We travelled at the end of January 2024 from the UK, as a party of four, on our first trip to South America. Over almost six weeks in Ecuador we visited the Cloud Forest, climbed volcanoes and explored Galapagos and the Ecuadorean Amazon Basin. All of this involved 4 separate visits to Quito. During each visit we stayed at Casa el Eden. We could not recommend the hotel and its owners and staff more highly (two of us are retired high end hoteliers so we do have some relevant experience). The hotel is a beautifully renovated and restored townhouse in the historic centre of Quito. It is minutes away from all the magnificent sights. It's on a quite un-prepossessing street, but when the big doors open, you move into a different world. The centre courtyard was originally open but now has a glass cupola and this area forms the lobby, which like the rest of the hotel is beautifully furnished and decorated. The original painted ceilings and wall panels are preserved. There's a neat snug bar on one side and the breakfasting kitchen on the other. The bedrooms are on the first and second floors. We saw four of them during our stays and all were equally well laid out and beautifully furnished. Great comfy beds, high quality linens, towels and toiletries. Original restored windows and shutters, but with double glazed panels on the outside. All rooms are en-suite obviously, with the shower forming part of the bedroom itself. There is a really lovely roof terrace where drinks and lovely wines from the honesty bar (and bought in pizzas) can be enjoyed along with amazing views of the city, Mario and Blanca who run the hotel with a small staff, including assistant Daniel, are the perfect hosts in every way. All of the staff were great but these three particularly could not have been more charming or friendly or helpful. They carted our heavy luggage in and out and up and down 8 times. They spoke to airlines and drivers and restaurants on our behalf. They helped to serve us great breakfasts every morning - the best breakfasts we had in Ecuador - sometimes at very unsociable times and they welcomed us the first time and each subsequent time as though we were old friends. They told us that their home was our home and it truly felt that way. We could easily have stayed in airport hotels on at least two of our shorter transits through Quito, but we are so glad we didn’t. It’s a 40 minute drive from the airport to Casa el Eden and its more than worth it. This is a great small hotel, run by great people who really care about their customers and their hotel. Don’t hesitate to go.