In and around Quito

When my grandson got married in November ’03, we promised to pay for his honeymoon (within reason, of course). He told me, “Grandpa, if you do that, we insist that you come along.” Somewhat unusual, to say the least, but we were honored. My wife, JoAnn, said she’d go anyplace as long as it was cool and unusual. I suggested Ecuador and agreement was unanimous. We set up the trip for April ’04.

We flew nonstop from Miami to Quito on LanEcuador, part of the LanChile group of airlines, on a Boeing 757. The flight was on time and cabin service was fine.

I had been to Ecuador twice before, so I had some insight into what to do and see. Most people spend a couple of days in Quito and then head for the Galápagos Islands, but Quito and its environs are so interesting that I think travelers should budget at least four nights there, if possible.

I wanted the family to see parts of Ecuador rarely visited by North Americans. That’s why I chose to dine in haciendas, many dating back to the 1700s and 1800s. Most have been converted into hotels. For information about the best-known haciendas, you can access www.ecuadorexplorer.com.

We visited two. The first, about a half hour’s drive outside of Quito in the beautiful valley of Los Chillos, was the 30-room Hacienda La Carriona (e-mail lacarriona@hotmail.com). We had a delightful full-course lunch for four with wine for about $100. We didn’t stay there but did have a chance to see the rooms; huge rooms with fireplaces and antiques cost about $150 a night for two.

The second, Hacienda Cusin, is nearly 400 years old. It’s located near Otavalo, probably the best known of the market towns. The market, or feria, takes up a full city block and is held seven days a week, but Saturdays are the most active.

The hacienda is situated among beautiful gardens behind an 8-foot-high stone wall. It has a charming colonial atmosphere and large rooms. Again, the four of us had a full-course lunch with wine for about $90.

Incidentally, the U.S. dollar is the official currency of Ecuador, so there are no exchange problems.

Most travelers who don’t speak Spanish will buy the standard tours from a tour operator, but that gets to be somewhat pricey. As an alternative, talk to the concierge at your hotel and tell him you want to hire a taxi with an English-speaking driver for the day. As I speak Spanish fluently, we had no problem.

A 7-hour city tour of Quito, including Hacienda Carriona and a trip to the hill El Panecillo with its 50-foot-tall statue of the Virgin of Quito overlooking the city, cost the four of us $70 by taxi. A 7-hour tour by taxi the next day to the Equatorial Monument cost us the same. A 9-hour tour by taxi to Otavalo and nearby towns as well as to Hacienda Cusin cost us $150 (the best offer from a local tour company was $270).

I always reject the cost of transfers in any package. Round-trip airport-hotel transfers would have cost us $20 each ($80 for four). Paying a taxi $5 plus a dollar tip each way, it cost $12 round trip for all four of us. You don’t really need an English-speaking driver; you can just tell him your hotel’s name, and he will know enough English to tell you it’s $5.

In Quito we stayed at Hotel Alameda on Amazonas, the main street. It’s centrally located and only four blocks from Ejido Park with its excellent Sunday market. We paid $82 a night plus tax per room. Ours was large and very comfortable. The hotel food was good but not outstanding; we chose, instead, to go to Hotel Colon (just across from Ejido Park), which probably has the best food in Quito. A magnificent Sunday buffet cost us $14 each plus tax. We had lunch and dinner there too; both were excellent and reasonably priced.

Another excellent restaurant is La Ronda, about a $2 taxi ride from our hotel. It had a colonial-style dining room with antiques, English-speaking waiters and a trio singing Ecuadorian folk songs. A full-course meal with two bottles of wine cost $120. It was a delightful evening and worth every penny.

We found the Ecuadorian people to be very courteous and always smiling. As an example, when we stopped at the museum of the Battle of Pichincha, where Ecuador won its independence from Spain, a soldier was all smiles when he told me the museum was closed Mondays but he hoped we would come back.

The streets of the Old City in Quito are very narrow, and most of the sights are congregated within about an 8-square-block area. It should be explored by walking. We spent an afternoon there and particularly enjoyed the Church of San Francisco, the home of Marshal Sucre (winner at the Battle of Pichincha) and the numismatic display at the Central Bank.

BILL KOFOED
Ft. Pierce, FL