Hostal Tutamanda 2

After reading the other reviews on TripAdvisor, I was a little worried about staying here. However, when we arrived, I was pleasantly surprised. I live in Ecuador and was in Quito for a convention. Though someone stated that this place was located in a "sad little neighborhood", it really isn't. The street contains well-kept homes and the neighborhood is relatively clean by Ecuadorean standards. If you are comparing this hostel to anything in North America, you can find reasons not to like it. From the outside, it appears a little run down with cracking and peeling stucco. Inside, some of the walls have hairline cracks running down the middle, but this is what happens in a country located in an earthquake prone zone. Walls crack--it happened at my brand new apartment two hours way--and it happens everywhere here. The living room was very comfortable with nicely appointed furnishings. Inside, it was clean, especially the bathrooms, had laminate wood flooring, and very comfortable beds. The owner, Fernando, was very welcoming and accommodating as we had to leave hours before the official breakfast. Breakfast for us consisted of bread, fruit, cheese or ham, and coffee each day. On the days we ate at the official time, we had eggs as well. We were also welcome to use the refrigerator and the kitchen as needed with no supervision. It is located near a major transportation hub for rapid transit (Seminario Mayor on the Metro Line) and within walking distance to many nice restaurant areas such as Mariscal Foch (15-20 minutes). A taxi to Centro Historico was under $3 most days. All in all, I enjoyed our stay here and will stay here again.