To be completely honest with y’all, I had done absolutely no research on Quito before I went and had no idea what it was going to look like, be like, what we were going to tour, NOTHING. Sometimes I love having zero expectations when I travel because I just let myself absorb everything without stressing that something isn’t the way I imagined it. We only got a taste of Quito since we only went to Quito for a few days before we went to the Galapagos. To be honest, it was part of the itinerary with our tour company (Alexander and Roberts) and we needed a place to get COVID tested prior to going to the Galapagos. But I’m so glad I got to experience Quito!
One thing I do wish I had prepared for better? The altitude sickness LOL. Quito is 9,350 ft above sea level (for reference, Denver is 5,280 ft) and I had never been at such a high elevation before! Just climbing a flight of stairs at our hotel would absolutely take it out of me and I had a headache most of the time we were in Quito.
But this town is so rich in history and culture, that despite not feeling great while I was there, I hope to go back one day when things are a bit more normal and recovered from COVID!
Day 1
After a quick layover to Miami from Charlotte, the flight to Quito is fairly painless. We landed in Quito on March 16th in the late afternoon and it took us about an hour to get into Historical Quito where our hotel was located. The hotel, Casa Gangotena, was truly one of the most gorgeous hotels I have ever stayed in my life. It was once an old mansion owned by a wealthy family in Quito, but turned into a hotel relatively recently. Staff was absolutely amazing (and almost everyone there speaks English too if that is needed for you).
The rooms were beautiful and the view from our room overlooking one of the cathedrals was incredible!
We were pretty exhausted after traveling all day (plus I was starting to feel the effects of the altitude) so we just had dinner in the hotel (GREAT hotel restaurant btw!), explored the hotel and gardens, and then just unpacked/rested to prepare for the next day.
Day 2
The next morning, we woke up early to get a delicious breakfast at the hotel restaurant before meeting a doctor in the lobby to perform our COVID tests (we both had to show proof of a negative PCR test taken within 10 days of departure in order to get into Ecuador; however, you need a negative PCR within 4 days of entry into the Galapagos, so the timing of things required us to get a PCR done in Quito so we could go to the Galapagos a few days later).
Then our sweet tour guide picked us up to take us around historical Quito. We toured 3 cathedrals:
The Church and Convent of St. Francis (Spanish: Iglesia y Convento de San Francisco) was the one that was our view from our hotel room. It had a monastery attached to it, so we got to learn about the history of the monks who live there (they used to brew beer!)
The Church of the Society of Jesus (Spanish: La Iglesia de la Compañía de Jesús):
The Basilica of the National Vow (Spanish: Basílica del Voto Nacional):
We saw the Virgen de El Panecillo statue:
Went to some local shops, including a hat maker, chocolate shop, and wooden top maker:
And we had a late afternoon lunch at a cute little restaurant called “La Casa de los Geranios Restaurante“:
(you can see my absolute exhaustion fin my face from walking around all day and the altitude sickness I was having LOL)
And we ate so much that we didn’t have an appetite for dinner but chilled with a glass of wine at the bar in the hotel 🙂
Day 3
The next day, our tour guide picked us up again and drove us to the equator museum (Intinan Museum). It was only about an hour away from our hotel and we got to see lots of the countryside. The museum is super fun and has you do “experiments” about things that apparently can only happen on the equator.
But the museum is more than just about the equator– it was also super informative about things like the native people of Ecuador, the rain forests, and local wildlife.
After making our way through the museum, we headed back in the direction of the hotel and stopped for what was referred to as a late “snack” by our guide, but felt more like a full meal to us! We got empandas at Las Empanadas Chilenas (my favorite ones I had the entire trip–and I ate A LOT of empanadas) and sorbet at Helados de Paila in Pomasqui.
And then we got back to the hotel where my mom and I got some time to pack our things back up to prepare for our early flight to the Galapagos the next day. We took some time to feed the pigeons and street dogs outside our hotel (mom’s idea lol), drink some more wine in the rooftop bar, play a round of Rummikub, and have dinner at the hotel before calling it a night!
Have you ever been to Quito, Ecuador? Drop any recommendations you have for others down below!
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