Nice hotel, cheap and good environment. Its a very comfortable and roomy hostel.

I stayed at this hostal for three weeks in June and early July. The rooms were cleaned daily and the staff was very friendly. I became friends with the staff and met people from around the world during my stay. The hotel is also next to the National Symphony's practice space so there is 24 hour security for them that helped me feel a little safer.

The decor leaves something to be desired, but the room was small, clean, and private. The wifi is only in the lobby area so I requested to be moved to the room closest to the lobby. The room was much noisier because of the student travelers coming through all times of night, but I needed the internet. I left my ipad in the room almost daily, sometimes left it out charging and it never got stolen along with some money being kept in my drawer in the room.

If I go back , I will definitely revisit this hostel. I can't say enough good things about this place.

We stayed here for 10 nights over 3 weeks and were able to negotiate a great rate - do email the hotel directly to get the best rate.

The location of this hotel is great - 5 blocks/ 15 mins from the main tourist square in Quito, Plaza Foch. A good night´s sleep is hard to come by in this noisy city, so it´s worth staying a little distance from Plaza Foch. The hotel is also 2 blocks/ 5 mins from Avenue Amazonas, a main throughfare with lots of restaurants, pharmacies, clothes shops etc. It costs about $1.50 in peak season to get from the hotel to Plaza Foch by taxi - we would not recommend walking after about 7pm.

The hotel decor is dated and you may be appalled when you first look at the room. However, it is incredible value. Most double rooms come with a double and single bed, and are large. The bathrooms have EXCELLENT hot showers (let the water run) - water pressure is high. Beds are clean and comfortable. TV has only Spanish channels so bring some books - the hotel also does a book exchange. The rooms above reception (103, 104) are pictured on the website and are better decor but noisier. The rooms at the back of the hotel are worse decor but quieter.

The staff at the hotel are brilliant - friendly, helpful, available 24/7 and speak good English. They man the safe ($5 per stay) and know the local area well. They can also coordinate local trips for you.

For food in Plaza Foch, we liked Mama Clorinda which does traditional Ecuadorian food (try the humitas and quimbolitas!), as well as spaghetti/ pasta. Coffee Tree is great for people watching and does a great Musli breakfast. Red Hot Chilli Peppers (Mexican) and Boca Del Lobo are slightly more expensive but Western-style smart restaurants; both trendy.

For tourist attractions, we recommend Cotopaxi mountain biking tour with The Flying Dutchman - DO NOT USE HAPPY GRINGO. Happy Gringo invests in s smart office and bilingual staff, but their prices are at least $10 more than the going rate and they outsource all tours to local providers (like Flying Dutchman, 2 doors down from Happy Gringo, anyway). Mitad del Mundo is also fun on a hot day - beautiful views of Quito, and a kitsch celebration of Ecuador. Do also visit the covered markets off Avenue Amazonas.

We found Quito very quiet off season, but it became vibrant and busy in mid-June - we hear it stays that way through to September.

We stayed two nights at the Plaza in February 2010. It is a converted old mansion and is worn but very clean. We found folks staying long term and just overnight. The staff is great and speaks fair English. Hot water is slow in coming but plentiful when it gets there. The hotel is close (3-4 blocks) from the center shopping and nightlife area of the Marsical area. There is a McDonalds 1 block away in case you get the urge. On weekends there is a great arts and crafts market at the park across from the McDonalds. No AC but you need covers most of the time at night because of the altitude. They do have an elevator although we did not use it. Breakfast was included with our double room with bath for only $36. We had a room on the front and they tend to be a bit noisy with traffic from the (sirens) boulevard a block away and from a dog in the area that had to have the last word every time some other dog barked. But overall, a great little spot. We would stay again for sure.