My boyfriend and I stayed at Casa Kanela for 6 nights in April 2011. Casa Kanela was such a wonderful place to call our “home away from home” for nearly a week. The accommodations are basic and affordable (private room = $15/pp/night), but very clean. We never had a problem with the water pressure or temperature – both were perfect. Breakfast was simple (e.g., breads, fruit, freshly squeezed juices, coffee/tea, and eggs), but very delicious. Seriously, Casa Kanela serves the BEST coffee I’ve ever had and the fresh juices were amazingly good. The hostal has free wi-fi and even a desktop computer to use if you don’t bring your own device.

For the most part the staff is not fluent in English, but we didn’t have a problem communicating with the staff with our limited Spanish. Everyone was extremely polite and accommodating during our stay, and they even helped me organize a side trip to Papallacta using one of their reliable drivers. The location of Casa Kanela also can’t be beat. It is located just two blocks from Plaza Foch, so it’s close enough to the action, but far enough away to not have a noise problem. It’s also about a 15 minute walk to Parque El Ejido (great people watching and has an outdoor handicraft market on the weekends) and about a 35-45 minute walk (some uphill) to Old Town. If we’re in Quito again, we won’t hesitate to stay at Casa Kanela.

We had a very pleasant 3-night stay in Casa Kanela and all was as expected. Very friendly staff and the best coffee and scrambled eggs in Ecuador. Carlos and his staff were very friendly and made us feel at home. There were no surprises and we got great value for our money in a quiet and safe street just steps away from the main action in La Mariscal district of Quito. At the end of our trip, we were also able to leave our bags at the hostel for a few hours as we did some final shopping - for no charge and no hassle. Thanks for making our time in Quito both central and secure.

We were in this hostal for two nights. We got 2 triple rooms, one in basement and one on second floor, they both were not in a great shape, but the room in basement is the worst: terrible smell, noisy and dirty all around. Our bed was trying to fall to pieces.

Everything would be not that bad, but my sister's iPhone gone missing and a large sum of cash was stolen as well. I know I shouldn't have left any money in the hotel, but you don't want to walk with big money around Quito at night.

The guy at the front desk was very unfriendly and rude. The only smiles and good service we got from the girl at the front desk, from another shift, who did not speak any English, but tried her best to help us recover our lost luggage.

Our room upstairs with a private bathroom was great. The breakfast was good (best coffee we found in town). It was a little cold there, so make sure you bring warm clothes. The staff was nice and friendly, but they do not speak English very well.