Hotel Plaza Grande

Rooms and decor

Picture a white 1930s colonial building standing on the corner of Quito's main square — it was one of the city's first hotels before a luxury restoration in the 2000s reopened it as Hotel Plaza Grande. The whole place holds just 15 suites, so it feels more like a private mansion than a chain hotel. Open the door to a suite and you find ceilings nearly 5 metres high hung with original Baccarat crystal chandeliers, old oak floors that still creak a little underfoot, gold-and-cream damask wallpaper, and carved French-style furniture that lands well against the Latin American charm. The king bed is dressed in crisp white linen, and the bathroom is another thing reviewers mention often — a pale marble bathtub set in the middle of the room, with Bvlgari bath products that make it feel like soaking in a private spa. All 15 suites have their own wrought-iron balcony; the ones facing Plaza de la Independencia open onto a full view of the Cathedral and the Palacio de Carondelet, with church bells for a morning alarm, while the suites facing the back are quieter and look out toward the Pichincha mountains ringing the city.

Food and amenities

The heart of the hotel is the ground-floor restaurant La Belle Époque, done in late-19th-century French belle-époque style with carved woodwork, gilt mirrors, crystal lamps and blood-red velvet chairs. It serves gourmet fusion food that pairs classic French technique with Ecuadorian ingredients — tuna ceviche with Andean lime, Ecuadorian steak in a Carmenère wine sauce, renowned Ecuadorian chocolate for dessert. Many reviewers call it one of the best and most upscale dinners in Old Town, and on some evenings live opera singers perform through the meal. In the basement, El Café Plaza handles casual all-day meals, and a wine cellar keeps bottles from Chile, Argentina and Europe. The other thing that sets the place apart is a night horse-carriage tour laid on just for hotel guests — a European-style carriage collects you out front and loops the floodlit Old Town, past the gilded La Compañía church, Plaza San Francisco and the 1500s churches that are the oldest in South America. It's an experience you'll struggle to find anywhere else in the city.

Location and getting there

Location is the hotel's strongest card. It stands on the corner of Plaza de la Independencia — locals call it Plaza Grande — the main square and heart of Quito's Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage site listed back in 1978 among the first in the world. Step out the door and the 400-year-old Cathedral of Quito is right across the way; a little further sits the Palacio de Carondelet (the presidential palace), which holds a changing-of-the-guard ceremony every Monday at 11:00, plus the Archbishop's Palace. A few minutes' walk gets you to the La Compañía de Jesús church, gilded inside until the whole room glows, the 1500s San Francisco church, and the Mercado Central for traditional Ecuadorian food. The hotel balconies look toward El Panecillo, the hill topped by the Virgin of Quito statue. Mariscal Sucre airport (UIO) is about 45 minutes by car; the newer La Mariscal district and Parque La Carolina are a 15-to-20-minute taxi away, and the equator at Mitad del Mundo runs about 45 minutes out. If your plan is to soak up the World Heritage Old Town on foot, this location is hard to beat.

Things to know before booking

Straight talk to help you decide — the most common gripe is how small it is, with only 15 suites, so high season (June to August and Christmas to New Year) is very hard to book and needs planning months ahead. Old Town also goes dead quiet after about 21:00, with most restaurants and cafes closing early because the day workers head home; for a buzzing night out or a late bar you'll need a roughly 15-minute taxi to La Mariscal or La Floresta. On safety, Old Town is very safe by day and early evening with tourist police on patrol, but after midnight it's best to taxi back rather than walk. And then there's the altitude — Quito sits at about 2,850 metres, and many people feel altitude sickness (headaches, tiring easily) in the first 24 hours, so go easy your first half-day and don't rush straight up El Panecillo; the hotel offers free coca tea to help you adjust and keeps a backup oxygen tank on request from the concierge. Last, on price — suites start around $385 a night, fairly steep for Ecuador's low cost of living, and on a tight budget you may feel it's a lot for a small hotel with no spa or pool.

Our take

After reading through hundreds of real guest reviews, Hotel Plaza Grande sells its history, its masterpiece of a restored building and its spot above Quito's main square with total confidence. If the trip in your head is waking up to open a wrought-iron balcony onto the 400-year-old Cathedral, sipping Ecuadorian coffee in a high-ceilinged room under a Baccarat chandelier, spending the day in the World Heritage Old Town, coming back to soak in a marble tub, then heading down to dinner at La Belle Époque with live opera before a night carriage ride — this is about as good as it gets, with almost no real rival in Quito. But if you're counting on a pool, a full gym or a proper spa, the small size won't deliver, and on a tight budget the suite rates may feel high for Ecuador. Overall we give it 9.2/10 — best for honeymooning couples and luxury travelers who love the past and want to soak up the World Heritage Old Town with everything in walking reach.