Those wanting to get a taste of the high life in the Quito’s baroque district.
Plaza San Francisco, Quito, Ecuador
High ceilings and towering windows make sure that the rooms at Casa Gangotena are always filled with light. Soft gold and cream décor is in keeping with the building’s antique character, but the marble bathrooms, heating and air conditioning are bang up to date.
A carefully selected wine lists complements the international fusion cuisine on offer in the elegant dining room. At the centre of the hotel is a patio topped by a glass roof, a supremely comfortable space in which to settle down with a book after a day’s sightseeing. The roof terrace is a perfect spot to watch one of Quito’s many parades and carnivals.
Baroque monuments, artisanal craft shops, cafes and convents are scattered throughout the streets surrounding the hotel, so sightseeing or just wandering is the order of the day. The hotel can advise on the best places to pick up a coffee or a piece of hand-crafted jewellery.
Convento de Santa Clara, a block south of the hotel, is a nunnery that makes beautiful cream and skin lotions – check it out if the Ecuadorian sun is taking a toll on your skin!