas is the original and has been remodelled enormously since the 2007 earthquake. It's very beautiful too, and has little boats going to the Ballestas from its own pier. You can stay at the Hacienda and still take the boat from Hotel Paracas's pier, just arrange with reception beforehand.

Then, if I were you, I would definitely spend the other night in Ica itself, at the Hacienda Queirolo. Queirolo is a wine and pisco company. The house used to be the family's own, but since the earthquake has been converted into a beautiful and good value hotel. You can do wine tastings on the property itself (it's still a working winery, producing Intipalka wine). Then take the coach back to Lima.

By the way, the sandbuggies etc. are all things you can do from Ica. You can take a day trip from Ica to Huacachina, they pick you up from your hotel and drop you back in the evening. Same with Paracas, they can pick you up from there too (they are not too far away from each other, less than 50km).

If you have a day to spare, you could just enjoy Lima too. So many tourists just arrive in Lima and then leave straightaway to somewhere else, partly because the first thing you see when you come out of the airport is the poorest parts of the city, where the traffic is complete hell. But the district of Barranco is very pretty (I have some addresses for hotels right on the cliff if you need them), as is the historic centre.

And, as everyone knows, Lima is the culinary capital of South America. Aside from the great seafood, Lima is a melting pot of immigration, and they have all left their mark on the food, as well as modified typical dishes from their own country to match local ingredients, so there are dozens of great restaurants you could try, with so many fusions between native, criollo, japanese immigrant (not the same as in Japan), etc.

PM me if you need more ideas.