Hotel Plaza Grande

Hotel Plaza Grande sits on Plaza de la Independencia, Quito's main civic square, in the restored home of a sixteenth-century founder of the city, later the 1943 Majestic Hotel. Just fifteen opulent all-suite rooms carry dark wood, marble baths with hydromassage tubs, separate lounges, soundproofing and complimentary wine, from around thirty-five square metres, three of them with balconies right over the plaza facing the Presidential Palace and the Metropolitan Cathedral. La Belle Epoque plates French fusion with a plaza balcony and live opera, Cafe Plaza Grande serves traditional Ecuadorian classics with live guitar, and El Claustro, an exposed-brick wine cellar, hosts flamenco, while moonlight horse-drawn carriage tours set off from the door. A small spa and gym sit within. The setting is the ceremonial heart of the UNESCO Old Town, around forty minutes from the airport, on a bed-and-breakfast base — made for couples and culture travellers who want the grand address on Quito's main square, where the city's history is on the doorstep. Plaza de la Independencia is the ceremonial centre of the first UNESCO World Heritage city, ringed by the Presidential Palace, the Cathedral and the Archbishop's Palace, with the gold-leaf La Compania church and the markets of the old quarter a short walk away.