Hotel Barcelona: Flores 8-51. This hotel is my pick for budget travelers, right where you want to be within walking distance of the market and a short taxi ride to most of the points in the town. Clean, safe, simple, large rooms in an old colonial starting around $10 per person.
Where to eat in Ibarra?
Id try the delicious crepes in the restaurant of the Hotel La Giralda.
What to do in Ibarra?
– Trout fish in the nearby lakes!
– Rent a bike and bike around Yaguarcocha Lake.
-Kayak in the nearby rivers (inquire more in the tourist info center at la Esquina del Coco. )
The extinct volcano Imbabura.
The streets of Ibarra, Ecuador.
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Hostal Tierra Mia: esq. Bolivar y 10 de Agosto. This hotel is my pick for budget travelers, right where you want to be within walking distance of the market and a short taxi ride to most of the points in the town. Clean, safe, simple but small rooms starting around $8-10 per person.
Where to eat in Cotacachi?
There is an outdoor market with typical local foods at the end of the Leather Street, worth a look!
What to do in Cotacachi?
– Shop for leather wares on Leather Street
– Visit the beautiful Quicocha Lake.
A few of the fruits in the local outdoor market.
The beautiful nearby Quicocha Lake, Cotacachi.
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Hotel Los Ponchos: Sucre 14-15. This hotel is my pick for budget travelers, right where you want to be within walking distance of the market and a short taxi ride to most of the points in the town. Clean, safe, simple rooms and from the top floor some rooms have views of the Cotacachi Volcano starting around $10 per person.
Hotel El Indio: Is a good pick for budget travelers who want to stay right where all the nightlife is, in the Mariscal district. Wide clean rooms start around $15-25.
Where to eat in Otavalo?
There is a bakery right on the corner of the main crafts market, Id try there.
What to do in Otavalo?
– Shop in the famous Handy-Crafts Market on a Sunday.
– Visit nearby Cotacachi and shop for leather wares and visit the beautiful Quicocha Lake.
The Otavalo Market.
The colorful streets of Otavalo.
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Hostal Veintimilla: Amazonas y Av. Veintimilla. This hotel is my pick for budget travelers, right where you want to be within walking distance of the Mariscal and a short taxi ride to most of the points in the city like Carolina Park and the Old Town. Clean, safe, simple rooms with TV, cable, WIFI and hot water await you starting around $12 per person. The only negative are the hookers that hang out on the street nearby.
Centro del Mundo Hostel: Is my pick for budget travelers who want to stay right where all the nightlife is, in the Mariscal district. This was the first place I stayed in Quito. Rooms start around $6 for a dormitory bed and $10 per person for a private room.
Where to eat in Quito?
In Quito, Id go to my favorite retaurant in all of Ecuador… Crepes and Waffles. And after having a bunch of delectable waffles, the talk that followed was all about waffles. They have what their name suggests and a lot more. There are ones in Quicentro Mall, El Jardin Mall and across the street form the Marriot.
What to do in Quito?
-Party with the hip locals at one of the many discos around the Plaza FOch in the Mariscal.
-Go up the Teleferico and check out the amazing views but dont stop there, continue on the hike along the ridge.
-Rent a bike in the Ejido Park on a Sunday and enjoy the Ciclovia, where the city closes off a main street only to bicycles every Sunday.
-Visit the Old Town around Plaza San Francisco, it is one of THE most picturesque old towns in all of South America and is a World Heritage Site.
– Shop in Quicentro Mall and El Jardin Mall, at least just to get a feel for what up-scale Ecuadorian life is like and people watch.
El Panecillo in the old town of Quito.
Plaza Foch in Quito in the daytime, at night this place is rocking!
The streets of the Old Town in Quito.
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For me, the top 3 places to white water raft or kayak in Ecuador are …
1. Rio Quijos near El Chaco town.
2. Tena and the Rio Napo.
3. Ibarra and the rivers around are an off the beaten track kayaking or white water destination. My fav!
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