Reflections on Ecuador
In the Spring of 2023 we flew SFO to Quito, Ecuador (Jet Blue $372 per person including seats and baggage) and spent five weeks in Ecuador (April 4 - May 9, 2023) and stayed in nine different hotels visiting Quito, Otavalo, Quilotoa, Papallacta, Manta, Montanita, Guayaquil, Isla Isabela—Galapagos and Isla Santa Cruz—Galapagos. Notable spots we missed and would return to experience include Cuenca, Cotacachi and somewhere deeper in the Amazon. We experienced warm and friendly people everywhere who were patient with our limited Spanish-speaking abilities and very happy to extend their hospitality to two traveling gay men. A very memorable stop on our Discover Tour!
Below find the Ecuadorian hotels where we stayed, in reverse chronological order. In each location find a carousel of hotel pics and a carousel of activities pics.
We stayed three nights (April 29 - May 2, 2023) in a deluxe double room with balcony and sea view at Hotel La Casa de Judy ($137 /night) including breakfast. The hotel is a 10-15 minute walk to the center of the town in a quieter area with views of the water but not close and no immediate access to the coastline. It was simple room with a balcony and was just fine for our visit.
Why die and go to heaven when you can live it up in the Galapagos on Isla Isabela?! We stayed five nights (April 24-29, 2023) in a Superior Suite with Sea View at La Casa de Marita on Isla Isabela, Galapagos ($261 /night) including breakfast. We did the Galapagos our way. We didn’t join a pricey multi-day boat tour (Paul gets seasick and must be on dramamine) and actually didn’t do any organized day tours when we got there. While most hotel guests were off doing those wonderful water and land activities we stayed on the sweet beach in front of our hotel and, most of the time, had the place to ourselves — along with pelicans, seals, iguanas and other shoreline marine life. It was sublime. And pristine! Great little town for strolling and dining. We walked to the Giant Tortoise Breeding Center. And we met other travelers and finished our books. And the sunsets made us weep.
We stayed overnight two separate times (April 23 & May 9th, 2023) at Holiday Inn Guayaquil Airport ($105 /night) without breakfast en route, first, to the Galapagos Island and then again when we left the country bound for Colombia. The second time we paid $115. Made perfect sense both times. We took an Uber to this excellent Indian restaurant for dinner.
We stayed a week (April 16-23, 2023) in this gem of an affordable clothing optional, straight-friendly gay hotel and loved it so much we came back a few weeks later and stayed another week (May 2-9, 2023)! Montanita on the Ecuador coast is a wonderful little surfer beach town, just three hours drive from the nearby major city of Guayaquil, with friendly people and great restaurants in town and in the nearby town of Olon (including outstanding Indian food!). Most days and nights were very quiet but occasionally we made friends and shared good times with other guests. Hotel Guys high recommendation! Casa Del Merman at GayMontanita House, ($55 /night) not including breakfast. Rooms are simple, the beds are small. But we actually never slept better. We’ll be dreaming of another nice long visit, for sure!
We stayed one night at Manta Airport Hotel April 15, 2023 ($65 /night) including breakfast. It’s just minutes from the airport and a $4 taxi ride. Really large room with a little fully-equipped kitchenette. Good choice for a transit night. Great night’s sleep. The following morning we drove to Playa Montanita about 3.5 hours south..
Contender for Best Hotel in the World!
We stayed three nights April 12-15, 2023 at Termas Papallacta Hotel ($210 /night). Includes buffet breakfast, use of thermal pools in the lodging area, access to the Balneario (spa), self-guided walk along the island path and 15% discount on Spa services (treatments). It’s a beautiful place and loved everything about it. Very well managed, incredible staff and spotlessly clean. You can pay extra (about $40 per person) for five additional pools in the separate spa treatments area. We didn’t see the point with such options included in the main public spa. It’s rare when staying three or more nights in the same resort property that we take all our meals in the same hotel dining room. But we did here and it was fabulous. It’s only 45 minutes from the Quito airport and a world away. Great value!
We stayed two nights April 10-12, 2023 at Hotel PrincesaToa ($83/night) including breakfast and dinner. It’s on the rim of Quilotoa Lake at 12,800 feet elevation (3,914 meters). The hotel is not warmly reviewed on booking.com but we found it to be just fine. They had a good electric heater on in our large room upon arrival, although the hotel was deserted and it took a few minutes for someone to notice us and show us. There were no formalities of check-in and no request to make payment of cash upon arrival as stated by our reservation. Before leaving we offered to pay and they were very willing to accept quite nonchalantly. We were the only guests for the night.
It’s possible to do this as a drop-by, day-trip from Quito although we determined it was too long a day of bus travel with other tourists. The best clear, sunny and surprisingly warm-feeling part of the day was just before 8 am [temperature 34 degrees (1 celsius)]. It’s quite a magical place to sit by the lake and then find a cup of coffee to warm up. It’s nearly a 21 mile (33 km) hike around the perimeter. We walked just a portion of that and we were deeply satisfied and so glad we came!
We stayed three nights April 7-10, 2023 at Hotel Otavalo ($153/night) with breakfast included. It has a 9.5 rating on Booking.com. What a feast for the eyes in this impeccably restored 1920’s hacienda. It’s filled with really good art from an Ecuadorian family’s private collection. The restaurant, the best in town, delivers with the same panache as everything else. Special thanks to manager Andres and Kevin at the front desk!
Stayed three nights in Quito April 4-7, 2023 at Casa Joaquin Boutique Hotel ($104/night) with breakfast included. It has a 9.6 rating on Booking.com. We were upgraded to a larger room than we booked. Francisco has been managing the hotel for six years and was always there and very helpful recommending great restaurants in the neighborhood within walking distance (Miskay and Sher E Punjab). And a great breakfast. Recommend, however a location in the historical center may be preferred for as short a stay as we had. Quito’s easy to get around with Uber and this location was definitely convenient to our trip to Mitad del Mundo and to the TelefériQo Cable Car.
In the historical center don’t miss the Pre-Columbian Art Museum House of Praise. Uber makes its easy to get anywhere around town including Mitad del Mundo (don’t miss the nearby Intiñan Site Museum) or the TelefériQo cable car (in the early morning for best views). Last tip: we used Jorge Villarruel of Tourexpress & Transfers for intercity transfers for Otavalo, Quilotoa Lake and Papallacta. Nice car and great guy. Highly recommend.
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