Hotel Dann Carlton, Quito > Reviews > An Ecuadorable taste of luxury!

Author's product rating:   

Value for Money	Good
Quality of Rooms	Excellent
Standard of Service	Excellent
Quality of Facilities	Excellent

Advantages:	Quite luxurious, Spa, Gym & Jacuzzi, good room service
Disadvantages:	Full of businessmen

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

I stayed three nights in the Hotel Dann Carlton as part of a six nights excursion from Peru to Quito and the Galapagos Islands. My Peruvian travel agent, who was a friend of the family I was staying with in Lima, chose the hotel for me - and made an excellent choice.

This is a 4* hotel which is mostly favoured by businessmen as it has conference facilities and a business centre.

A porter is always on duty at the door to greet guests, help with luggage etc, and the reception area is an attractive open area. On the ground floor there is a small business centre with 4 internet stations (free access), a bar area with live music in the evenings, and a large spacious dining room.

Rooms are also spacious and come equipped with the usual heating/air conditioning, TV, phone, mini-bar - but the bathroom has extra little luxuries like bathrobes, disposable slippers, body lotion, hand cream, sewing kit, shoeshine kit.......small treats, but welcome after weeks of staying in cheap hotels!

There is a well equipped small gym which leads through to a sauna and jacuzzi, and there are some beauty treatments available for ladies wishing to spoil themselves a little. The gym is overseen by a very handsome, muscular young man called Fabian, who keeps checking you haven't drowned in the jacuzzi!

Breakfast in the dining room consists of an extensive buffet with plenty of choices to suit anyone's tastes. Staff hover around constantly replenishing coffe cups without getting in the way and are very friendly and helpfull.

I used room service a couple of times in the evenings and was quite impressed by the quality and price of their selection. Steak sandwiches, tuna salads etc were quickly delivered and served with a flourish.

Quito is a large and busy city, and the Dann Carlton is a good 45 minutes walk from the main colonial centre. The ever-attentive doormen will quickly find you a taxi, which costs about $3 to get just about anywhere in town.

Ecuador does not have its own currency these days, but uses US dollars. There are a couple of shopping malls within walking distance of the hotel, where there is a good selection of designer and high street stores. There are also plenty of fast-food joints to choose from in the immediate area.

Quito is a busy city, but quite sophisticated (compared to Lima - which is chaotic!) and the colonial heart of the city is very attractive. On the third day of my stay I stumbled into a student demonstration/riot in one of the parks - where tear gas was used, and a police officer standing 50 feet from me fired his gun - so if you see a large crowd - stay well clear of it!