Hotels & accommodation

Casa Gangotena

Relais & Châteaux · Restored mansion hotel on Plaza San Francisco

On the south-western corner of Plaza San Francisco, in the heart of Quito's UNESCO-listed Old Town, Casa Gangotena occupies one of the capital's grandest historic mansions. The plaza in front of it — anchored by the church and monastery of San Francisco, the oldest in the city — has been a gathering place since Inca times, and the hotel looks straight across it to the twin church towers and the green dome of El Panecillo beyond.

The house was the residence of the Gangotena family, one of Quito's most prominent families in the early twentieth century, and was carefully restored as a hotel by Metropolitan Touring, the Ecuadorian travel company that also runs landmark Galápagos and Amazon properties. Inside, the mansion is arranged over three floors around a planted central courtyard, mixing Republican-era architecture with Art Nouveau and contemporary touches — marble bathrooms, hand-painted ceilings and tall windows that frame the plaza.

Rooms and suites face either the quiet garden courtyard or Plaza San Francisco itself. The restaurant works under the concept of Cocina Mestiza, a modern reading of Ecuador's mestizo culinary heritage that mixes Andean, coastal and Amazonian ingredients, and the rooftop terrace — with its view over the plaza, the church towers and the Panecillo — has become one of the Old Town's classic sunset spots.

As a base for a relocation scouting trip it is hard to beat: the historic centre's museums, churches and traditional neighbourhoods such as La Ronda and San Blas are on the doorstep, the rest of the capital is a short ride away, and at the end of the day the Old Town's most elegant address is also one of its calmest. It is the natural place to start an Ecuador move — in the city where so many expat journeys begin.

• Address: Bolívar Oe6-41 y Cuenca, on Plaza San Francisco, Quito 170401
• Quito's only Relais & Châteaux hotel
• Operated by Metropolitan Touring, the Ecuadorian travel group
• Restaurant concept: Cocina Mestiza, a modern take on Ecuadorian heritage cooking
• Rooftop terrace overlooking Plaza San Francisco and El Panecillo

Visit the property — Casa Gangotena casagangotena.com

This featured showcase is an editorial selection by our editors. We have not stayed at this property and it is not a paid placement; no rating is implied. Paid placements never influence the Ecuador liveability score, safety rating or warnings.