Casa Gangotena

Location

Situated on the southwest corner of Plaza de San Francisco, Casa Gangotena is in the centre of Quito’s UNESCO-protected Old Town. Conveniently, a new metro station entrance is located on the northeast corner of the plaza (scheduled to open in 2021). With San Francisco church on the doorstep, it is also only a few minutes stroll to other attractions, such as La Compañía church, the presidential church and a number of excellent museums. A transfer from the airport should be under an hour, depending on the notorious Quito traffic.

Layout

A magnificent entrance off the plaza leads through to the lobby and reception area, before the serene loggia area. This covered atrium is where High Tea is served (from 16:00-18:00). Across from the loggia are the skilfully manicured private gardens. Also on the ground floor is the restaurant and a cosy, old-world bar with parquet flooring and views to the garden. The first and second floors are dedicated to guest rooms. On the third floor is a set of interconnecting luxury rooms, plus the impressive roof terrace - where drinks and nibbles can be served if required (or you can just go to enjoy the view).

Rooms

Casa Gangotena has 29 rooms plus two Junior Suites. Every room and suite is unique and all come with private bathrooms and complimentary water, fruit, tea & coffee. There are 21 Luxury rooms (312-387ft2), with an interconnecting pair on each floor that can also be converted into a single suite. Our tip is to try and nab the pair on the third floor, as it has a balcony too! There remaining eight rooms are Plaza-view (343ft2), three of which have a balcony. Both Suites overlook the gardens, one of which offers masses of space (516ft2) whilst the smaller (312ft2) has a balcony.

Features

Included in a stay at Casa Gangotena is the option to explore Quito on a guest-only tour, such as a visit to San Francisco church, the Franciscan Brewing museum or a lesson in Ecuadorian hot chocolate. The roof terrace has magnificent panoramic views across Quito and we really like the fact that each table has a ‘service button’ to call staff, so you can readily enjoy a drink/bite whilst counting the church spires, squinting to see Volcan Cayambe in the distance or just people-watching over the plaza! The hotel’s restaurant has a superb reputation and the bar is comfortingly old-fashioned, in all the best ways!