Any recommendations for Quito?

[Cat]

Hey all,

I’m hopefully heading to the Galapagos Islands over Easter, and will have a night in Quito on the way out, and one on the way back. For the first one, I will need to be relatively close to the airport, as I’ll be on the early flight to Baltra (but should have a long evening when I arrive to enjoy wherever I’m staying). On the way back, I’ll be heading to Mindo for a couple of days, so will need to be close to the bus station.

While I’m often a fan of 5 star hotels with spas and swimming pools, I want to be somewhere that feels like I’m in Ecuador, not a hotel that could be anywhere, if that makes sense. It would be nice if I’m in a smaller hotel, in a neighbourhood with nice places to eat, ideally a neighbourhood that feels safe…

All recommendations and advice gratefully received!

[YC]

I was flip flopping on the Casa Gangotena when organising my trip a few years ago. It is expensive compared to other 5* but for one night, u can get a good chunk of that back if booked via virtuoso agent (Emyr). While not small (grand mansion), it feels much more local than the other 5* mattress factories and is right in the historic centre. I did pop in to have a look around and the concierge was very helpful despite not being a guest.

Off topic – Galapagos is amazing and regret not maximising the number of days there.

[cinereus]

If you want something Quito then stay in historic district. There’s a few good art museums including the House-Museum Guayasamín and it’s worth a trip up the teleferico.

[E]

Would second the Casa Gangotena. It’s not cheap but it’s very Ecuadorian, safe and has lots of perks if you book with Virtuoso. It’s small and in the Plaza San Francisco. We stayed there after a trip to the Galapagos and really liked it. After dinner we took some drinks up to the roof terrace which was lovely at night. We did a few nights at the Hilton on the way to the Galapagos a few years ago. Wouldn’t really recommend the Hilton although it was functional and really cheap.