We´ve been 3 nights at the Casa Kanela, a small and friendly hotel where YOU can stay, when you want to explore Quito!

Casa Kanela could not be better located on a quite, beautiful street in the center of La Mariscal, very close to lots of restaurants and transportation. The staff here was quite lovely and assisted us with navigating the Quito bus system (You can get to the airport for 25 cents with only one change!) Yes, it helps tremendously if you speak Spanish, obviously.
We stayed here both before and after our Galapagos tour, in different rooms on the top floor. Both were just fine; nothing fancy obviously, but sufficient, clean, and with great hot water showers. The wi-fi worked great and we made Skype calls home without any trouble!
We didn't spend too much time in the rooms anyway; we were there for sites and sounds of Quito, not a hotel. If value is your watchword, and like us you just need a nice, friendly, and clean place to sleep, you can't go wrong with Casa Kanela.

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.