Ecuador Lodging

Manso Boutique Guayaquil Ecuador
ECUADOR, Ecuador Lodging, Lodging, SOUTH AMERICA

Guayaquil Lodging

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Very little negative is to be said regarding our experience with El Manso Boutique in Guayaquil. We are both in agreement that this was the best hostel we stayed at in Ecuador. So let’s just start with the only, minor negative, and get it out of the way. Like most hostels, there just has to be some malfunction with the shower. In this case, the shower curtain was too short, resulting in a wet [and could be] slippery floor -although only minor, much better than most. That’s it. From the very beginning, this time making a few reservations before embarking on our travels, our experience with El Manso Boutique Hostal was positive. Their website is informative, with pictures and videos, and offers a discount for booking on-line. However the on-line booking could not be completed. For reservations El Manso Boutique’s site includes a few telephone numbers, including a US based number, a Skype number, and local number. Easy to reach. We called, spoke with Emiko, who took the reservation over the phone and immediately followed up with e-mail confirmation, including the dates, breakdown of price, name and description of the room. Check in was easy, our room was clean, and the cool, fresh pitcher of water was a welcomed touch after a long evening of traveling. The design and decor of our room at El Manso was much more modern with better detail in the construction than most hostels. Our particular room had a large window facing east across Simon Bolivar to the Malecón 2,000 (boardwalk and river). The hallways were clean with comfortable (not worn out) furniture, with plenty of chairs, and hammocks by the hallway balconies. Wifi routers were located on each floor (the wifi was a bit slow in the room, but fine in the hallway). The hostel location is great, within walking distance to the colonial streets of Las Peñas and the Cerro Santa Ana viewpoint at the north end of Malecón 2,000, and only a few short blocks to historic plazas, churches, and monuments behind it to the west. While awaiting our taxi to the airport on our day of departure, Emiko was working and asked where we were going. I told her to Loja and Vilcabamba, and had casually mentioned it was a bit challenging to find many lodging options in Loja to review on the internet. A few minutes later, on her own accord, she handed us a paper with recommendations in Loja. Location, price, staff and room were all good – a step above the rest. El Manso Boutique Hostal lands on the recommended list of lodging in Guayaquil. El Manso is located at: Malecón 1406 y Aguirre, Guayaquil, Ecuador  

ECUADOR, Ecuador Lodging, Lodging

Lodging in Baños Ecuador

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Travel to Baños, Ecuador was fairly easy  from the Qutio bus terminal Quitumbre, serving travelers headed south. To be clear, there are a few different villages in Ecuador with Baños as the first word in the name. I am referring to Baños de Aguas Calientes, popular with local and international tourists and expats alike. Baños is an easy to maneuver, fairly quaint village seated in a valley thriving on tourism. While there appear to be a number of hostels and hotels within and around Baños, we stayed at Hostal Chimenea. The walk from the bus terminal in Baños to Hostal Chimenea is painless – only a few blocks. If it is raining (as it was when we departed) the taxi is US$1. Per the directions posted on Hostelbookers, “From the bus station, walk 4 blocks along Calle Maldonado and turn left onto Calle Martinez. From there, you’ll find Hostal Chimenea around six blocks along on your right.” The directions are accurate however note that as you approach the intersection where you are to go left, you might see a sign for Hotel Chiminea. There is both a hotel and a hostal Chiminea. If asking for directions, just be sure to distinguish between the two. No biggie if you end up at the wrong one – they are not that far apart. Hostal  Chimenea is across from the outdoor vendors. We found the hostel to be clean and our stay pleasant. The location is good, only a block or a few to just about anything (parque central, restaurants, hot springs). The owner/manager was friendly and accommodating, and check-in/out was easy. Pasted below is my personal review of Hostal Chiminea, as posted on Hostelbookers. Liked: One of the cleanest, more modern looking hostels we have stayed at. Clean hallways, and rooms, located right next to some of the hot spring bathing establishments and town square – although it is a small town. Balcony and view are nice, and management is easily accommodating. Easy walk to everything. Disliked: Pillows were hard as bricks. One of us chose not to use a pillow and the other awoke with a headache. Bathroom window could not be closed, and the noise from the rooftop terrace, and music playing outside could not be closed out. With concrete walls and tile floors (typical of the entire region) the interior noise echoed as well. However once the terrace closed all was fine. Click here to read what others had to say about Hostal Chimenea on Hostelbookers and TripAdvisor.

ECUADOR, Ecuador Lodging, Lodging, SOUTH AMERICA

Quito Lodging

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We arrived at Colonial House on Calle Olmedo around 3 am, originally scheduled to be in before midnight. Flight landing was delayed due to fog. The taxi driver Colonial House sent for us at the new airport outside of Quito was kind enough to wait for us. The volunteers who live and work at the hostel were great. Tired and cold they let us skip the formalities and took us right to our room to get some sleep and deal with the rest later. The staff was very friendly and helpful throughout our stay and knowledgeable of the area, taxi and bus fares, what to do and how to get around. They kept everything easy going and laid back. Our first night, we were given a different room, two beds, which had an older and more rustic appeal, with a view of the Quito angel and the courtyard out the bedroom window. The following day we were moved to a private room with one bed, wood floors, with a great view of Quito’s famous basilica from our balcony doors. Both rooms were clean and comfortable. While having common areas on each floor is a nice concept, it also results in our only negative comment – being that the noise can be significantly loud with concrete walls, preventing sleep until all go to their rooms. Coffee and tea are free all day, however the coffee is instant (somewhat disappointing in a country that produces coffee). Regarding location, there are two areas of Quito with a concentration of hostels: Mariscol Sucre is geared more for the younger generation looking for nightlife and the club seen, with a more modern architecture. Colonial House is located amongst narrow cobblestone streets of colonial architecture, and walking distance to La Basilica, the charming historical streets of the La Ronda neighborhood, and Plaza de la Independencia. However we should note that staff, friends, and reviews all warn that the character of Quito changes near sundown, with plenty of robbery stories. The hostel staff advise guests to wait inside for taxis, rather than curbside with luggage. Warnings also include not walking with luggage to the bus and metro terminals, nor being out in the evening with cameras or valuables, and to carry only passport copies – not your passport. We had no problems this trip, but everyone we met knew people with a Quito theft story, be it cell phones, cars, money or otherwise. Their stories applied to various locations throughout Quito, not just specific to our location.

ECUADOR, Ecuador Lodging, SOUTH AMERICA

Loja

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Loja is one of the southernmost cities in Ecuador,  known for it’s university, fantastic musicians and cultural arts.  A little short on time this trip, we opted for a flight from Guayaquil to Loja (en route to Vilcabamba first), rather than the bus. An easy 50 minute flight that arrived in 40 minutes was approximately US $59 with the taxes. However, the tiny “Loja” airport is actually located 45 minutes outside of Loja, in a town called Catamayo. The taxi ride to Loja will run $20. If on the way to Vilcabamba, ask the taxi driver to take you from the airport to “Taxi Ruta at Once de Mayo.” From there, you can hop into a shared cab for only $1.75 each for the next 45 minute ride to Vilcabamba. While Loja is a fairly spread out city of notable size, the walk along Simon Bolivar through the various plazas are among the most scenic. Clean little town squares with old churches, monuments, and a few cafes and various shops with a laid back atmosphere. Zig zag through the indoor market for a colorful array of fruits, vegetables and other items. The corn in Ecuador has the largest kernels I have ever seen. Make sure to extend the walk in both directions, to not only see the colorful and ornate entrance to Loja, with a large market on one side, but to see the small but colorful colonial cobblestone street Lourdes. Good luck getting a picture without cars anytime during the day. Going in the opposite direction along the river past the Entrance to Loja is Parque Jipiro, with mini monuments representative of different locations throughout the world, mini-rides, trails and some animals for the children to enjoy. While not much is found on-line in the way of hotels or hostels for lodging, there are a few places right in and around the central plaza. We visited two, both clean, with friendly service at the desk. Rates for both were equally $10 per person per night. There are others as well within short walking distance (a few blocks). However a photographer acquaintance had stayed at the Hostal Central Park and was content. The hostel does not currently have a web site. The other, Las Orquideas, was right in the the vicinity as well. The entrance was clean, however we did not visit the rooms. Las Orquideas does not have a web site either, however does have an on-line presence and mixed reviews, etc. are readily available on Trip Advisor and other sites. There are a few mainstream chain hotels and other locally owned that can be found on-line as well.

ECUADOR, Ecuador Lodging, Lodging

Otavalo Lodging

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We spent two nights in the village of Otavalo at Hostal Chasqui. Located just a short 6 block walk from the first bus stop after the entrance to Otavalo, the hostel is easy to get to. It would not be too difficult a walk from the Otavalo bus terminal as well, however if carrying luggage the taxi ride -at the time we visited – is US $1. Hostal Chasqui is located just slightly up the hill on Calle Piedrahita, which goes pretty much directly into the downtown plaza. 5-6 blocks directly down Calle Piedrahita and one block to the right and you arrive at the central plaza with the park and church. Milton, who was on duty during our stay, was fabulous. Very informative and made everything easy. After being taken to our room we were given a tour of the hostel. He then provided us with a map which pointed out everything from the various market locations, to ATMs, groceries, various restaurants, and the big market days for Otavalo and Cotacachi. Our room was located on a floor with a few others, with a shared patio overlooking the city. Each room had a window into the patio, and chairs outside the doors. The kitchen was rooftop with a nice view. One plus for Hostal Chasqui is the free use of a washing machine, with laundry detergent included. The location was good, price was US $12 per person per night, and our host was very accommodating. Room was clean, bathroom was functional with a shower set below the floor and curtain long enough to prevent a wet, slippery tile floor. The room had Cable TV, with lamps and tables on each side of the bed. The only negative comments would be that the village itself, primarily of concrete construction and being in a valley is noisy. Certainly not the fault of the hostel, however the bathroom had a framed window opening with no window to close, therefore making it difficult to shut out the exterior noise of dogs barking, music playing, and traffic at all hours of the night. If others on the shared patio or at the kitchen are loud, the sound carries. We were unlucky enough to have some fellow loud guests on our last night, repeatedly waking us up into the early morning. Other than that, the pillow was a bit lumpy but better than most hostels we experienced in Ecuador. The bed was comfortable – room could get a bit cold, but plenty of blankets. The hostel amenities were good, the staff (Milton) and service was great, and location is convenient with a nice view. Overall a positive experience. To read others reviews, see more pics or reserve a room: Hostal Chasqui +59 362 923 199  or  within the country (06)2923-199 Calle Piedrahita 141 y Guayaquil  

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