Quito, Ecuador
- A Wandering Doc
- Jan 7
- 3 min read
Considering we fly to Maui annually, the flight to Quito was reasonably quick. Seven hours in the air with a 3 hour layover in the first class delta lounge in Atlanta. Let’s just say the mimosas were free flowing. Thanks to my churnjng game, I’m a ridiculous lounge lizard..
Before arriving in Ecuador there are some things you will need to complete. First, the Ecuador “visa”. It’s free and done online, but the language is Spanish with no option to turn into English because the government app is ridiculously glitchy. We had to use a translation app just to fill out the form and somehow I ended up an Ecuador citizen. Who knew? Google translator for the fail. The visa form can only be filled out 48 hours in advance of landing in Quito. You get a barcode. In true government bureaucratic form, no one asked for the barcode.
Our plane had mechanical problem which delayed the flight well into the evening hours so we flew thru customs and immigration in no time (we were the only plane arriving). Based on the number of lines readily available in the queue, I suspect Quito immigration could be a nightmare. Moral of the story, late night flight might just be the way to go.
Two night were included in our yacht package. I initially chose the JW Marriott but switched to the GO Hotel based on recommendation from Jacky (travel agent at happy gringo). This proved to be an excellent recommendation.
The city of Quito is approximately 50 minutes away from the airport so I like to plan in advance for transfers. Jacky was willing to arrange transfers for us at cost of $60 but if plane were significantly delayed we would forfeit the $60. Jacky also mentioned it was easy to grab a taxi for $40 so that’s what we planned.
However; because I like to be greeted in baggage with someone holding up my name on a personalized sign, I decided to contact GO Hotel directly and see what they could offer. Low and behold the hotel offered to meet us with our name on a sign, monitor the flight and pick us up whenever the flight landed (no worrying about delayed flight) for a grand total of $35! Cheaper than both a taxi and almost half the cost of the transfers offered by Jacky through happy gringo. So, in summary, Happy Gringo (travel agent) was the most expensive and the least consumer friendly (lose all your money if flight is delayed to the next day which doesn’t leave wiggle room when a flight arrives at 10pm). The hotel transfer was smooth as silk and significantly cheaper. Score one for the GoHotel and zero for happy gringo in the transfer category
The GoHotel is in downtown Quito and I give it the highest recommendation possible. Our room had a fantastic view of the city scape and mountains and was spotlessly clean.
The breakfast buffet was included and more of a high end brunch than breakfast. Made to order omelets, fresh squeezed OJ, barista coffee, salmon for Sherpa- really everything one could want for dinner too. Seriously, just book this hotel!
We like to do free walking tours and/or HOHO (hop on hop off busses) when visiting a new city and since this turned into only one full day in Quito (schedule changes and flight delays) we went with the HOHO to cover more territory.
This is a good place to mention that the official currency of Ecuador is the US dollar (bring small bills). The HOHO was $15 each. Short walk (about a mile) from our hotel to the starting point. We stayed on the business district of Quito and never felt unsafe.
Here is a link to the HoHo with all the stops and below are some photos we took around the city.
Quito reminded me a bit of Santiago, Chili but with a lot more hills. The city is dense, as in 3 million people dense, and sits in a valley surrounded by 9 Volcanoes (most recent eruption in 1999). We didn’t feel unsafe in the city, but we travel to Detroit for Lions games so I suspect we are jaded.
WOW what a start! Fabulous photos! Just love every one of them. I am partial to the wonderful architecture for sure.
Sherpa doesn't stray far from his "salmon" does he!