22 Best Hotels in Quito, Ecuador

Three hours' drive from Quito, Mashpi Lodge is a wondrous, modern escape in the heart of the Ecuadorian Andes cloud forests. Featuring external walls of glass and steel and designed with the latest techniques in sustainable development, the lodge gives guests a front-row seat in one of the world's most biodiverse areas. The 22 rooms and suites feel like luxurious cocoons, with walls of windows looking out on the cacophony of trees, vines, and birds just a few feet away. The three Yaku Suites are extra spacious and feature Philippe Starck-designed bathtubs with unobstructed views of the forest. On the first floor, a reading area offers a large selection of books about the country for guests to peruse, as well as a computer with Internet access (there's free Wi-Fi throughout the lodge). Guides and the resident biologist also use this area for talks and presentations. In a wellness area, an open-air Jacuzzi offers the perfect place to relax at the end of the day, and an adjoining room is used for massages and treatments performed with natural local ingredients. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are gourmet affairs featuring regional cuisine prepared with fresh local products and served in the stunning two-story dining room. The professional guides are passionate about their work, and daily excursions with them are included in the stay and range from trips on the treetop cable car or SkyBike, to treks along nature trails, dips in waterfalls, and night walks.

Mashpi welcomes children old enough to participate in activities and will supply appropriate size boots and ponchos as it does for adult guests.

Two hours northwest of Quito sits this all-inclusive hotel with colorfully painted two-bedroom thatch-roof cottages scattered over the hillsides. On the cusp of a cloud forest, Arashá is 1,962 feet above sea level, with an average temperature of 76°F, and it takes on an ethereal appearance in the early morning as clouds cut the visibility to zero. More than 300 species of birds have been counted along the trails, rivers, and waterfalls. The spa has aromatherapy, moisturizing, facial, and stress-relief treatments. There's also a chocolate factory on-site, so you can see how chocolate is made from cocoa beans (kids love this). Rates include all meals, entertainment (including karaoke and movies), and tours; alcoholic beverages are extra.

On the southwest corner of Plaza de San Francisco, this historic mansion is Quito's most luxe boutique hotel, named for the family who built it as their stately home in 1924. Guests are greeted at check-in with a restorative herbal drink, the perfect remedy for the combination of travel and the Andean location, and the top-notch service continues throughout your stay. Common areas such as the terrace and glass-covered courtyard combine plush seating with touches of whimsical; Art Nouveau and Neo-classical design touches are throughtout the property. The decorative molding of the 15-foot-high ceilings is enough to take your breath away, if the altitude hasn't already. Rooms are done in light blues and neutrals with sparkling marble-clad bathrooms. Let the sun wake you in the morning, or block it out with window shutters and heavy drapes. . Be sure to enjoy the ample afternoon tea included in your room rate (4–6 pm), though do let the kitchen know if you're a vegetarian so that they can swap out the savories that have meat. Dinners in the ground-floor restaurant are especially relaxing after a long day of exploring, and the quiet space is only open to hotel guests in the evening.

Arguably Ecuador's most fabulous hotel (with, admittedly, prices to match) puts you right on the prime real estate of its namesake plaza. The business dates only from 2007, but the structure was the mansion of early 16th century nobleman Juan Díaz de Hidalgo. Suites are done up in such a way that you feel as though you're staying in the guest wing of a 19th-century noble's house, though a flat-screen TV and free Wi-Fi bring you back to the present. Plush carpets, thick drapes, heavy, dark wood furniture, and the tapestries and art—including drawings by Oswaldo Guayasamín—decorate each carpeted room. The best rooms face the plaza. Though windows are soundproofed, you need only fling open the French doors and emerge onto your private balcony to survey all that goes on below.

Two homes on a shady side street offer a variety of simple but elegant rooms, half of which are spacious apartments with well-stocked kitchenettes. Some open onto flower-filled courtyards, others have private balconies. For a special treat, ask for the room with a fireplace.

This place's name sounds like that of a restaurant—and, indeed, the Sunday brunches are a Quito institution—but it is better known as one of Ecuador's premier boutique lodgings. The brilliant bougainvillea over the front gate lets you know that this colonial-style hotel—formerly the Center for Arts and Culture of the French Embassy—is something special. The wood-beamed lobby glows when there's a fire in the stone-trim hearth. A mezzanine above leads to the inn's comfortable guest rooms (some warmed by fireplaces). A popular café off the lobby serves breakfast and lunch. All rooms here are no-smoking.

If you love to shop, you'll also love this sleek hotel across from Parque El Ejido. If the shops on the first floor don't strike your fancy, just outside is one of the best shopping strips in Quito. The marble lobby is a bit sterile, and the rooms are functional but nondescript; those on the lower floors can be noisy.

This beautifully restored colonial house is decorated with old mahogany furniture and antiques. All rooms have large private baths. Italian and international cuisine is on the dinner menu; after dinner you can relax and sip a glass of wine in front of the fireplace. Museums, shops, and restaurants are all within walking distance. You'll get a small discount if you pay in cash.

This small bed-and-breakfast, which occupies a half-timber Bavarian-style house, has a comfortable, casual style. It's a good value if you don't mind being a bit removed from the sights and action. Internet and fax services are free. The place offers frequent Web-only special rates.

It's a less costly alternative to the Hotel Plaza Grande down the street, but a stay here also lets you lodge in the Old City. Rooms in this four-centuries-old mansion are organized around two interior courtyards. All have wood floors, large desks, and flat-screen TVs. Each suite is split-level, with a bedroom and sitting room. Some of the units have an unusual layout i, where bedrooms are on the lower entry level and baths are on the upper level.

You might feel as if you're in the Amazon when you enjoy a cocktail at the Terraza Tropical bar, where wicker tables and chairs are set amid lush greenery, but the rest of this gleaming glass high-rise, within walking distance of most of the city's museums, is more austere. The restaurant serves up tasty local dishes with a friendly flourish.

This small four-star hotel is in the center of the restaurant and bank district. The large rooms are cheerfully decorated, and the restaurant, Café Mistral, is open daily from 6 am to 10:30 pm, serving international dishes and specials from Cuenca. The Café and Bar de Antaño is open from 3 to 11 daily for coffee, snacks, and cocktails.

This futuristic pyramid is a world unto itself: there's an ATM, heated outdoor pools for adults and children, four restaurants, a well-stocked gift shop, and a gym with fitness classes. It's a solid 20 minutes' drive from centro historico, but it's a big, immaculate hotel with service to match. The building is antiseismic, but rooms still have floor-to-ceiling windows, offering expansive views of Volcán Pichincha or the city from every room. Rooms underwent recent renovation and now have handsome honey-colored hardwood floors rather than carpeting, soundproof windows, and down bedding. A rollaway twin can be added to the spacious standard rooms, making this a good option for families with one or two children. A large, glass-enclosed lobby adds elegance and natural light. Within walking distance are a business district and several shopping malls. The business crowd comes here for the executive floors and the largest meeting space in Quito, but it's also a solid choice if you're just a tourist.

This lovely colonial building occe served as the embassy of Great Britain. The hotel's library is stocked with books and magazines. Spanish and international meals are served in the restaurant. You receive a slight discount if you pay in cash.

The friendly mood here (certainly not the small, plain rooms) lures everyone from seasoned travelers to Peace Corps volunteers. It's a friendly, inexpensive B&B, and the price includes a hearty American-style breakfast and all-day coffee, tea, and hot chocolate.

An 18th-century mansion build by a tobacco magnate, this 15-room boutique hotel is best for independent travelers who want to stay in a unique heritage hotel and don't need a lot of services. Reception is open but not manned 24 hours—you'll need to ring the bell to have the security gate opened when you come and go. The hotel is on a quiet street in a mostly commercial area, one block from Alameda Park and a 15–20 minute walk to centro historico (take a cab at night). The hotel has been lovingly maintained and has its original floors and crown molding. Rooms ooze Old World charm, kitted out as they are with heavy, dark wood furniture, Oriental rugs, thick drapes and, in some rooms, canopy beds. The hotel's common spaces, including the lovely garden where you can take the complimentary afternoon tea; allow for chatting with your fellow travelers.

Part of Quito's World Trade Center, this hotel is ideally located in the center of the city's financial district. The generously proportioned rooms exude understated elegance. Dine at the popular sushi bar, lively café, or grill. Live bands perform nightly in the Trader's Bar.

You can't miss the modern wood exterior, a style never seen in Quito. The furnishings are every bit as modern inside, too. The owner calls it "minimalist," but we call it "comfortable," with added touches such as flat-screen TVs and whirlpool tubs and huge windows in each room. Elevators stop between floors, necessitating your walking up or down four steps to get to your floor.

A onetime 18th-century Jesuit monastery turned farm in the Andes foothills has now been converted into one of those so-close-but-oh-so-far lodgings. The folks here never tire of reminding you that you're closer to the airport than you would be if you stayed in the New City, but reservations are essential, given the rough road to get here. Cozy rooms are equipped with stone floors, throw rugs, and fireplaces. The whole site sits in the midst of an Audubon-certified reserve, with plenty of bird-watching opportunities.

This 13-story hotel is right across from a large shopping center and two blocks away from the exposition center. Although it attracts mostly business travelers, it offers enough to do if you just want to relax. There are international dishes at Cooks Restaurant and the more casual Restaurante Fragratas, while snacks and drinks are served in the Lobby Cafe.

The hotel has a spacious atrium lobby, and outside there's a pool and lovely gardens. Rooms have dark-wood furnishings. The hotel's four restaurants—French, Italian, International, and Japanese—have excellent reputations. The hotel is within walking distance of several good restaurants.