Hotels in Quito

La Mariscal is one of the first Neighborhoods in Quito

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La Mariscal one of the first neighborhoods in Quito

Cities are known and discovered through their neighborhoods, spaces that reveal many origins of the metropolis, as well as their transformations and future perspectives, this is the case of La Mariscal neighborhood. They transmit local identity and make visitors to fall in love with those places. Neighborhoods are the color and the flavor that you can experiment as a tourist.

La Mariscal, a complex and attractive territorial dynamism

One of these places is La Mariscal, a Neighborhood located in the north-center of the city of Quito, Ecuador, which evolved in the mid-20th century as a concept of urban development that left behind the colonial model of the historical downtown of Quito.

A model of private and public spaces traced its way, giving the first steps to a more complex territorial dynamism, and beyond all doubts, more attractive.

La Mariscal established as a neighborhood that agglomerates lots of Quito’s history and culture, so it’s the perfect place to visit and discover many attractions.

Museums of interest in La Mariscal

One of these interest places is Museum Abya Yala, which exhibits archeological elements and pieces, along with the city’s ethnography.

Museo Nacional del Ecuador also features the best plastic art treasures. With an inventory of around 800 sculptures, paintings, drawings and photographys. It’s a space that allows the tourist to discover many faces and social, economic, political and artistic expressions that makes Ecuador what it is today.

Casa de la Cultura Ecuatoriana is another museum you must visit, which is considered the most important and emblematic artistic and cultural institution in Ecuador. Its construction started in 1944 with the help of Bejamín Carrión, a Quito journalist, and the support from the former president of Ecuador Carlos Arroyo del Río.

Also, don’t forget to visit Centro Cultural Benjamin Carrion, a place that promotes philosophy and literature, as well as Archivo Histórico and Biblioteca del Museo  Nacional,  which both preserves Ecuador’s historical memory, which without doubts is in a bunch of Quito’s  places.

If you like independent films and productions, El Útero is a must visit place, as well as Microteatro UIO. Also, is worth visiting Galería Kingman, which has a vast collection from the great Ecuadorian master from 20th century, Eduardo Kingman, the “hand painter”.

Appreciate the gastronomy and visit the handicrafts market in La Mariscal

To enrich your visit to La Mariscal, the places to taste delicious dishes and buy handicrafts from Quito and Ecuador are a magnificent option.  Galería Ecuador Gourmet is the place where you’ll taste typical dishes, taste local coffee, chocolate with flavors and essences, and buy handicrafts, jewelry, cloths and many other high quality products made in Ecuador.

Mercado de artesanías GoRaymi, one of the biggest references of local products, is the perfect place to find unique souvenirs from the city, with bright and colorful fabrics, woven garments, rugs, paintings, hats, bags and jewelry with an infinite design selection.  For sure, this is a place full of life, tradition and national culture.

La Mariscal: a good place to begin your journey in Quito

You can explore the city and stay in this neighborhood, taking it as a starting point for your trip to Quito, appreciating the historical, economical and urban process, that transformed and turned the Ecuadorian capital into an exceptional, varied, diverse, fun, surprising, exquisite and very attractive metropolis; In a word, cosmopolitan.

An excellent choice to accommodate is Boutique Hotel Antinea, a first class, French style hotel located in La Mariscal, Quito.  The hotel is made up of two houses declared “Cultural Heritage of Quito”, in the most cozy and European street of Quito.

How to get around Quito using the public transportation

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How to get around Quito

Ecuador’s capital is a fantastic city to explore by day or by night, with plenty of attractions and activities to keep you busy for days, but you may wonder how to get around Quito. Here, we share our top tips to help you get around Quito by bus and taxi, getting the most out of your visit.

Yet, we regularly meet travelers who are surprised at how quickly they can get lost while visiting this beautiful, high-altitude capital. In the following guide, we’ll give you a few practical tips on how to explore Quito using the public transportation or ride sharing apps like Uber or Cabify.

How to get Around Quito

If you`re going to use any online directory to find more information, use TripAdvisor or Facebook.

Most of what you can find on the internet about Quito isn’t considered budget-friendly; most companies or restaurants that have their own website or appear in Google Maps will be in the mid-high range in terms of cost.

Gasoline is subsidized in Ecuador

In Ecuador, gasoline is subsidized by the government and is cheap, making transportation really cheap too!

The cheapest way to get around, by far, is on either the blue public buses that rage through the city, the Ecovia, Trole or Metrobus. The latter three are electric, wheelchair accessible and run from the north to south of the city. One way in any direction on any of these costs only $0.25.

Avoid using buses during rush hour

Avoid using buses during rush hour traffic as they get extremely crowded.

At rush hour, the Ecovia is literally packed with people and pickpocketing runs rampant. While it is wise to take advantage of cheap transport, it isn’t worth losing your phone or camera!

Google Maps has improved significantly when it comes to navigating Quito, but don’t trust all the bus numbers and routes provided. Always double check with another person at the bus stop or with the bus drivers.

Taxis are also relatively cheap, but rides will quickly add up if you’re in traffic or heading to one of the south/north bus terminals.

We strongly suggest you don’t just grab any taxi off the street. Ideally, ask your hostel to call a taxi company and whatever taxi you take should have two stickers: a green one on the side of the taxi with the taxi cooperative name and number and an official orange sticker provided by the city on the windshield. The taxi should also have a license plate.

When you get into the taxi, ask the taxi driver to turn on the “Taxímetro”, which clocks the price for the duration of the ride. If he/she refuses, simply get out and call another taxi. Without the taxímetro, and if you don’t know your way around, you’ll probably get ripped off.

Uber and Cabify are two applications that work in and around Quito. Not only are they safer tan taking a cab off the street, they’re also much cheaper! Their rates are higher during rush hours, so plan accordingly.

Public transportation arriving to Quito

If you’re arriving at Quito’s Mariscal Sucre Airport, located about 45 minutes from the city, the cheapest way to get into the city is by bus. There are two options: the (bright green) public buses and Aeroservicios.

The public buses charge $2.00 to take you either to the Rio Coca bus terminal in the north of the city or to the Quitumbe bus terminal in the south. Unless you want to leave Quito to destinations south immediately, we suggest you take the bus to Rio Coca since it’s much easier to access the center and north of the city from this terminal.

From Rio Coca, you can either take the Ecovía ($0.25) south to the Mariscal or Old Town (where most hotels are located), or a taxi/Uber.

From the airport, the Rico Coca buses operate from 5:30am – 10:00pm, whereas the Quitumbe buses stop at 7:00pm.

The red Aeroservicios buses are slitghtly more expensive at $8.00, however they offer transfers to Quito from Monday to Friday 3:30am to 11:30pm, as well as Saturdays and Sundays from 4:00am to 10:30pm, giving you more options out of the airport, depending on your arrival time.

A bus swings by every 30 minutes, or every hour on weekends, and tickets can be booked online here. Autoservicios buses take you to Quito’s old airport, now called Parque Bicentenario, in the north of the city. You can catch buses or the Trole towards La Mariscal and the Old Town nearby – ask staff for details – or hop in a taxi. Aeroservicios buses have WIFI.

If you are arriving at an ungodly time and just can’t be bothered to wait for one of these buses, you can jump in a yellow taxi located outside the departure gate. These will charge you $25 to take you into the city, and sometimes more, depending on where your hotel is located.

You can also try ordering by Uber or Cabify, but internet may be spotty when you first arrive.

Transportation service from Hotel Antinea

When you book a room in Hotel Antinea, you can enjoy a cab that will drive you to the Hotel straight from the airport at the regular taxis fee, with a trusty driver. You can request this service at the moment you book with us.

Business trip to Quito: Tips to find your perfect accommodation

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Find your perfect accommodation in your business trip to Quito

You are a busy executive, an investor or an entrepreneur who needs to travel constantly for work reasons. In this case, you should know how important it’s to feel at home on your business trip to Quito.

We know traveling for pleasure and business are two different things that can influence your hotel choice. Therefore, the conditions that comes with one or other type of trip are a determining factor.

Differentiating elements of a hotel such as good time management, security, accessibility to facilities, having services in case of any unexpected events are important at the time of deciding for one accommodation.

Similarly, feeling at home will make your business trip feel like a pleasure trip.

That’s why, we offer some tips to find the best accommodation when planning your business trip to Quito.

Other guests opinions

First thing to do is to review the opinions of the hotels made by other guests that went on business trips to Quito, to know their experiences.

Look for negative opinions first, to see if there is a problem such as bad internet connection or poor security. These could be clear signs that you should look for other options.

You can check other guests reviews in our Trip Advisor profile.

Services in the Hotel

Another suggestion when planning your business trip to Quito, is to look for a hotel that has several restaurants, bars, and cafeterias around the building to be able to use them in case you need an informal meeting or a professional presentation.

Also, consider hotels that provide complementary services such as dry cleaning and laundry, hair dryers, plugs for your cell phone and computers, printer and fax service, etc.

In Boutique Hotel Antinea you find laundry, hair dryers, additional plugs in the rooms to connect your computers and mobile phone.

In addition, we have printer and fax service, so you can print, send, download important documents for your business meeting.

On the other hand, another service you might want after a long stressful business meeting is a relaxing massage. Relax and get a first class massage service provided by our experienced and experts masseurs.

Accessibility and transportation

Look for hotels that have an easy transport service and taxis at your fingertips, so you do not have to worry about waiting or not arriving on time. This will allow you to have drivers who recognize the area and alternate roads in case of any delay. This will also ease your transfer to the airport when you are ready to leave Quito.

Also, if you rent a car or travel by road, the Hotel has a private parking service, so you don’t have to worry about where to leave your car.

Location

When traveling for business to Quito, look for hotels near your meeting places. Keep in mind that in very large cities, the financial districts have a lot of traffic at certain times and this can cause delays.

Boutique Hotel Antinea, is located in the heart of the tourist, commercial and financial center of the district La Mariscal de Quito, a few steps from the famous Plaza Foch.

We are located only five minutes away from the business center, near powerful partnerships and institutions like Delegation of the European Union to Ecuador, The World Bank in Ecuador, Inter-American Development Bank and The Agence Française de Développement.

Also, really near to our hotel you find important educational centers and universities like Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales (FLACSO) and Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador (PUCE).

In addition, it’s surrounded by the best restaurants, bars, cafes, nightclubs, museums or Spanish schools, which will allow you to get distracted during your free time on your business trip to Quito.

Security

Find a hotel that offers some kind of security such as a lobby with lots of lighting. Also, visibility and a permanent staff that allows you to feel safe at any time of the day or night.

In addition, it’s important that the hotel has a safe and storage room to store your belongings. At Boutique Hotel Antinea we havethis service at no cost.

Internet and communication

We live in the era of hyper-connectivity and you will surely want to frequently check your social networks or email. Therefore, be sure that the hotel has good internet, preferably free to avoid surprises when you pay your bill.

Additionally, check that the rooms also have a telephone, since some hotels currently do not need it. You must have this service for a last minute call, any emergency or to request information at the reception.

Feel like home in your business trip to Quito

Each of our rooms, suites or apartments are unique with a charming decoration that will make you feel at home. If your business trip to Quito will last several days our apartments are the perfect option to enjoy your journey. Just ask for our special long-term rates.

Boutique Hotel Antinea also offers a variety of services to make your stay as comfortable as possible. Its beautiful common areas, patios and gardens will make your stay an unforgettable experience.