When people outside the travel industry ask that inevitable question about favorite places to travel, I find myself increasingly touting Ecuador.
No, not the Galapagos. Don't get me wrong, the islands are definitely a once-in-a-lifetime, must-see destination. But for travelers looking for culture, history, good food, warm people, cool weather and exquisite hotels, Ecuador's high-altitude capital of Quito is a great alternative to increasingly hot and crowded summer favorites like Europe.
The first stop -- and a must-do, even it's just for a quick day or two on the way to Galapagos -- is Casa Gangotena, a member of Relais & Chateaux that is a former mansion in the heart of Old Town overlooking the historic San Francisco Plaza.
Built in 1600, the original house was home to presidents and other notable figures before it was sold in 1840 to the Gangotenas, one of the city's wealthiest and most powerful families.
Stories about the house are as varied as both the city's and the family's rich histories. According to local lore, a destructive fire in 1914 was set by the ex-boyfriend of one the Gangotena daughters. The home was completely rebuilt in the late 1920s by two Italian architects, the Russo brothers, who added more ornate decor, fountains, columns and frescoes, and it soon again became a gathering place for the city's elite.
Eventually, the mansion was split into separate residences for two of the Gangotena sisters, and fell into disrepair over the decades.
The casa's transformation
One of 31 rooms at the historic Casa Gangotena. Photo Credit: Jeri Clausing
After the sisters died, the house was passed onto a foundation and eventually sold in 2007 to Roque Sevilla, a former mayor of Quito and owner of tour operator Metropolitan Touring. Sevilla led the building's transformation into a 31-room luxury boutique hotel that blends the mansion's original grandeur -- think tall ceilings, large windows, original antiques and frescoes -- with modern luxury, including oversize bathrooms with huge soaking tubs.
In addition to its luxury decor and impeccable, friendly service, the hotel has one of the city's finest restaurants, offering a modern twist on traditional Ecuadorian cuisine, such as empanada, corn-crusted tuna and its own version of hornado, traditional smoked pork served with potatoes, cheese, crunchy pork rinds and a tangy agrio sauce.
The hotel at night with Virgin of El Panecillo in the background. Photo Credit: Jeri Clausing
It also has two bars with a constantly evolving menu of cocktails incorporating local liquors and spices. Inside is a cozy lounge with a huge antique wooden bar. At night, however, the best place to be is on the rooftop, offering 360-degree views of the city, the lights of numerous historic churches and the Virgin of El Panecillo. Much like Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, the statue adorns one of the many adjacent mountain peaks.
Old Town
The hotel is in the center of Quito's Old Town, one of the largest and best-preserved historic centers in the Americas.
Walk out the front door and straight onto the plaza, where vendors stroll and families and dogs play in the shadow of La Iglesia y Monasterio de San Francisco.
People watch a ceremony in Plaza Grande in Old Town Quito Photo Credit: Jeri Clausing
Head one block to the left and you'll find a street lined with shops of the traditional healers, or curanderas, who offer cleansings and a host of natural remedies for both physical and spiritual ailments. You'll find the shops are often packed with locals seeking treatment for themselves and their young children.
Along the sidewalks are mestizas (women of mixed Spanish and Indigenous ancestry) in traditional indigenous dress selling produce and hot meals cooked with portable burners. You may even encounter a mestizo with a pack of goats selling shots of raw milk.
Also within just a few blocks is the presidential palace and historic churches, including Iglesia de la Compania de Jesus, known for its ornate and stunning gold-leaf décor as well as the Basilica of the National Vow which, atop one of city's hills, seems to tower over Old Town.
View of Plaza Grande from Minka artisan chocolate and coffee shop. Photo Credit: Jeri Clausing
Newer additions to the area include the Casa del Alabado (House of Prayer) Museum, also set in a restored historic mansion less than a block from the hotel, featuring a collection of pre-Columbian art and artifacts organized by themes rather than dates or civilizations. Also scattered around Old Town are a growing mix of artisan chocolate and coffee bars.
Quito and Ecuador at large
Quito, however, is so much more than Old Town. Check out the city's botanic gardens, known for its orchid and medicinal plant collections, or visit the trendy La Floresta neighborhood, which offers a more cosmopolitan mix of cafes and international restaurants.
As part of the Metropolitan Touring family, the attentive, friendly team at Casa Gangotena can help arrange everything from guided tours around Old Town and Quito, to day trips to the equator or Cotopaxi National Park and Ecuador's "Avenue of the Volcanoes."
The company also offers packages that combine stays at both Casa Gangotena and trips to the Galapagos as well as packages that include the nearby Mashpi Lodge, where you can hike to waterfalls, feed hummingbirds and ride its zipline-style "sky bike" that you can pedal along a cable over the rainforest canopy.
Another great high-altitude city that offers culture and history in a year-round temperate climate is Cuenca, about an hour's flight south to the base of the Andes.
The only problem is you may never want to leave the gorgeous sanctuary that is Casa Gangotena.