The Ecuador Gringo

Hotel Carvallo in Cuenca – Probably better to pass if you like to sleep

April 5th, 2010 | Ecuador - Business, Ecuador - Places to Stay, Ecuador - Travel Tips | No Comments »

The Gringo is in Cuenca this weekend and checking out Cuenca with Dixie Davey of Retire-in-Ecuador.com.

Tour was great and highly recommended. More information about Dixie here.

Now about Hotel Carvallo- it has a great location, right in the heart of downtown. It is a very nicely redone. Staff is great, very friendly and quite helpful. Price is ok at about $100 a night. The rooms are fine enough, but the beds are on the small side.

Here is the issue though – the building is like a big atrium with wooden floors, so be prepared to hear everything, and I mean everything! People roaming the hallway sound like they are right in the Read more

More Parks to Visit in Quito

March 29th, 2010 | Ecuador - Adventure, Ecuador - Family Friendly, Ecuador - Gringo Favorite, Ecuador - Travel Tips, The Best of Ecuador | No Comments »

In addition to Parque La Carolina there are 3 other major parks in Quito. They are: El Ejido, La Alameda and Parque Metropolitano.

El Ejido is located on Av. Patria west of Casa de la Cultura. It is one of the most traditional parks in the city and serves as a showcase for many local artists. A stroll through the park’s sidewalks affords you the opportunity to admire their work, which is set up for sale along the pathway. This park is also a popular place for street entertainers, such as the frozen man, comedians and other traveling theater groups. The shows can be quite entertaining and draw large crowds. You might also enjoy watching a competitive game of Read more

Visit Parque La Carolina

March 22nd, 2010 | The Best of Ecuador | No Comments »

Escaping the stress of the streets of Quito doesn’t always entail a trip into the mountains. The city is set up with a number of parks that span hundreds of acres of land within city limits.

Parque La Carolina is quite reminiscent of New York’s Central Park. It is located in the center of the city and is a popular place for families and friends to gather on the weekends. The park is home to a myriad of recreational activities; there are soccer fields, paths for walking, jogging and biking, tennis courts, and even a lagoon where you can rent paddelboats and canoes. On the weekends pony rides are also a favorite of the kids.

The Jardín Botánico in Read more

Quality Travel Agency and Tour Guides for the Amazon

March 13th, 2010 | Ecuador - Gringo Favorite, Ecuador - Travel Tips | No Comments »

If you are retired in Ecuador, its more than likely that you do the majority of your exploring the country when friends and family come to visit. Having lived abroad for years, I can tell you I have seen more interesting things when taking trips I have planned for others than when just exploring on my own.

If the family is coming and you want to make their travels around the country extra special, you might think about hiring a travel guide. Sure, playing travel guide can be fun, but having an expert on hand can not only be a protection, it also takes some of the weight off you for how the event goes.

There are plenty of Read more

Phoning home from Ecuador

March 5th, 2010 | Ecuador - Travel Tips | No Comments »

Staying connected is no problem when traveling through Ecuador. Most higher end hotel offer hi-speed internet and somewhat reasonable rates when calling internationally. If your hotel doesn’t offer internet you can easily find internet cafes in town where they charge only $1 or $2 for an hour on the computer.

Sometimes, depending on the rates offered at your hotel, the best place to call internationally is actually at an internet café. Most have voice-over IP lines (VoIP) and calls to the States cost generally around $0.10 per minute with calls to Europe costing just a touch more. Usually hotels make you call through an operator, which can cost you $3 or more per minute.

If you Read more

Find a Great Hostel In Quito

March 1st, 2010 | Ecuador - Places to Stay, Ecuador - Travel Tips | No Comments »

Housitehostels.com is a great way to find awesome deals on hostels in Quito. Booking through their site you get an automatic mark-down on all rates that is applied the moment you pick your room. There are also a number of specials such as “name your price” and request a “free night” that are offered from time to time.

Housite only advertises for its own hostels, so while there are only 3 options for Quito, you can bet that they are good places to stay. Each hostel is geared towards a specific crowd, providing you with the same quality of service, cleanliness and safety, but a variety of atmospheres depending on what kind of trip you are looking for. Read more

High Quality Hostel in Quito

February 26th, 2010 | Ecuador - Gringo Favorite, Ecuador - Places to Stay, Ecuador - Travel Tips | 2 Comments »

Quito is probably the most popular city in Ecuador in terms of tourism, and with good reason. Set in one of the best climates in the world to live in, and on the doorstep to the mountains and jungle of Ecuador, this city makes the perfect launch-pad for a trek to the interior. Plus, with the mix of easy going locals and fun loving foreigners, a night out in Quito is one not quickly forgotten.

With all the tourists in and out of Quito there is a wide variety of lodging available in the city. Since the most popular kind of traveler to pass through here is of the backpacker genre you will find a whole slew Read more

When is the Best Time to Visit Ecuador?

February 18th, 2010 | Ecuador - Places to Eat, Ecuador - Travel Tips | 1 Comment »

To be honest, there really isn’t a bad time to visit Ecuador, depending on where you want to go and what you want to do. Quito, for example, is spring-like all year round, although its rainy season is from May to September, making it, and the rest of the highlands, more enjoyable from June to August.

The Amazon and the eastern slopes of the Andes are quite the opposite. The wet season there runs from June to August, making the best time to explore the jungle from late August to February. Along the coast January to April seem to be the best time to visit, especially the Galapagos.

The main Read more

Lunch at a Traditional Comedor

February 11th, 2010 | Ecuador - Places to Eat | 3 Comments »

Dining out in Ecuador is one of the best parts of visiting the country! Depending on what region you are visiting and what budget you are traveling on will dictate what you enjoy for your noontime meal or late night snack. Most comedors, or restaurants, serve a plate of the day, which includes soup, the main course (meat, rice or potatoes) a drink, and dessert. These platos del dia usually only cost about 1 dollar.

Roadside stands, only for the brave of heart and iron stomached, serve typical fried treats, such as empanadas and fritadas. At a fritada stand the vendor will carve up a slab of pork right there on the spot, pound Read more

Facts Regarding Investing in Real Estate in Ecuador

February 3rd, 2010 | Ecuador - Business, Ecuador - Relocation, Ecuador - Travel Tips | No Comments »

In Ecuador equal treatment is given to local and foreign investors, so across the board you receive the same rights of entry as Ecuadorian citizens. Almost all sectors are open to investors, and profits and capital can be repatriated without restriction.

Foreigners have the same legal rights to own property anywhere in Ecuador.

You do not need to have any special visa to purchase property in Ecuador; the Tourist Visa that you purchase upon entrance is all you need to invest in real estate. Make sure you know how long your tourist visa is valid for – click here for additional visa information.

Investing in real estate, be it a house, an

Hotel Carvallo in Cuenca – Probably better to pass if you like to sleep

More Parks to Visit in Quito

Visit Parque La Carolina

Quality Travel Agency and Tour Guides for the Amazon

Phoning home from Ecuador

Find a Great Hostel In Quito

High Quality Hostel in Quito

When is the Best Time to Visit Ecuador?

Lunch at a Traditional Comedor

Facts Regarding Investing in Real Estate in Ecuador

Recent Posts

What I'm Doing...

Comments

Blogroll

Archives

Categories

Tags

The Gringo Travel Network