Reconnaissance to Banos !

1. How late is late? In theory you could probably get a taxi direct to Banos, I guess you'd be looking at around $100, though in practice you might struggle to find a driver willing to take you late at night, or it might cost you a premium to persuade them. Unless you are absolutely desperate to get there straight away, you could just stay near the airport and then take a bus the next day. You wouldn't need to go all the way into Quito, you could take a bus from Pifo (there is one in the morning around 7.00/7.30am and another late afternoon). Or from Pifo you could take a bus to Ambato and then change there for Banos, there is a bus from Pifo to Ambato every couple of hours or so.

2. Banos is a major tourist town, you'll manage fine there without English. If you do decide to take a taxi direct from the airport you should be OK, they usually speak a little English, and even if they don't, just make sure you have a pen and paper with you so you can write down Banos and they can write down the price. It might also be worth checking with your accommodation in Banos to see if they can send a cab for you. It won't be any cheaper, but at least they will know where you are going when you get to Banos, a Quito driver won't. If you stay near the airport your accommodation should help you with the bus the next day, but it's pretty straightforward.

3. There is wifi in lots of the restaurants, hostels, etc.

Thank you very much for your reply, exactly what I was hoping for.

Flights I'm looking at are getting at between 9 and 10 pm and even as late as 1 in the morning. I wasn't aware that there was a bus from the airport directly to Banos and that would save me changing in the Quito bus terminal so sounds like a much better plan.

The buses don't go direct from the airport, they go from Pifo which is a small town about 15-20 minutes drive from the airport. But it's still a lot faster than going all the way into Quito to change.

If you decide to stay near the new airport, a good place to stay is Quito Airport Suites, owned by Dom, a young man from the US. It's only about 10 minutes from the airport and he can have you picked up at any time of day or night for $8. Then the next day, he can probably arrange with his driver to get you to Pifo or possibly even arrange something to Banos from there.

I think that's exactly what I will do. Thank you all for the help - an example of an Internet community at its finest !

While I'm at it, I'm all ears for any comments on Banos itself if anyone has been there. Clearly no one can make a complete determination on what will work for another but if I lay out my lifestyle then perhaps I might get some comments as to whether you think Banos will be a good place in retirement for me:

47 years old
Enjoy mostly quiet but not bothered by external noise
Enjoy going to a pub or bar but generally in the late afternoon as opposed to late at night
Love nature
Like to walk
Speak no Spanish (yet)
Addicted to the Internet for research and keeping up with the news
Like to read and am writing a book
Not aggressive and prefer not to be in testosterone-fuelled aggressive environments !

I have been in the army and the police for 27 years and have had my fill of fights and am just looking for a small piece of the planet in which to unwind, relax and stare at the forest, the water and the sky..

Thanks again to all who answered. I am in your debt.

I think you'd really need to visit first and see if it works for you. Personally, although I like visiting Banos I wouldn't want to live there, it's too touristy for me and the weekend crowds, especially during holidays, would drive me insane. But, there is plenty of hiking and nature in the area, cafes and bars where you can drink in the afternoon, a couple of places have book exchanges too. The tourists are mostly fairly laid back backpackers, the testosterone gets redirected to the adventure sports rather than fights. Actually, booze fuelled bar fights don't tend to happen very often anywhere in Ecuador, (though I have seen things kick off in Mariscal once or twice.)

You could live in Banos and not speak Spanish. There are schools there, but you would have to make more of an effort to find people to practice your Spanish with there than in other towns.

I'm sure you are also aware that Tungurahua is pretty feisty at the moment. As far as I know Banos hasn't been directly affected, but there have been some problems with the roads. Also, air quality is likely to be an issue for a little a while because of the ash.

Thank you so much. I'll give a good 2 months and see if I like it. I can always hibernate on the weekends !

I have visited Baños twice, and for me it is very much about the fun things you can do there, like canyoning and zip lining. However, it has a beautiful setting, surrounded by green mountains and there are several nice walks to do in the area and hot springs to relax in.

I really liked the restaurants Casa Hood and Café Hood, where they have great food and wine for a reasonable price. At Casa Hood they also have a book exchange and sometimes movie nights.

This is my Baños page: http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/3fbdb/184d19/

Thanks for the update and I hope you have an excellent time. There really is no better information than from someone on the ground. If you have any thoughts or recommendations for places to eat or particularly stay as the days go by then I'd be all ears.