Excellence in Every Detail

Quito's colonial center, declared World Cultural Heritage Site in 1978, is a captivating site: its narrow, cobble-stoned streets wind up and down surrounded by historic buildings that speak of a colonial period full of legends and mysteries to be deciphered around every corner. The numerous churches guard demonstrations of the skillful artisans of the Escuela Quiteña, the lively plazas tell of a time when people had much more time to socialize and gossip, the balconies remind us of romantic serenades.. and the view of the surrounding volcanoes embraces all this scenery in a most enchanting ambiance.

Fortunately, during the last few years, the local city government has set forth great efforts to improve and preserve Quito's remarkable historic center, which over the last decades was invaded by street sales and increasingly became untidy. The streets have been illuminated, security reinforced, most street vendors relocated to closed markets, historic buildings refurnished, among other significant improvements.

Alongside has come private investment, offering visitors first-class services as well as a growing agenda of highly interesting and entertaining cultural events. Excellent gourmet restaurants such as Theatrum, El Magnolio and Mea Culpa, as well as those in Hotels Patio Andaluz and Plaza Grande, offer delicious national and international gourmet dishes to be savored in a unique historic ambiance. Teatro Sucre, Centro Cultural Metropolitano, Museo de la Ciudad, among others, offer a variety of first- class events and exhibits.

Four years ago, Hotel Patio Andaluz opened its doors to the public, reviving the history of first-class hospitality in colonial Quito. The hotel was built in a refurbished traditional colonial house, which at the end of the XVI century belonged to Marques Juan Sanchez de Jerez, an important figure in Quito's history. Later it belonged to other notable politicians such as Pacifico Chiriboga Borja, who was State Minister at the end of the XIX C. The name "Patio Andaluz" refers to the interior patios typical of Andalusian architecture brought to America during the Spanish conquest. Hotel Patio Andaluz offers first class lodging, and includes a gourmet restaurant, a charming cava, a solarium and an inviting reading room.

Today we find other excellent options as well, all built in restored houses from colonial times. Villa Colonna, a Luxury Bed & Breakfast, offers a unique family atmosphere, immersed in a most luxurious ambiance. Its owners, Rigoberto and Rodolfo (both bilingual), welcome guests making them feel at home. They take care of every imaginable detail such as a cell phone to all their guests. Delicious coffee and tea are always available to guests, and a beautiful balcony with aromatic plants and an outstanding view of the city is most inviting for reading or just to relax. The social areas have the finest decoration and are most welcoming. Every room has a cozy fireplace.

The key to the excellence in service offered by Villa Colonna is in the care of every feature. From the soft and numerous pillows to the spacious bathrooms and the finest French table settings, every detail has been carefully selected to satisfy the finest and most demanding guest. With only six double rooms, each with its unique decoration and style, a unique relaxation is guaranteed. Villa Colonna has been open for only three months and has already captivated its guests, who have returned and made of Villa Colonna their home during their visits to Quito.

And speaking of luxury. on the past month of January 2007, the Independence Square dressed its best for the opening of the Boutique-Hotel Plaza Grande. This opening represents the revival of Quito´s first hotel, the Majestic, located next to the Government Palace overlooking the city's main plaza. The Majestic opened its doors in 1930, in a building with eclectic and neoclassical architecture that broke with the homogenous colonial houses of the historic center, originally home to one of the Spanish conquerors who founded the city of Quito at the beginning of the sixteenth century, Juan Diaz de Hidalgo. The hotel became famous for its elegance, music and for delighting thousands of guests. An ad of Hotel Majestic appeared in our first publications during the late 60's.

Eventually, the hotel closed its doors; however the building remained in service. At first it served as a bank and later as the administrative offices for the Quito Municipality. In 2005, a group of hoteliers invested in the restoration, and today the Hotel Plaza Grande is more luxurious than ever and one of Quito's finest. Hotel Plaza Grande provokes a great nostalgia to the people of Quito adding charm to the superb decoration and elegance of this historical building.

Services include hall of events, Gourmet Restaurant, Café Plaza Grande with typical Ecuadorian dishes, as well as a spa, gym, sauna, valet parking, limousine service, and horse carriage rides, among others. If you are a wine lover you must visit El Claustro Wine Cellar and Restaurant, which holds 1200 bottles from the world's best vintages.

Relicario del Carmen is a small, charming hotel strategically located between El Carmen Bajo and Plaza Grande. It displays a small portico but embraces a vast history dedicatedly tracked by its owners. The house has been owned by Dr. Francisco de Paula Salvador de la Barrera's family for over 100 years. Mrs. Jessica Salvador, now in charge of the hotel, has been curious enough to contact the renowned historian Dr. Fernando Jurado Noboa in order to follow the house's history from pre- Hispanic times to share it with her guests. The house is set on what is believed to have been a wide Inca square, later to become a large family house with several interior patios in the time of the Spanish conquest, which was subsequently divided into smaller living units. One of these divisions belonged to Antonio Jijón, whose beautiful daughters were visited by important historic characters of the country's liberation such as Sucre, Colonel Nicolas Vasconez and Juan José Flores.

These charming hotels, each with a unique personality, fit very well in their setting: Colonial Quito, a World Cultural Heritage Site.

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