If you’ve chosen to tour Ecuador this year or the next, I highly recommend you to include the Andean market town of Otavalo in your itinerary. And if you do so, use Hotel Doña Esther as your base for exploring this friendly city & its beautiful surroundings.
This blog post shortly introduces you to all of them:
- Ecuador
- Otavalo
- Hotel Doña Esther &
- Its Restaurant, Árbol de Montalvo.
Ecuador, a very diverse country
If you have chosen Ecuador as your next destination let me start by congratulating you. Ecuador is really one of the best choices you can make nowadays.
Why?
- It’s foremost a spectacular beautiful country. Blessed with a unique diversity in landscapes, flora & fauna, people and cultures. And more importantly, not yet overrun by mass tourism. It’s hard to find a more authentic destination these days.
In Ecuador it’s possible – even in only one day – to wake up in the tropical Amazon jungle, cross over snow-covered mountains to see the sun go down in the warm Pacific Ocean. Exactly, … in the direction of the wonderful Galápagos Islands (about 1000km/ 600 miles out of the coast) that belong to Ecuador as well.
However, I wouldn’t recommend you to travel that fast. I’m basically underlining the enormous diversity you’ll find within the borders of this small Andean country.
- Ecuador is easy to travel. Overall the roads are in a good state. Public transport is cheap and can lead you to the tiniest towns & villages.
Diversity to choose from
In short, Ecuador is an ideal country to travel around. The only problem you are probably going to encounter, when preparing your visit to this beautiful country, is which places to visit? There are so many options, like:
- the Cotopaxi and/or Chimborazo National Parks
- Quito colonial
- the Quilotoa Crater lake & places like:
- relaxing Baños
- subtropical Mindo
- colonial Cuenca
- The thermal springs at Papallacta
- The Galápagos Islands
And then of course there’s the town of Otavalo.
The magical market town of Otavalo
Another place you can’t miss on your journey through Ecuador is the small Andean market town of Otavalo. Located in the northern highlands.
Otavalo is mainly known for its world–famous indigenous handicraft market (daily, but spectacular BIG on Saturdays). A market full of locally produced, colourful wares.
Otavalo is the perfect place to find the best & cheapest handicrafts in Ecuador. Bought directly from the people who produce them. Friendly people, who of course want to sell something, but don’t bother you if you don’t.
The market is a must for all those who like to buy the most original souvenirs, for themselves or for family and friends.
At the same time you meet the Otavalos, who for centuries have been selling their handicrafts here & everywhere. All around the world actually. Take a look at their beautiful embroidered traditional clothing, especially the women. A people proud of their heritage, culture & traditions. (To learn more about its long history, go to: Otavalo’s market.)
But, – be warned – actually Otavalo has much more to offer.
The beautiful surroundings of Otavalo
Besides the market the area around Otavalo is blessed with a lot of easily accessible natural attractions. To name a few (just click on the name or photo to learn more):
- The Cuicocha Crater Lake underneath the Cotacachi Mountain. A hike of 4-5 hours leads you around this beautiful lake (La Laguna de Cuicocha).
- The Mojando lake area with the double headed Fuya Fuya volcano. Waiting to be conquered (Lagunas de Mojanda).
- The Condor Park, (El Parque Cóndor) a rescue center for Birds of Prey. With flight shows twice a day.
- The Peguche Waterfall, (La Cascada de Peguche) a 30-40 minute hike from Otavalo.
Other things to do around Otavalo
- A Village tour, to visit the local artisans at their workshops
- The town of Cotacachi (a few years ago honored with the title “Pueblo Mágico”/Magical Village), known for its fine leather work.
- The thermal springs of Chachimbiro. To chill out!
- The colonial city of Ibarra, capital of Imbabura province.
- A visit to the alternative Mitad del Mundo (not the famous one near Quito, but an alternative one, just as interesting).
All in all, the surrounding area of Otavalo & the province of Imbabura is considered one of the greenest & healthiest regions of Ecuador. GREEN & HEALTHY enough to be proclaimed GeoPark by UNESCO a few years ago. The first in the country.
Hotel Doña Esther, Otavalo: A little history
A nice & comfortable base to visit all these attractions is the Dutch owned Hotel Doña Esther.
Our Hotel is located in the heart of Otavalo. Very near the central park & the market, but also close to a convenient bus stop & a taxi stand.
- For almost 150 years visitors have arrived at what nowadays is Hotel Dona Esther in Otavalo. It is one of the oldest hotels in the area. Formerly named ”Pension Otavalo”.
- A century and a half ago most travelers arrived on foot or on horseback. That’s why the hotel still has a inner courtyard. A spot where the horses used to rest, eat & drink – in the patio you can still see the stone trough that was used to feed the horses & mules – while the riders slept in the rooms around the courtyard. As our actual guests still do.
We – that’s Wendy & Arthur – bought the hotel/restaurant in 2003. Coming back from Guatemala, where I worked for a few years at a educational radio network
- For short biographies on Wendy, click on: Interview with my wife Wendy (in Dutch), or on About Me: Better call me Art).
A visit to Hotel Doña Esther, Otavalo
Our Hotel Doña Esther is relatively small, but has a unique ambience. All our 12 colonial style rooms (with their own bathroom) are located around the inner–courtyard. The four smaller matrimonial rooms at the front have a little balcony. In the back we have some bigger rooms, suitable for 2, 3 or 4 people.
On top there’s a small apartment (“Room #14”). Ideal for a family with 2 or 3 small children, but also available for couples.
From the rooftop terrace you have beautiful views of the surrounding area. Ideal for a cup of coffee or tea in the morning, a drink late afternoon.
“Sleep, Eat, Drink, Rest, Enjoy & Remember” is the lemma of our Otavalo hotel
A big extra is our restaurant Árbol de Montalvo. Located directly behind the inner courtyard, it has its own vibe & beautiful views.
In our restaurant we serve plates which fuse European & Ecuadorian flavors. Making use of products, herbs & spices bought locally. To give you some examples:
- We serve a Quinoa salad. Quinoa, being a traditional grain-like crop from the Andes.
- Another exemplary plate we prepare for you is Pollo Pintado. Chicken filet in a spicy sauce with a touch of chocolate (cacao).
- Churrasco is another typical dish, traditionally for physical laborers. A large slice of fine beef with two fried eggs, rice, french fries, salad & avocado.
- A Dutch treat with an Ecuadorian touch is the Slavink. A homemade sausage wrapped in bacon, that comes with an Ecuadorian sauce of tree tomatoes (Tomate de árbol).
Besides meat, fish, salads, pastas & vegetarian dishes, we offer pizzas made in a wood burning oven. You can choose from more than 15 different pizzas, but adorn them with every extra ingredient you like.
Pizzas made the traditional…, that is… the Italian way.
For a complete idea of our extensive menu, go to Menu Árbol de Montalvo.
All in all, we dare say – speaking from over 20 years of experience – that a visit to our Hotel Doña Esther & Restaurante Árbol de Montalvo is always memorable. Something many of our visitors have taken home as an unforgettable part of their journey through Ecuador. Something we’re modestly proud of.
For more information, or a reservation for our hotel and/or restaurant, you can use the Whatsapp Button below:
Extra Services en Hotel Dona Esther, Otavalo
Roomservice
If you would like to stay in your room, we can bring your order up.
Laundry
We can do the laundry for you. For reasonable prices.
Tourist information
Besides this information & linked blog posts we can always help you further. Information on Things to do in the area around Otavalo. As well as, general information about the country.
Transport
We know professional, trustworthy taxi drivers that can take you everywhere for a good, honest price. Travel safely, with drivers that know the area and are proud of their country.
Book exchange & sale
Most books are for exchange, some special ones (sometimes even new) go for $5.
Our shop: Unique knitwear
And then, last but not least. We have the honor to be the only place in Ecuador to sell handmade INTI knitwear. Textiles, locally knitted by hundreds of women (and some men), who get a fair income for their work.
Sweaters, jerseys, jumpers, jackets, vests, shawls, caps, gloves. Colorful, soft, made of wool, but mostly of Baby Alpaca. Garments that aren’t as cheap as garments on the market, but are actually handmade art pieces.
The prices we ask in our shop are two, sometimes three times below the prices on the main markets of the INTI products in Northwestern Europe & the United States.
On the Hotel Doña Esther website you’ll find more info, the best price & ways to make a Direct booking.
Hope to see you soon!
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For an overview of all travel posts of my blog, go to: The TravelArtWay Home Page.
