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Central & South America

Illa Experience Hotel Quito: Stay of Distinction

Duration
4 Days
Prices From:
US$ 1,585

DELUXE | PRIVATE-GUIDED: Explore the colonial streets of Quito and the city’s artistic legacy while staying at a 5-star mansion in bohemian San Marcos. At Illa Experience Hotel, you’ll enjoy gorgeous accommodations that transport you to the past when you’re not visiting city landmarks, like the Convent of Santo Domingo and Latitude 0’0’0”, the geographic centre of the world.

Highlights of Ecuador

This 4-day Ecuador vacation takes you to a first-class accommodation in Ecuador’s capital city.

After touching down in Quito, you’ll be taken to the Illa Experience Hotel, located in the artistic heart of the city, San Marcos. Illa Experience Hotel has 10 rooms in an early 20th-century mansion, with each floor of the hotel dedicated to a different century going back to 1700. Beyond the 5-star accommodations, Illa Experience Hotel transports you back in time to an era of classical refinement. As well, you’ll have access to its award-winning restaurant partner, Nuema, where you can enjoy ground-breaking Ecuadorian cuisine.

While staying at Illa Experience Hotel, you’ll be free to explore the colonial streets and sunny plazas of Quito. A comprehensive city tour will introduce you to the best landmarks in Old Town Quito, which was the first city to ever get the status of UNESCO World Heritage site. You’ll head from the residential neighbourhoods in the north to the Legislative Palace, where you’ll see rock murals depicting the history of Ecuador, to the gorgeous colonial convent treasures at the Chapels of El Rosario and Pompeyo to the Convent of Santo Domingo with its incredible oil paintings and gold-leaf decorated ceiling. End the tour with a visit to San Juan Mirador, where you’ll enjoy gorgeous views of colonial Quito. Afterwards, head north to Latitude 0’0’0” to straddle the equator and be amazed at the magnetic tricks of this unique spot.

The next day, travel along the Pan-American Highway to Otavalo, where Indigenous Ecuador still thrives, producing some of the world’s most beautiful textiles. If your visit falls on a Saturday, you can enjoy the main market, but there are souvenir bargains to be had at any time. Then spend a final evening back in Quito, taking in the gorgeous colonial streets and vibrant nightlife before ending your Ecuador vacation.

 

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Duration
4 Days
Prices From:
US$ 1,585

Itinerary View Trip Map

Day 1

Quito Airport to Hotel

Duration1 Hour

ILLA Experience Hotel

Illa isn't just a place to stay, it's a way to experience the richness of Quito's culture.

You might visit the workshop of a local artisan and watch as he hand-carves traditional wooden toys. You might try your hand at watercolour painting in one of the neighbourhood's many art studios. You might taste a classic Quiteno treat, helado de paila - homemade ice cream spun in a wide copper bowl. Or you may simply stroll down peaceful Junin street and let its colourful architecture recount the city's layered history. Hotel Illa offers a unique cultural experience for guests in Quito's warmest and most welcoming traditional neighborhood. Something beyond bricks and mortar, beds and breakfasts. For generations, San Marcos has been home to artists, writers and musicians. Its present-day charm owes much to the tight-knit community of residents. It's the perfect setting for our experience hotel. A historic house that represents the exquisite style of the mansions of Quito from the early 20th Century will enchant guests by night while they discover this World Heritage City by day in easy walking distance from the Hotel.

Meal Plan Full Breakfast
Duration3 Nights
Accommodation

ILLA Experience Hotel

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    ILLA Experience Hotel

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    Illa isn't just a place to stay, it's a way to experience the richness of Quito's culture. You might visit the workshop of a local artisan and watch as he hand-carves traditional wooden toys. You might try your hand at watercolour painting in one of …

    Illa isn't just a place to stay, it's a way to experience the richness of Quito's culture.

    You might visit the workshop of a local artisan and watch as he hand-carves traditional wooden toys. You might try your hand at watercolour painting in one of the neighbourhood's many art studios. You might taste a classic Quiteno treat, helado de paila - homemade ice cream spun in a wide copper bowl. Or you may simply stroll down peaceful Junin street and let its colourful architecture recount the city's layered history. Hotel Illa offers a unique cultural experience for guests in Quito's warmest and most welcoming traditional neighborhood. Something beyond bricks and mortar, beds and breakfasts. For generations, San Marcos has been home to artists, writers and musicians. Its present-day charm owes much to the tight-knit community of residents. It's the perfect setting for our experience hotel. A historic house that represents the exquisite style of the mansions of Quito from the early 20th Century will enchant guests by night while they discover this World Heritage City by day in easy walking distance from the Hotel.

    Facilities

    • Bar
    • Restaurant
    • Spa
    • Wellness area

    Photo gallery

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Day 2

Quito City Tour and Equator Line with Lunch

Ecuador is history, fascinating indigenous cultures, slow winding rivers and lush tropical forests, spectacular snow capped volcanoes and some of the most exciting wildlife on earth.

The place to start is the 'Mitad del Mundo'; a site located just 30 minutes north of Quito, where a monument marks the equator at its closest point to the city. Archaeological evidence shows that both pre-Inca and Inca civilizations recognized and celebrated the equinox, the day the sun is directly over the equator.

In the morning we will make a 45 minute journey northwest to the equatorial line, where we will walk the rim of the extinct Pululahua volcanic crater. Later we will visit the "Ciudad Mitad del Mundo" a group of buildings designed to explain the significance of the site, as well as the Ethnographic or Intiñan Museum, located right on the Equator. Here you will have the chance to plant your feet in two hemispheres at the same time.

Back in Quito, after lunch we will visit the city's impressive colonial center, the reason Quito was the first city to be named a world heritage site by the United Nations. First on the agenda is a walk through the main plaza, the 'Plaza de la Independencia', where you will see the Government Palace, the Cathedral, and some of the most important churches built around the XVI and XVII centuries, including the San Francisco Monastery, a building begun only 5 days after the founding of the city.

Lunch included.

We will have the chance to enjoy a chocolate experience, which starts with a guided tour explaining the history of cocoa in Ecuador, followed by a chocolate tasting.

Ecuador's unique equatorial climate provides the perfect environment for growing the world's finest cocoa - Cacao Arriba. Cocoa has been revered in Latin America for over 5,000 years. Spanish explorers loved it so much they called it the 'Food of the Gods'.

The Republica del Cacao's founders began their voyage over ten years ago when they set themselves an ambitious mission: to produce the most authentic and delicious chocolate, while protecting and developing sustainable fine cocoa production.

Duration8 Hours
Day 3

Otavalo Day Trip with Lunch

Today we will visit the Quitsato Sundial, a cultural-tourist area located on the equatorial line near the Cayambe volcano, where you will learn about the astronomical knowledge of the region's pre-Hispanic cultures.

We will then head to the town of Otavalo, This is truly one of the most interesting towns in Ecuador, where the local Kichwa indigenous culture is not only plainly visible, but on their rise.

The town's famous craft market is one of the most visited sites in Ecuador, and with good reason. The market is filled with interesting colorful and sometimes rare objects and crafts. Do remember to bargain, but only if you're interested! The market is held every day on one of the town squares at the foot of the majestic Imbabura Mountain. And to help you navigate the market, you will be given a short explanation of the market and provided with a map of the area. The Local Indian Market has been an economic and social center for more than 4000 years.

As part of our day at the market we will visit the workshop of Master weaver Miguel Andrango, in the village of Agato. Miguel's art has taken him abroad, mainly to exhibitions and fairs in the United States where the quality of his work is widely acknowledged. In the small store in the courtyard of his Tawantinsuyo workshop, the walls are covered with bright designs, most with an indigenous motif; the designs are based on Inca patterns but are the work of Miguel and his family. The workshop uses only pure wool and Alpaca; the weavers card and spin it themselves and then dye it with natural inks made from mosses (for yellow) or seeds such as 'Achiote' (for red).

In the afternoon we'll drive to the Cotacachi-Cayapas Ecological Reserve for a visit to the interpretation center and an outstanding view of the Cuicocha lagoon, a deep-blue crater lake on the lower southern flanks of Cotacachi Volcano. After our hike we will stop at the picturesque colonial town of Cotacachi, famous for its leather work.

Duration8 Hours
Day 4

Quito Hotel to Airport

Duration1 Hour

Other Information

DEPARTURES:

Daily

PRICE INCLUDES:

  • Private arrival and departure airport transfers
  • 3 nights in deluxe accommodations 
  • Private-guided Quito city tour
  • Private-guided Otavalo city and market tour 
  • Breakfast daily (excluding day 1)

PRICE EXCLUDES:

  • Travel insurance
  • International and domestic airfare & airfare taxes
  • Meals and beverages not mentioned
  • Gratuities
  • Items of a personal nature
  • Visa fees if applicable

TERMS AND CONDITIONS:

Prices are "from" per person based on twin/double share accommodation and for travel in low season. Seasonal surcharges and blackout dates may apply. Limited seat/spaces and all pricing is subject to change and availability. Rates for single or triple travellers are available on request - please inquire.

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DP QUISOD4DEC1
16 Sep 2023

Excursion Suggestions

As there is so much to see and do in many of our City Breaks/Stopover Ideas, you should consider staying longer. Below is a list of suggestions that can be added to your stay.

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