Hotel Quito, (Hotel Quito - Ecuador)

Member Name: noomad

Product:	Hotel Quito - Ecuador
Date:	17/01/09 (23 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Free internet, friendly staff, pool,steam room and sauna, bar, casino with poker room

Disadvantages: some old worn rooms, pricey restaurant

I feel compelled to write about my experiences at The Hotel Quito simply because i had such a great time there and helped make some of the very special memories of Ecuador and Quito that I will always have. I will also address of few of the criticisms of the only other review on Dooyoo at the end of this review.

I went to Ecuador last summer as the first part of my Latin America trip. Naturally the journey was an absolute killer and we arrived in a bleary jet lagged state after a total of 27 hours of travelling. I had emailed ahead to ask the hotel staff if they could find a room that we could use from 8am becuase we did not want to wait around in that kind of state for four hours after such a journey. They upgraded us to a suite, free of charge. We slept like babies for about 8 hours and went upstairs to the bar for free cuba libres. The bar and restaurant over look the city and the Andes and it is amazing at night looking over the city with a drink, and even more amazing at breakfast watching the mist over the mountains and valleys. Then we went and played some poker in the casino which was also brilliant apart from being the only people not chain smoking.

The room was very plush and was what you would expect from a five star hotel . However there are two sections and it is worth making sure you are in the newer section because on our return visit in between journeys we stayed in one of the older more spartan rooms which felt very 1 or 2 star. The Hotel facilities where great we used the outdoor pool, and the spa facilities, which you must try because they put a lot of local natural herbs in the steam room and it really clears you. The gardens around the pool are very sweet and a lot of the rooms on the ground floor have sliding pation doors that allow you to walk out onto them.

The restaurant was also great if a little expensive if you are budgeting. Make sure to have the breakfast though, that costs extra but is extremely worth it (and make sure to learn some basic spanish terms, people look very silly gesturing and miming egg). Another great thing about this hotel is that it is in an area where you don't feel as though someone is going to mug/rob/kill you which is quite rare for Quito (ask any taxi driver) and there is a fantastic little bar and grill just opposite that you can go to in the evenings. The hotel has its own taxi rank with the hotel's name on the side, the doormen wave them other for you, most journeys are about $2. All the cabbies are pleasant and will drive to surrounding towns for pretty much the same cost as going in a tour or they will take you around the city.

The other review complains about the location of this hotel, but I would much rather stay in this pleasant part of the city which has by far the best views in town (apart from the teleferico of course!).
The last point I would like to make is that all the staff I dealt with where always pleasant and helpful and in some cases went out of their way to welcome us. I left my jacket in one room and got it back from the staff when I went back, but I think it is important to understand that Ecuador is a third world country and many of the small possessions that we buy and might cost us half a weeks wage are worth a small fortune in their local economy. It is easy to take a moral high ground when your life is comfortable enough not to feel any kind of need to steal. The staff are going to be very poor in hotel in Ecaudor so blame yourself if you leave expensive items lying aroud and they go missing, don't tempt people.

Oh yeah, one last thing; cheap as chips! We payed only about $60 USD per room per night. And whilst it may not be as plush as the Hilton or some of the boutique hotels in town I think all round you are going to have a good stay.

Summary: Fantastic value, best view from any hotel ever