Illa Experience Hotel

Can't speak highly enough of this hotel. The concept of a 'boutique' hotel used to mean something - a smaller place where you would feel there was some kind of effort made to make your stay special or different. Nowadays it just gets used to mean any small hotel, but the ILLA is a true boutique hotel. They have 12 rooms in a beautifully renovated old colonial house near the historic centre of Quito (5-10 min walk). Everything about the place and your stay there has been thought about - from thoughtful little touches and gifts they leave for you outside the room, to daily 'experiences' with local artisans where you learn about and participate in Ecuadorian crafts. The staff are super attentive and helpful, the breakfast is excellent and the restaurant does very nice food (albeit on the pricey side). The rooms are extremely large (ours even had a separate 'reading room' attached to it) and well appointed. The hotel has several indoor and outdoor spaces for sitting and relaxing, and breakfast is served in a glass-walled restaurant with an incredible view of Quito & the mountains. There's a pool, though Quito can be fairly cold so it was not in use when we stayed. The location is on a small, pretty street ideally located for the historic centre without being right in it, and we found getting in, out and around super easy. At night, the whole neighbourhood is very quiet, so whether you feel that classifies as 'unsafe' depends on your approach to travel, but we walked home after dark on several occasions without feeling unsafe at all.

The staff here is amazing. They are thoughtful and helpful. The hotel is designed beautifully and artfully. I loved the central water feature. The hotel is in the city center so we had no problems walking around and checking it out. The food at the restaurant was very good as well. All in all, we had a wonderful stay and very much appreciated the refuge after several days in the Amazon.

The property is well curated and small so it really feels like a boutique hotel. It has a pool and a terrace even though it was always too cold to use them while we stayed. Breakfast was nice and the staff was nice.

We stayed at Illa Experience for our last night in Ecuador and Galapagos. It’s an exceptionally designed small hotel with stunning rooms, interior furnishing and views. We loved our suit and double-shower! We dined at the restaurant which provided exceptional dining experience. Breakfast was also wonderful. Staff and services were exceptional!

This hotel is a true gem. Beautifully renovated. Stylishly decorated. Impeccably clean. Everything we could ask for and more. But what makes this place a redo is the staff. Exceptional! The wonderful type of people you’d like to be friends with. They went out of their way to make our stay memorable and that’s what our stay here will always be…..unforgettable!