Puyo
On an isolated meander of the Río Bobonaza around 45km south of Puyo, Huella Verde puts even the bigger Yasuní lodges to shame by offering fascinating…
Must-see hotels in Ecuador
Baños
Perched at the top of a cliff (2260m), gazing down over Baños and up to the Tungurahua summit, Luna Runtún is a luxurious hotel in a fabulous location…
Baños
This exquisite little guesthouse has colorful, comfortable rooms, wood floors, gigantic breakfasts and art all around. Several rooms have waterfall views,…
North Coast & Lowlands
Look no further for seclusion: the lovely and remote Playa Escondida offers accommodation in rustic cabins surrounding a beautiful beach cove, set amid 2…
The Quilotoa Loop
This wonderfully rustic community-operated property sits above the valley, 100m north of Chugchilán, and offers spectacular views. Rooms have a cozy cabin…
The Oriente
These cabins, hewn exquisitely out of wood by their Dutch carpenter-owner, with their cozy interiors and deep porches conducive to relaxation, would be…
Quito
Doting service, inviting common areas and elegant rooms make a fine combination in this charming guesthouse. Rooms are bright with crisp white sheets and…
Central Highlands
Housed in an old casona (large colonial-era house), this tasty boutique hotel has the nicest rooms in the city center. There are only seven of them, so…
Riobamba
When it comes to friendliness, value and down-home cutesiness, this guesthouse is hard to beat. Rooms and apartments are grouped around a garden patrolled…
South Coast
Outside the town center, El Jardín is a peaceful, family-run guesthouse with a pretty courtyard garden and comfortable rooms. It's a short taxi ride ($1…
South Coast
Owned by a friendly Swedish-Ecuadorian couple, this lovely remote eco-minded beachfront complex has six attractive rooms surrounding a lush garden of…
South Coast
The owners welcome you on board at this clifftop inn, half whitewashed villa, half imaginary ship. The brainchild of an ex-captain, the place is filled…
Quito
Occupying the best part of a city block, Masaya Hostel outclasses almost all the city's top hotels with its spacious wood-floored rooms, beautiful public…
The Galápagos Islands
This beautiful property, the last to occupy beachfront space on the way to the harbor, has attractively decorated rooms, each trimmed with artwork and…
The Galápagos Islands
Occupying a prime stretch of beachfront property in the center of town, this two-story Mediterranean-style villa has stylish rooms with high ceilings and…
Iguana Crossing Boutique Hotel
The Galápagos Islands
Isabela's most upscale hotel has attractive rooms with lovely wooden decks (overlooking either the lagoon or the ocean). Think glossy design-magazine…
The Galápagos Islands
This small beachfront house has a handful of bright and attractive rooms with an all-wood design, and the two upstairs rooms open onto a shared balcony…
Isla San Cristóbal (Chatham)
This friendly three-story guesthouse can be found just outside town on the way to Playa Mann. The best rooms are bright and airy with fine waterfront…
Puerto Ayora
Across the harbor (accessible by water taxi) is this sun-splashed complex that has simple rooms and outstanding views from the garden patio, as well as…
Isla Santa Cruz (Indefatigable)
If Puerto Ayora is too ‘bright lights, big city’ for you, try the Royal Palm Hotel, a beautifully designed luxury hotel in the highlands around Santa Rosa.
The Oriente
As the lodge most ensconced within Parque Nacional Yasuní, the sumptuous Napo Wildlife Center (NWC) enjoys a pristine setting with rarely paralleled…
The Oriente
The lower Napo's oldest lodge, Norwegian-Ecuadorian–owned La Selva Jungle Lodge stands on Laguna Garzacocha. Following a refurbishment, the new-look…
The Oriente
Squirrel monkeys cavort above the walkways at highly rated Jamu lodge, where the jungle feels close at hand. Dugout-canoe trips, walks through swamps knee…
Puerto López
A handful of thatch-roofed cabins are tucked away in a lush courtyard at Itapoá, a friendly, family-run operation opposite the beach. Cabins have a…
The Oriente
This highly recommended place is run in close cooperation with the local Siona people. Thatched huts and towers with hot-water bathrooms and solar…
Ruta Spondylus
Overlooking the forest, Samaí Lodge feels like an idyllic oasis. Twelve cabins are scattered throughout the property; many with floor-to-ceiling windows…
Mindo
Just on the other side of the River Mindo north of the parque central is this pretty property with an always flowering garden, playful dogs and a swimming…
Montañita
Adorned with murals and color-saturated walls, this uberfriendly hostel is good value, with simple rooms surrounding a small garden courtyard. Bathrooms…
Puerto Ayora
Nestled in a shady mangrove cove, this charmingly designed red-adobe inn at the northern end of town feels like a secret hideaway. While the standard…
Montañita
The most charming guesthouse in town could have been plucked straight from a Greek island, with its stone brick walls and crisp white and blue accents…
Puerto Ayora
Power down and disconnect at this ecologically minded beachside retreat across the bay from Puerto Ayora. Lava gulls and herons hang out by the pool and…
Quito
If you want modern, stylish and as far removed in feel from Quito's Centro Histórico as possible, Le Parc hotel is for you. 'Beyond stars' and with the…
Puerto López
On the beachfront, Nantu has smart recently refurbished rooms with crisp white walls, wooden features, and bright colored accents in the soft furnishings…
Quito
Overlooking Plaza San Francisco, Casa Gangotena offers some of Quito’s finest accommodation, with first-rate service and elegantly designed rooms set in a…
Cuenca
One of several grand 17th-century houses on the barranco over Río Tomebamba, the Victoria’s 23 impeccable hacienda-style rooms have exposed wooden beams,…
Puerto Ayora
Million-dollar rooftop ocean views and sun-splashed top-floor rooms with balconies are the big draw at this hotel, also known as Hotel Galápagos Inn. Some…
North Coast & Lowlands
This gleaming beachfront resort and condo complex has 31 massive post-modern inspired rooms. All come with ocean views, private balconies and kitchenettes…
Loja
Bringing the ‘boutique hotel experience’ to Loja, the Grand Victoria remembers all the little details, like bathrobes and rose petals, 800-thread-count…
Puerto Ayora
Occupying a sought-after waterfront location with pelicans, sea lions and marine iguanas for neighbors, this hotel (for better or worse) resembles a…
The Galápagos Islands
Located off the dusty road between the pier and town, this meticulously all-wood (almost Balinese-like) home is an excellent choice if beachfront location…
