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Hi,
I have 4 nights in Quito in August before a Galapagos cruise and have some questions regarding accommodation and activities. We are also going to Peru and would like to do different activities to those available in Peru. The Peru sector involves Amazon at Iquitos, Cusco, SV and MP.
Can anyone recommend a Quito hotel in the same price and service range as the Santa Barbara which has unfortunately closed?
Is Otavalo market worth a visit if we are also going to Pisac market?
Are Mindo or Tandayapa worth a visit if we are also going to the Manu cloud forest?
Is it recommended to stay at Hostal San Jorge (Quito) and do day trips from the lodge to places like Cotapaxi, Otavalo (Wednesday market) and maybe the hot springs?
Is it possible to combine a day trip to Otavalo Market with an overnight at Tandayapa?
Can anyone suggest a good place to stay out of Quito for one or 2 nights that offers interesting activities and good accommodation?
Many thanks,
Pol.
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I liked Otavalo market more than Pisac and didn't really feel they were duplicates. I stayed at San Pablo Lake for 2 nights which is in the same province as Otavalo. I don't have hotel names, as it has been a few years, and IMO day trips would be exhausting, things take longer to get to than you would expect.
Hi
For a place to stay outside of Quito, you might consider Bellavista Cloud Forest Reserve, which is near Mindo. It is a birdwatchers paradise but there are other activities also. They can arrange for rafting and/or zip-lining and/or visiting orchid farms.
The accommodations are pretty unique and the meals are very good. They do provide a shuttle service between Quito and the reserve. I have stayed there three different times and have always enjoyed my visit. There are numerous hummingbird feeders and always an abundance of hummingbirds.
http://www.bellavistacloudforest.com/english/visit_bellavista.php
Another option is to head towards Cotapaxi, the tallest active volcano in the world. It is majestically snow-capped. There are two lodges
http://www.hosterialacienega.com/index.html I have never stayed here but we had a wonderful lunch here.
I have also been horseback riding at the Hacienda Porvenir a number of times, also near Cotapaxi and plan to stay there the next time I am in Ecuador. Here is the link to their website but the Spanish version has a lot more information than the English version.
http://www.tierradelvolcan.com/
If you click on my name, and look at some of my postings from 2007 and 2008, you will find more information on things to do outside of Quito.
Pamela
We did a day trip from Quito (the Sheraton) to Bellavista Cloud Forest Reserve. I can't compare it with the Manu cloud forest, since I haven't been there. But it was a marvelous day trip. Bellavista has a van that picked up both us at our hotel and a 2nd couple at a different hotel--very convenient. And as noted, the hummingbirds at the lodge feeders were spectacular. The guided hike was also a true learning experience. I highly recommend it. (It's on the old Nono-Mindo trail, and it's on the road above Tandayapa. The van driver stopped at Tandayapa's hummer feeders on our way back to Quito.)
You can read about our day trip here: http://galapagos2009.wordpress.com/day-by-day-activities/quito-adventures/bellavista-cloud-forest-reserve/. There's a full trip report on our 8-day Galápagos cruise at that site as well.
Tina
Rosewillow, eveningcrane and ztsipapu,
thanks for your very helpful replies. We have decided to do day trips from Quito (Cotapaxi, Bellavista and Otavalo) in order to enjoy a 4 night stay in one place, probably Los Alpes. This is part of an 8 week trip to South America (Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador including the Galapagos and Peru) and we have minimised the one night stays to transit nights, preferring longer stays where possible.
Cheers,
Pol
Hi Treepol, You might try the San Sebastian in Quito, or the Mansion del Angel (they have moved tho), or the Rio Amazonas and Reina Victoria on Calle Amazonas. The Santa Barbara was a nice place and I wasn't aware that it closed. Sometimes you can get 'deals' at the Marriott (at the edge of 'gringoland', Mariscal area of Quito) for the same price that SB charged. I live in Otavalo and have also been to the Pisac market--handicrafts as well as ambient in Peru and Ecuador are different. There are SO many nice things--Indigenous, nature, textile-related, shopping, folklore music--in the Otavalo area, just 2 hours from Quito. I do not think it's possible to combine a day trip with Tandayapa. Instead of staying in the outskirts of Quito (when in Quito, you should be soaking up pure Quito!), you should visit the hot springs of Pappallacta, and stay there for a night, and visit Cotapaxi--stay at the Hacienda Cienaga, inexpensive and historical, and they can arrange a driver for the day to take you up, and you should definitely stay a night or two in the Otavalo area! Come and visit the Ali Shungu--a great restaurant with good vegetarian and meat lunches and dinners, and a nice little hotel--4 blocks from the market. Prices are inexpensive, and there are alot of hummingbirds in the garden. Otavalo is very safe for walking around and the Wed. market is the second biggest. Mindo and Manu--are completely different. Another place in Mindo is the Septimo Paraiso on 900 private hectares of incredible nature with hiking trails and many species of birds and animals. Happy Travelling!