Hi All
Wanted to pass on some recommendations from my 10 day trip to Ecuador.
Quito- Stayed at Cafe Cultura and loved it. Ended up changing our plans and returning there for our last night. Especially liked room 17. It definitely has its quirks and you can certainly find less expensive places in Quito but the service and ambience of Cafe Cultura is worth it...fireplaces, good restraunt and great staff.
Ate at Cafe Mosaico twice- for breakfast on our first day and dinner on our last night... gorgeous views of Old Town, good food and friendly service.
Galapagos- Amazing. Sailed on the Athala 2, a beautiful new catamaran (we were the 2nd group aboard). The crew was outstanding, the food delicious and the itinerary spectacular. Our rooms were immaculate and there was always plenty of water.
We went for the 5d/4n itinerary of the southern islands which was fantastic but if I could've stayed for the complete week long itinerary, I would have.
I booked the tour through Palmazul travel (agent- jessica Meza, was great and always responded to my many emails promptly), a division of Colombus travel. I had heard some unfavorable things about Colombus travel but I had no problems at all.
Cotpaxi- We stayed at la Cienega. It was a bit of a let down. I had requested a room in the main building when I made the reservation but when I arrived we were given a room in the annex. If you plan on staying here, definitely make sure you have a room in the main building. Aside from that, the grounds are beautiful and the restaurant was good. I speak some spanish so I was able to communicate Ok w/ the staff but just as an FYI- most of the staff, including reception, speak very little english.
We did 2 tours at Cotopaxi. The first was a private hiking/walking/driving tour arranged by La Cienega with Zona Verde expeditions. It was a great tour but our guide spoke little english. I speak some spanish so it was ok, but if you were to arrange through them you should know some spanish.
The second tour was a mountain biking excursion with the Flying Dutchman out of Quito. It was great and I would highly recommend them if you are interested in any biking tours in Ecuador.
Hope this info helps, I am happy to answer any questions.

Thank you.

Would appreciate an idea of how much it cost to stay at Cafe Cultura, and take your Galapagos trip,

Thx.

We paid $99/night for a Jr. Suite at Cafe Cultura which is $10 more than a regular double room. Cant remember if it's this board or another where people have complained about the huge variation in rooms at Cafe Cultura...but from what I saw there, paying the extra $10 will ensure you a more spacious room.
Info on the Athala cruise prices is on haugancruises.com
It was far beyond what I usually pay for my travels but from what I saw down there galapagos is one place where paying extra money makes a huge difference.

Did you see any wild horses at Cotopaxi?

yes, we did see a few groups of wild horses...beautiful!

That was my question also..about the Wild Horses.

Were you lucky enough to see a few Condors flying above.?
Also was it cold and windy up there.?

Percy

Great! I think it is common to see them. I see a couple of groups on just a day trip.

Very, very windy.

Well it was very windy when I was there and cold also...so anyone going there ...dress warm!!

Percy