We wanted to stay in the historic centre of Quito for ease of access to the sights, and the ambience, and, having looked at the various options, this hotel was really our only candidate. We were delighted with it, though: it's full of charm, fantastically close to the centre (c 100 metres from the Plaza Grande), and offers great service. The staff are very friendly and helpful (although occasionally Reception can be smile-free), and it has everything you need during your stay, including wifi throughout, or a PC and printer in a quiet area in case of need, and a good restaurant serving substantial breakfasts and good Ecuadorian dinners if you're nervous about heading into the centre after dark or just fancy a night in.

We stayed in two different rooms, at the beginning and end of our Galapagos trip: 107 (a standard room), which had no external window but lots of light from the second of the hotel's courtyards, and 204 (a suite), which had a lounge downstairs, and a bedroom and bathroom in a mezzanine above. On balance, we preferred room 107, as it had more circulation space where it mattered, and the bed was very comfortable (and wide - it was made up with three pillows in a row...); the bed in room 204 was atrocious (very creaky and unsteady).

Each room has a safe, and there's a good laundry service. You can leave bags with the hotel between stays, and there's always someone around to assist with taxis, early check-outs, etc.

We had to run some errands in the Mariscal district during our stay, and that just reinforced that we'd made the right decision staying in the older part of the city. We found the historic centre to be safe, attractive, and full of things to do/places to eat. A great trip.

We stayed at the Patio Andaluz on a tour of Ecuador and the Galapagos with Furlongs Travel in October. Richard & Dawn Furlong do their researche carefully before selecting a hotel, and the Patio Andaluz exceeded our expectations. The hotel is charming, in an old colonial buiding full of character, with many interesting corners and features, including a well-stocked library and an indoor terrace with hammocks and loungers. The rooms are huge - ours was on 2 levels, with a spiral staircase leading to a second sleeping area and the en-suite bathroom upstairs. It was well equipped, with a safe, TV, etc, but we were so busy on the tour we didn't spend a great deal of time in it. (One work of warning - the wooden floors are polished like glass , so don't try walking around in socks, especially up the stairs!)

The hotel staff were charming. We had 2 minor maintenance problems while we were there, both of which were attended to within minutes of our reporting them. The food is good and varied, though the restaurant service, especially at breakfast, can be a little erratic. The staff on the front desk are charming and very helpful, and the little gift shop has some exquisite (if rather expensive) gifts.

The hotel is a great place from which to explore the interesting colonial city of Quito on foot. You can walk to the main square in about two minutes, and from there, the old city spreads in every direction. There are also some interesting narrow streets around the hotel itself, but watch out for the traffic!

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay, and had a number of excursions from the city. We went up in the cablecar, but unfortunately the clouds had rolled in and we saw little, so don't go up on a cloudy day. The Theatrum restaurant was also a fabulous place to eat - another of Richard's finds.

If you are thinking of travelling to Ecuador and the Galapgos, I would highly recommend having a chat with the Furlongs. They are a charming couple, and provided us with some of the best travel experiences we have ever had in over 30 years of globetrotting. They are not the cheapest, but they do provide outstanding value for money, and travelling to this fascinating area of the World with them is hugely rewarding.