Recommendations: absolutely fabulous guides and nice hotel

[Tom Walliser]

Hi there, all you Ecuadorbound travellers

we got back from that beautiful country two weeks ago and would like to recommend three awesome guides and a very nice hotel who will turn your trip into a truly unforgettable experience:

1.) In the Oriente, in Cuyabeno, we were accompanied by a brilliant and very knowledgable fun guy named Diego. His English is excellent and he grew up in the area. He can tell and show you everything about plants, healers, animals in the rainforest, etc. Absolutely great: AMAZON RAINFOREST EXPLORATIONS: Diego Monteros, naturalist guide 00593 (0) 8 2554 474 or 00593 (0) 9 2471 101, Lago Agrio, SUCUMBÍOS, ECUADOR; dieghopes@hotmail.com

2.) For hiking, trekking, and going up a n d getting safely down again from Cotopaxi (that was a marvellous climb and simply a dream), Chimboarzo, Cayambe but also all the less demanding mountains we strongly recommend: Freddy Ramírez, Sierra Nevada alpes: fredrami@hotmail.com (on the job: info@hotelsierranevada.com; office: Hotel Sierra Nevada, Quito, Joaquin Pinto E4 - 150 y Cordero; Tel. Quito-2553658 or 2528264; speaks good English and excellent German; 30 years of experience; his friend and colleague is awesome, too: Estalin Suárez: yanakakchi@hotmail.com

3.) The hotel in Quito we can strongly recommend for its extra nice service, very yummy breakfast and good location is the Hotel Fuente de Piedra I (Wilson, Ecke Tamayo; Tel. 02-2559775, Ecuahotel Ecuador Hotels and Jungle Lodges

Should you contact one of the guides or the hotel make sure to say hello from us. All three of them and the hotel were absolutely fabulous.

We wish all those going to Ecuador a wonderful journey (we’d love to join you but need to save some bucks again first). May your experience be as unique as ours.

Good luck,

Tom Walliser und Lena Harris
(tomandlenagirl@aol.com)

[RollingStone]

Observations:

1. USD 10-20 per night is actually the price for accomodation in HOSTELS, not hotels. Those prices are per person per night in DORMITORIES, i.e. in a lousy 18-25 sq. m. room shared by more than 6 people. You can actually find a room for 2 in such hoStels, but the rates then vary between USD 30-45 per person per night. And what those people forgot to tell you was this: Rates & Reservations

2. Yet again, the safety matter is quite a relevant issue to bear in mind in Guayaquil, particularly in Xmas and other national holidays.

Taking my observations into consideration, I've already figured out all the possible pros and cons you could possibly come up with when the time comes to making a decision on where to stay.

I've checked all the prices in each and every hostel in Ecuador and none of them can beat my offer:

1. USD 20 per person per night in a private 3-bedroom HOUSE, not HOSTEL nor HOTEL room.
2. USD 18 per person per night on the 2nd floor (2 bedrooms) of my family's HOUSE.

These rates include the rental price of a small cottage in Imbabura where you can stay in case you are interested in visiting the Imbabura lakes and waterfalls and the Otavalo fair. Along the way, you can make a stopover in Quito and visit some of its places of interest for tourists.

Sounds good?

Moreover, my family can give you guidance not only about Guayaquil, but about some other places of interest in the country.

As far as accomodation is concerned, my offer is the BEST so far!
100% positive!!!