Casa Gangotena
Magnífico mansion
City-centre plaza
Standing proudly where an Incan temple once stood, on a prestigious plaza in bullseye-central Quito, Casa Gangotena is an aristo abode turned best-in-town boutique hotel where 1920s elegance is given a colonial twist and tastebud-thrilling food draws hungry crowds.
Facilities
Rooms
31, including one suite
Checkout
10am, but flexible, subject to availability. Check-in, 4pm.
More Details
Rates include a buffet breakfast and traditional high tea (local coffee, garden-fresh teas, scones, pastries, sandwiches and empanadas).
Free Internet Access
Laundry
On-Site Restaurant
Room Service
At the Hotel
Bar, restaurant, courtyard garden, laundry service, free WiFi throughout. In rooms: iPod dock, flatscreen TV, air conditioning, hair dryer, black-out curtain, Amenigraf bathroom products.
Our Favourite Rooms
In keeping with the general grandeur, all rooms are of the high-ceilinged, big-windowed variety. Bedrooms – many of them adorned with murals – lean towards Twenties classicism with the bathrooms adding a touch of white-marbled modernism. If you want to soak up the buzz of the city, Plaza View Rooms have stately French windows overlooking the vibrant square. For romance, try and bag a Balcony Junior Suite for its stucco-columned terrace overlooking the courtyard garden and the dramatic hills of Quito.
Packing Tips
A local map – or at least a keen sense of direction – will be useful given you’ll be exploring on foot most of the time. Talking of which, don’t forget your walking boots if you’re moving on to the Galápagos Islands afterwards.
Also
There's no spa or pool, but staff will happily direct you to the nearest ones. Please note visitors to Ecuador are required to show proof of public or private health insurance upon entering the country. Without this, you could be denied entrance.
Children
It's more of a grown-up affair, but kids are welcome. Extra beds can be added to rooms and the restaurant will happily adapt dishes on the menu for children.
Gallery
Food & Drink
Top Table
The restaurant is one of those ‘no table’s a bad table’ rarities, but for a morning coffee in refined surroundings, pull up a wicker chair in the glass-roofed, plant-lined patio area. Take your sundowner to the third-floor terrace and gaze over the plaza
Dress Code
This is date-night territory, so some dolling-up is required: a classic blazer for Mr Smith, a chic summer dress for Mrs Smith (nothing too flowery, mind: you’ll blend in with the curtains).
Hotel Restaurant
White table cloths, cosy loveseats, floral curtains and pastel hues – its like dining in someone’s living room, albeit a very fancy one… Quito-born chef Andrés Dávila serves crowd-pulling, zingy Ecuadorian fare: swordfish with plantain and peanuts, chulpi-crusted tuna, highlands’ style lamb stew and a locally revered red snapper ceviche. If you’re particularly smitten with the Internet’s second-favourite mammal after moggies, perhaps steer clear of the llama spring rolls, though.
Hotel Bar
Returning after a day of on-foot adventuring? Head straight for the wood-panelled, country-club-style bar, sink into a leather chair and order a signature Cedrón Spritz: an oh-so-refreshing blend of rum, sparkling wine and lemon – you’ll feel suitably revived. A globe-spanning wine list, local beers and other cocktails are all on offer, too.
Last Orders
Breakfast is served 6am–10am; lunch 12 noon–3pm; dinner 6.30pm–10pm (with afternoon tea in between). You can drink in the bar until midnight.
Room Service
There’s a breakfast menu of eggs, pancakes and pastries; lunch snacks like salads, soups and sandwiches; and most of the restaurant’s evening-meal main courses and desserts, all available 24 hours a day.
Planes
Mariscal Sucre International Airport is an hour’s drive away and is served by American Airlines from Miami, Delta from Atlanta, Iberia from Madrid, KLM from Amsterdam and a host of South American airlines.
Trains
Tren de los volcanes is a popular tourist train route that takes you on a full-day round trip from central Quito through dramatic volcano-strewn landscapes and eco reserves.
Automobiles
This is not the place for road trips: the cobbled streets are narrow and difficult to navigate. Everywhere in the Old Town is walkable and if you want to explore the newer parts, the hotel will happily arrange transfers.
Worth Getting Out of Bed For
Quito was the first city (along with Kraków) to be declared a Unesco World Heritage site; serendipitously, the hotel sits close to its central 'hood. The old, cobbled Calle de la Ronda is the city’s cultural heart, where galleries, craft shops, inviting restaurants and cosy bars are tucked into exquisite Spanish-style buildings. Museo del Banco Central (+(5932) 222 3258) hosts the country’s largest native art collection, from the colonial to the contemporary. Quito’s oldest building, the Hospital de la Misericordia y Caridad, is now home to the Museo de la Ciudad (+ (5932) 228 3883) which charts everyday life through the ages. Fans of ravishing religious buildings will be suitably awed by La Iglesia de la Compañía de Jesús (la Compañía to locals): a jaw-dropping, gold-leafed Spanish baroque beauty.
Those who want a real eyeful of the city – and aren’t prone to vertigo – can take a ride on the TelefériQo, one of the highest cable cars in the world. It runs from the city centre up the eastern side of the Pichincha volcano to a lookout point called Cruz Loma where there are restaurants and shops. From here, you can hike to the summit if you’re in an active mood.
El Panecillo, the hill presided over by the Virgin of Quito statue you can spy from the hotel, gives pleasing panoramas back over the city without the need for a white-knuckle ascent.
If you prefer your exploring at ground level, the Live Quito Like A Local tour gives you the chance to follow a guide to the not-in-the-guidebook markets, artisan shops and other hidden highlights, learning about the city’s festivals and traditions as you go.
Earn or Redeem Points with World of Hyatt
This Mr & Mrs Smith hotel participates in the World of Hyatt loyalty program. As a member, you can earn and redeem points and enjoy exclusive benefits for qualifying nights. .
