Travel advice for Ecuador
From travel safety to visa requirements, discover the best tips for traveling to Ecuador
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You can get good value for money across the accommodation spectrum in Ecuador: at the high end, you’ll find beautiful haciendas, rich in history, which have lost none of their period charm, or the famous international luxury hotel chains. In the mid-range there are hotels as good as any in North America or Europe, but for a fraction of the cost. For travellers on a tight budget, just about every town in Ecuador has a hotel offering clean double rooms, often with a private bathroom, for $5–15 per person.
Supply is such that it’s unlikely you’ll have any trouble getting a cheap room, though coastal resorts can get very crowded during holidays, and city accommodation tends to fill for major fiestas. Except for the Galápagos Islands, the top jungle lodges and the most popular seaside resorts such as Atacames and Montañita, there’s not much of a price difference between seasons, but broadly speaking the high season is mid-June to August and December to January, and at beach resorts during national holidays. Choices at the top end are always going to be fewer, so if you’re on a higher budget, it’s a good idea to phone ahead if you’re set on one. Discounts are sometimes negotiable out of season too. The more expensive hotels are likely to add 22 percent onto your bill: 12 percent for the IVA (value-added tax), plus a service charge of 10 percent. We have included the total amount in the price where relevant.
Hotels masquerade under a variety of names in Ecuador; generally, in increasing order of comfort, they are: pensión, residencial, hostal, hotel and hostería. Beware of anything calling itself a motel, which in Ecuador indicates the sort of place that charges guests by the hour. Some hoteles are as bad as the worst pensiones, however, and there’s no substitute for having a good look round the rooms yourself before you sign in. Within any establishment, you’ll often find wide variation in the quality of the rooms even though they may be priced the same: for example, you might be suffering in a dank, windowless room while across the corridor is something bright and clean with a balcony and views. You won’t necessarily be given the best room available, so if you’re not happy, say something.
There are differences between the highlands and lowlands, too. In the highlands, you can hope for hot water in all but the cheapest places, but in the lowlands, where people largely consider it unnecessary, only the more exclusive hotels will offer such a luxury. Conversely, air conditioning and fans are more common at a cheaper level in the lowlands than in the highlands. Mosquito nets are usually only in evidence on the coast and in jungle lodges; consider bringing one from home if you plan to spend time in remote lowland areas. Across the country in almost all hotels you’ll rarely find a bathtub. A shower, sink and lavatory make up the standard bathroom.
Lodges, most normally found in the country’s forested regions and often made from natural materials, serve as bases for exploring the surrounding environment. The top-end ones have all the modern comforts allowed by their isolated locations. Most, though, won’t have electricity, and some are lodges only in name, perhaps little more than open-sided shelters with raised platforms, mattresses and mosquito nets. Lodges usually consist of a collection of cabañas, simple cabins with thatched roofs and wooden walls and floors. These are also popular on the coast, particularly at beach resorts.
Ecuador has a handful of youth hostels accredited with Hostelling International (HI). They’re often quite comfortable, with dorms as well as double rooms. Discounts of a few dollars are available to HI members, but if you’re on a budget, there’s no great advantage of being one in this country, since many hostels charge around $10–15 per person – substantially more than perfectly adequate non-hostel accommodation.
From travel safety to visa requirements, discover the best tips for traveling to Ecuador
written by Rough Guides Editors
updated 26.04.2021
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