The capital of Ecuador, Quito sits in the Andes almost two miles above sea level. There are about 2.6 million inhabitants, and the town is built out, not up. It is the highest official capital city in the world, and visitors from "low" places should take a day to acclimate gently with some coco leaf tea (found in all convenience stores and sold on the street). The old historic section of town is beautifully preserved with fabulous old architecture and squares. It was one of the first UNESCO sites, designated in 1978. We found the people to be unfailingly friendly and helpful, and we felt secure and safe at all times.
For our first days in Quito we stayed at Carlota Hotel in the historic center http://carlota.ec/en/ . It is a beautiful old building from 1905, completely renovated and made ecologically sustainable. The location is perfect for visiting the main square and historic sites. We rented the "superior suite" called Campanaria http://carlota.ec/en/room/campanaria/ with a hefty room rate. The room was indeed sweet, but not suite --- that is to say, it was very small. We literally could not move about the room at the same time. I did not have enough room to put my pants on over on my side of the bed. No closets or storage space. Very small sink space. And the room was so noisy we could people on both sides of us, conversations, alarms going off, and even the doorbell ringing downstairs as occupants got locked out after 10 pm. I was not pleased, and had a few civil words with management. To his credit, the executive manager did the right thing. Our room rate was adjusted. Carlota was pretty, but over-priced and not traveler-friendly. I would probably pass next time.
For our last two nights in Quito, we stayed on the north side, in the business district, at Le Parc Hotel http://en.leparc.com.ec . It is modern, luxe, well-situated, and reasonably priced. We were given a "special room" by the employee who checked us in, and it was spacious with floor-to-ceiling windows. Unfortunately, the hotel's nightclub was one floor over us, and the music (live and canned) played on until 1 a.m. every morning (earplugs provided). Also, Le Parc's bathroom has an unusual shower/tub design that is a bit tricky to navigate and not recommended for elderly or large folks. However, there is a lot to love about Le Parc. It has a sleek design. The staff is very friendly and helpful, the breakfast buffet was delicious, there's tea and coffee offered with cookies all afternoon, and the hotel has its own car service, which comes in handy. Thumbs up on this one.
ACTIVITIES IN QUITO. There are lots of worthwhile sights and activities in and around Quito, and a few are reviewed below:
Free Walking Tour through Community Adventures. This is a free, interactive tour of Old Town given by experienced guides and lasting three hours. The tour begins at Community Adventures (a tour/hostel company) and the first stop, the Mercado Central, was one of my faves. Lots of friendly international travelers, a bit of history, several photo ops, and a fun half day for the price of a tip. Can't beat that.
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| Juice ladies at Mercado Central. Make mine guanoabana. |
Tour of Otavalo Marketplace, Cuicocha Lagoon, Mitad del Mundo, Peguche Waterfall by Quito Bus Tours. This was an 8 hour adventure that covers a lot of good stuff with a knowledgeable and entertaining guide aboard a small bus. The requisite stop at 0 degrees Latitude (the equator), a very cool indigenous market, a volcanic lagoon, etc. etc.
The Presidential Palace. Show up in the morning with your passport to reserve your spot on this free tour of the residence of Ecuador's president. Sometimes they take your photo in the main hall and present it to you at the conclusion of the hour tour.
Zazu (http://zazuquito.com). For a great splurge meal, try the seven course tasting menu. The smoked octopus with crispy quinoa, chorizo and mandioc was quite delicious, as was the stone crab dish below. [NB: quinoa --an ancient grain ---is favored in these parts. Nice, nutty flavor]
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| Deconstructed Quito Mule, a salubrious bev |
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| Stone Crab, cucumber, cilantro, avocado, jalapeños |
Mindo
We had a superb experience at Las Terrazas de Dana Lodge in Mindo https://www.lasterrazasdedana.com . Las Terrazas was really the inspiration for this entire trip. I had read about its "privileged" location in the Mindo cloud forest, with great birding and other activities, super-high scores from visitors at Trip Advisor and Booking.com, and a variety of day trips offered in the Lodge's birding packages. However, nothing prepared us for the warm hospitality and personal service offered by David Brito and his sister, Ana.
David sent a driver to pick us up in Quito and drive us the hour and a half to Mindo. From the moment we arrived until the moment David dropped us off in Mindo six days later, we were cared for, looked after, fed well and shown a wonderful time. The room was new, spacious, private and quite comfortable. It featured a large patio with table and chairs that looked off into the mountains with hummingbirds flitting around the bushes. There was also a large hot tub in the roomy bathroom. Meals were served in the main lodge or your room, and they were quite tasty (my dinner fave was the local fresh trout with garlic, although the fettuccine bolognese was authentic, too.) Cocktails and wine were available. The local fruit juices are always on offer and I found them irresistible.
I signed us up for a Six Day Birding Package. It was chock full of activity from before dawn until 5:00 pm. Cheryl and I with David driving and The Amazing Danny, our guide (more about him below). This was as serious a birding experience as I've had, but we saw so such dramatically beautiful scenery, that the birds seemed just part of the larger show.
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| Owl Butterflies at the Mariposaria |
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| Golden Quetzal (iPhone thru scope) |
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| Glistening Green Tanager (iPhone thru scope) |
On the other hand, the birds were magnificent. Danny deserves so much praise for his passion, honed ability and willingness to educate. We were pretty wowed. One half day: visit the lek at dawn to see the cock-in the-rock; the golden quetzal set against a golden valley in the background; climbing up the hillside and finding more birds; homemade brunch of baked, stuffed plantain, deep-fried empanadas stuffed with cheese (get away, Satan!), and coffee watching mountain birds at the feeders. There were some truly unforgettable experiences during our stay in Mindo. The last day, birding at the Artisana Reserve, we saw its snow-capped volcano; mountains, rivers and gorges; a Giant Hummingbird and the Andean Condor. With the perfect local lunch.
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| Artisana |
David also took us in town to explore the Butterfly Farm and Orchid Garden. His amazing sister Ana took us to a wonderful cocoa tour-n-taste at The Quetzal in Mindo. All on our schedule! And they do laundry!
Las Terrazas de Dana and David Brito get my highest compliments and deepest thanks.This was a five-star vacation experience. David is going to be a leader in the Mindo community. He is already leading with many ecological implementations in the Lodge (see the web site). Do yourself a favor and enjoy a great experience at Las Terrazas.
