Kimkim Trip Reviews for Ecuador

An amazing place to stay.

Boat and nature guide was amazing. Honestly, the food was really not that spectacular, ok but not amazing.

Just wow. Would go back

The hotel was clean, although a bit dated. A/c was nice. pool was very pleasant. The receptionist, Diego, was wonderful! He was personable and spoke very good English and was very fun to talk to. The central area was nice to relax in.

this hotel was very nice, close but not too close to the city (nice walk), near to some restaurants. staff was friendly and helpful although English was marginal. Pool was nice. a/c was great in the room and breakfast room, but the rest of the building was rather warm .

very clean, comfortable, spacious hotel. amenities were good. dining options were a little pricey but food was excellent.

wonderful beautiful and spacious hotel. The little garden was worth the walk. Dinner was amazing. The hotel was a bit remote and far away from ANYTHING>

Room was nice, but a bit warm. It was very quiet. It was a difficult time hauling heavy bags up/down three flights of stairs. Breakfast staff and receptionist were wonderful. Very helpful.

no activities as we got in to the city late.

guide was on time to drive us to the airport.

the pickup at the boat was very confusing as the guides did not speak much English and were not very attentive. a list of available restaurants and a local map would be very helpful.

probably the best experience of the trip! the guides were great, they all were very very helpful and attentive. the food was excellent (cooked on the boat between snorkeling), snorkeleing was great and the guide even took photos and videos he shared with us. he was very patient and even helped with a new facemask that I had purchased for the trip.

This was an excellent tour. the guide was very knowledgeable, took questions, spoke good English yet spoke to the Ecuadorians as well. the animals were very happy letting us observe them. the guide seemed to know exactly where to find the different species that made the trip worthwhile.

I ended up NOT doing this activity as the altitude sickness prevented me safely enjoying the views.

the animals were very very interesting to observe in their habitat. the guide was very knowledgeable but not really interested in interacting as people. She did eventually open up a little bit. The drivers did not speak English and the whole pick up from the airport was rather confusing and a little stressful. One of the airport personnel had retrieved my bag (unbeknownst to me) and put it aside. After all the luggage was retrieved I happened to see my bag in the corner and had to ask about it. The man did not speak English. I had to take the bag and look for my guides in a sea of people. The tree planting was quick and the "gardener" did not speak any English. basically he had dug the small hole, handed me the plant (I am not sure what is was??) and motioned me to put it in the hole. We ate at the newly refurbished dining hall overlooking the Tortoise area. The meal was excellent and the staff was courteous.

it was very very hot on Tortuga bay! even with sunscreen, it was scorching. swimming and snorkelling was very relaxing. There was very little interaction between the guide and myself. He was rather standoff-ish. the walk was nice and the fish were great! I would have liked to paddle the kayak but the guide insisted that he was going to paddle while I just sat and relaxed. Turtles and sharks were very cool to observe in their natural habitat. Guide recommended to take the speed boat back to save time and allow the afternoon to relax. Felt like he was in a hurry to return.

We only could see the volcanoe peaking from beyond many clouds. altitude sickness was a problem. walking around the small lake was nice. Fransisco's knowledge helped a lot.

the weather was POURING on this day but the birds were so very very cool! We saw lots of birds, even a Toucan. the hummingbirds were magnificient.

Both Paulo (the route) and Freddy (the commentary and history) were wonderful. Very nice and paid attention to safety.

Phenomenal !!!! The experience was great and the food was tremendous. Loved the chef as well.

A fine little hotel in an excellent location near to the main street, within easy reach of shops and restaurants. Friendly, informal service and spacious, clean rooms

A wonderful Spanish colonial hotel in the central part of Cuenca, a charming city. Food, decor, location and service are all excellent.

A great hostel in Guamote, a place that is well worth a visit for its market. Basic rooms, good food and friendly service, interesting decor, activities for travelers. Recommended, especially for independent travelers.

Quirky, over-the-top colonial style decor. Fascinating place and well worth an overnight stay. Good food and friendly staff

A wonderful Spanish colonial hotel in the heart of Quito, with excellent food, rooms and service. Recommended.

Cuenca is a wonderful city with a Spanish colonial heart, great bars and restaurants as well. Lots to enjoy, but the Negroni rooftop bar with spectacular views of the old cathedral is a highlight.

We visited the shawl weaving workshop at Gualaceo (about 40 mins drive from Cuenca), where they make traditional shawls (macanas), with ikat designs and macrame fringes. You can see the whole process, and the visit is fascinating. Recommended. We also visited a weaver (Mama Rosa) in Saraguro district. She is about 3 hours drive from Cuenca, and absolutely charming and welcoming. If you are interested in weaving you should also definitely visit her for demonstrations of natural dyeing and weaving on a backstrap loom. Your guide should contact her and her family in advance to arrange.

A spectacular, high-altitude park, underneath the snow-capped peak of Cotopaxi. If the weather is on your side, take the walk around the lake (1-1.5 hours)

The old town is beautiful and full of historic churches. A must-see for visitors to Ecuador

Spanish only commentary during trip. Having Chris along would have been helpful

Hike was good. No bathroom at the lagoon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Quite the view from the walk! Stairs all the way to top and they were well maintained. By shore, say penguins and blue-footed boobies. Had several hawks sitting on railing, as well as then flying above us. Snorkeled, saw wonderful fishes. Bonus - had a sea lion swim among us - having fun.

Enjoyed both the hike and the kayaking. Fun to see the marine iguanas and walk. Saw many sea turtles as well as a white tipped shark while kayaking. Swiming was refreshing also.

Loved seeing tortoises everywhere, as well as ability to walk amongst them. Enjoyed walking in the huge cave.

Beautiful views! Loved the stories shared by guides.

Loved feeding the hummingbirds by hand!

Very good hotel

We loved having the hummingbirds land on our hands. Beautiful experience!

A very authentic hotel although the staff were very inexperienced and seem to lack adequate supervision.

The hotel was excellent although it lacked a comfortable sitting area to have a drink with friends.

Clean, cute and breakfast server was very nice. I liked that we were able to utilize the pool area and 2nd floor balcony for our group gatherings. Kitchen noise (talking and chopping) were easily heard in the rooms above. One key is not enough. Two should be available. Offer wine in addition to beer. An elevator is needed. It was difficult for two of our travelers. There should be a Do Not Disturb sign for when you don't want your room cleaned. The window above the patio door emitted light because there was no way to cover it up. Thus causing us to wake sooner than desired.

It was fine for one night. I appreciate that they accommodated our need for box breakfasts.

Nice facility and rooms. The coffee pot was not plugged in and I could not get to the plug without pulling the refrigerator away from the wall and fishing out the cord. I liked that there was a Bistro as part of the hotel.

The common areas and restaurant were good. The breakfast buffet was good. The restaurant wait staff were a bit slow and forgot about my wine one night. My room was cold - no thermostat - though it was fine for sleeping. The room looked worn. Lighting was poor. There needed to be more coffee in the room. We asked Housekeeping for 2 packets and they brought one. I called Housekeeping the next night and they never answered. I called the front desk and they said they would get some coffee sent up - never happened.

What diverse beauty! Snorckling was great - so many different and colorful fish. A sea lion swam right next to us. Seeing the Blue Footed Boobie was a highlight!!

The water isn't clear so it was difficult to see anything under the water. Some of us were able to make out a shark and we could see sea turtles only when they popped their head out. Still, it was fun to kayak and to see the pelicans. The walk was very enjoyable stopping to learn about the area, see the fauna, marine iguanas and the mocking birds. The white sand is beautiful and a delight to walk on.

We enjoyed planting the trees and were ready to work even harder.

No one can describe how exciting it is to see these tortoises!

It was beautiful scenery even with the rain.

I am selecting "amazing" but it was raining and we decided to go to the hotel. But pictures from one of our group that braved the weather showed us much of what we missed. The Panama hat tour was fun and many of us made purchases!

Hummingbird experience was out of this world. The Equator Museum is another must-do!

We had 3 airport pick ups so we appreciate that. Especially the one very late at night.

Absolutely beautiful hotel with incredibly caring staff!

A great hotel with large comfortable rooms, excellent breakfast and just minutes to the main downtown

Clean and comfortable with attentive staff

A beautiful hotel in the jungle!

Beautiful rooms! Lots of space for families!!

Charming hotel with lovely staff and the friendliest dogs around

This a charming and beautiful hotel. Nikki at the front desk was so helpful and pleasant to work with!

Lovely, clean hotel with spacious room close to the historic central part of Cusco

Our tour didn’t actually end up following the itinerary. It was amazing nonetheless! We started snorkeling at Daphne island then went to Pinzon after lunch. There was no fishing experience. Other guests were able to request their meal for lunch but we were not invited to do so or it was not mentioned ahead of time to us. It was a bit of a problem for me but the staff improvised on the boat and got me a meal that was safe for me to eat due to a medical condition. That was appreciated!

We got to see nesting Blue footed Boobies! Definitely the highlight of the day

Loved being here to see all the research and projects going on to protect this amazing archipelago

So cool to see these creatures up close in their natural habitat

We had a great first day just exploring the town ourselves

Very cool to see so many hummingbirds so closely!

This had to be canceled due to the protests in Otavalo

Due to communication confusion, we were just driven from our lodge in the Amazon to Quito. We inquired before leaving about seeing the waterfalls and caves but were told we were only being driven to Quito. Thankfully we reached out to Majo at lunch and still managed to go to the Thermals at least.

A cool learning experience to understand the chocolate making process

So busy! It’s a long day but very interesting and worthwhile

So much fun!!! Loved it

We loved it here. We enjoyed the kayaking and the breathtaking views both from the beauty and the altitude!

We were caught in a huge thunderstorm with rain, hail and lightning. We decided to keep our ride short because we were getting cold but the ponchos provided by the riding centre were very appreciated

The tour we went on, the City tour hop-on-hop off was good but we never actually went to the Middle of the World or the Teleferico as described.

Truly a must see! As good as everyone says it is… and more!

A wonderful tour with lots to see and do.

Adriel our guide took us for another amazing tour day! The mines literally made me say ‘wow’ when we first saw them. Morray was so impressive to see.

We learned so much about Cusco and the Inca during this trip. Our guide Adriel was exceptional

Kitchen staff, particularly Luis, went out of their way to cater to our vegan needs both at breakfast and dinner with special preparations. Charming rooftop dining with ocean view and open as well as covered seating with a wide breakfast buffet spread with a lot of choices. Astrid, our guide, and the hotel staff warned us about the tap water being brackish and not suitable for human consumption. The hotel gave us a big jug of water every day for drinking, brushing teeth, washing eyes etc. In addition we bought 1-3 liters of water bottles from the nearby Proinsular market.

Our flight landed late, close to midnight. We reached the hotel well past midnight. The hotel, Patio Andaluz, was in the historic city center. The driver took us there safely and made sure we got into the hotel safely; pointed out areas along the way where we should be careful at night.

Lilian was an awesome guide. She arrived on time, stayed long enough to cover everything we wanted to do and did not rush us. She walked with us to all the places on our list and had the cards for the Aerovia cable car to make it easy to purchase the tickets. She told us about which places were safe and kept us away from places that were not safe. She even took us to a great souvenir shop and helped us with the shopping. She went out of the way to recommend vegan restaurants we should try! She also told us of a safe walking route to go see the giant monkey statue (Estatua Del Mono Machín) within walking distance of the hotel but in the median of the Juan Javier Marcos y Aguirre road on the way to the airport.

Astrid was awesome! She was full of experience and information; very patient and willing to share her knowledge, answer any questions. Astrid picked us up at the airport on the first day. She was our guide to Darwin station; she dropped us back on the last day and was ready with the fares needed for the ferries and the Darwin station. The pleasant and informative interaction with her made the travel time back and forth from the airport to the hotel breeze by!

We arrived too late in the evening so had just enough time to get to our hotel for relaxing that night. Wyndham Santa Ana is a great place, right on the Malecon.

Kristy was very supportive on this last day where we traveled from Galapagos to Quito AND took a midnight flight back to the US - a very long day! The taxi stand at the Quito airport was very supportive to help us with a quick visit back to the city for our dinner. There are no places at or near the airport with vegan options for food. The driver of the taxi that the airport staff arranged spoke no English so it made for an interesting 1hour each way to the city with our broken spanish and google translate. Luckily the driver's ecletic liking in music helped as we listened to the variety.

Javier, and his wife Fatima, took us to the Intinan museum in the morning and dropped us off at the and the Mitad del Mundo museum, the monument erected by the western surveyors. We visited the Panecillo in the afternoon. Javier and his wife were very helpful at all places.

On the airport drop off day, we were driven in a van and then a ferry, similar to on the arrival day like on the arrival day, but in reverse. There was no speed boat! Astrid was great again! She stayed back at the airport till we were through security and at the gate, making sure we were in good hands. She stayed in touch with WhatsApp till we reached Quito. Very caring person!

Did not do this; instead did 2 islands - Bartolome and North Seymour. All comments combined on the Darwin station, 1st island review

We visited 2 islands - North Seymour and Bartolome instead of 1 island and the Tortuga bay. See the review for Darwin station and the 1st island for all the comments which apply to all 3 days.