Hey, -O-, the airport landings in Quito do look a little fightening, especially considering the youtube videos did not involve larger airplanes, such as would be used to fly to Quito from the U.S.   I would need some strong to drink if I were going to make that trip.  When does the new airport open?

Also, whats up with collecting used toilet once a day?

mountie....the new airport in Quito is slightly behind schedule for completion....about three years behind right now.  Looks like their new target for opening is late 2010. 

If they manage to open the airport in late 2010 or early 2011, we would certainly consider a return to Ecuador and do some further explorations. 

Unfortunately, when the new airport opens, it will be a greatly reduced altitude allowing for better air traffic control, which translates to more tourists. 

We still have a return trip on our list.

omegaet, as always, at least most of the time, I enjoy reading your postings.  However, in this case the hotels you have mentioned, especially Hacienda La Cienega, get very mixed and often poor reviews on tripadvisor.com. 

Are you comfortable you have suggested the best hotels? 

t-2-f...thank you for taking the time to read my postings and it is nice to know you enjoy them ("at least most of them").

I didn't call the following properties the "best hotels."

Hacienda La Cienega (one of my favorite places in Ecuador)

www.hosterialacienega.com/

Hacienda Zuleta

www.zuleta.com/

The Inca House

http://incahacienda.com/

I referred to the all of them as "interesting" and one of them as "my favorite."  I can understand why several of the www.tripadvisor.com reviewers rated them with fewer than five stars. 

Our personal experiences in these properties were enjoyable...and probably because we had a pretty fair idea of what to expect.  On cold nights....and there can be many of them in the Andes regardless of the season....the rooms can become quite chilled....no central heating in any of them when we visited.  Furnishings are basic in all three properties. 

The structures are old and with age comes certain qualities and faults.

We went to these areas and stayed at these properties to experiences the settings and surroundings.  We were pleased.

Back in Quito, the level of hotels are different....even offering room service, etc!

Admittedly, Ecuardo is not the destination for everyone.....and these properties would not be ideal for many travelers.  It is always about being informed before heading out on an adventure., especially to a Third World country.

We loved Ecuador - stayed in the Hotel Sierra Madra in Quito - a quaint old colonial house and you are right about there be no central heating - it was chilly at night but the heaps of balnkets made up for that.  Loved Quito, the equator monument area, Otavalo and our excursion into the Amazon on the Flotel.  The Ecuadorian amazon was much better than when we went in through Peru

Denise

Interesing observations. 

omegaet, I noticed you mentioned Cuenca.  Where did you stay?  When we visited Cuenca we stayed in a suite at Hotel Mansion Alcazar.  This was one of the real treasures of our three weeks in Ecuador. 

Staying at Mansion Alcazar is much like a giant step back in time, more or less like a private home and a wonderfully attentive staff.  We encountered many more Europeans than Americans during our time in Cuenca. 

We stopped by Cafe Eucalyptus a couple of times for drinks and light dining and enjoyed the experience.  Both times, the cafe was crowded with primarily English speaking clients having a good time.  Seems like most visitors to Cuenca find their way to the cafe.

Don't recall meeting the owners.

We took day trips outside of Cuenca and still feel the surrounding areas offer some of the most beautiful sights we experienced in Ecuador.

We would return to Ecuador as well, but will probably wait until the new airport is completed.

dhdanner@verizon.net...thank you for reading my blog.  Ecuador proved to be a extraordinary trip for us and we enjoyed the variety of experiences as well.  Entering into and spending time in the Ecuadorean Amazon is a "wild" and "less visited" experience than other entry points for sure.  Kawapi was probably the most "remote" destination we have ever visited. 

There are no roads within a ten day hike (assuming you know which direction to hike) of the camp and the adjacent streams and rivers are not easily negotiated...even by the locals.  So spending time with and among people who are isolated adds to the adventure.

We have Ecuador on our list of counties to which we would return.

kapper......we did not stay at a hotel in Cuenca, we stayed with our friends, the owners of Cafe Eucalyptus.  We did not visit Hotel Mansion Alcazar, although it looks like an interesting property....a place we might consider, had our friends not offered space in their home.

Cuenca is a great walking city, if you have any interest in Spanish Colonial architecture.  We spent the better part of two days just walking the streets and sticking our heads into interesting little shops and visiting street markets.

As for the Cafe Eucalyptus, we spent five evenings there, hanging with our friends who own the place.  It was entertaining and educational sitting by the fireplace and chatting and trading stories with guests from all over the world.