I want to
offer a review of the 2br apartment featured here, for the benefit of potential
future tenants. I will be as honest as I can, covering both the positives and
negatives (mostly positives). For reference, I stayed there for two months,
beginning early January 2014.
The Location
– La Ronda
An important
point about the apartment is that it is near La Ronda, which is a restored
street of colonial buildings – the street is narrow and cobble-stoned and the
buildings are beautiful. When I say 'near' I mean it – it's only a few dozen
steps to Plaza Cumanda, which is at one end of La Ronda.
La Ronda
(aka Calle Morales) was apparently quite dilapidated (and even dangerous) a few
years ago, but the city has put a lot of effort into restoring it, and it is
very nicely done. Police are quite visible and the street and surrounding area
seem to me totally safe.
The street
was developed to be a tourist area, and therefore many of the shops are
over-priced. If you're looking for bargains, there are better places (Liliya
can point them out to you); but nonetheless I enjoyed wandering up and down La
Ronda, especially on Friday and Saturday nights, when it was packed with
people. It's mostly a younger crowd, but also many families. Though aimed at
tourists, the street attracts a great many locals (especially young adults).
There are a lot of live music spots and numerous street performers (I loved the
pretty girls dancing to Andean music in traditional dresses). These
performances are free, but I usually threw a bit of money into the hat when it
was passed around.
There are
many restaurants in La Ronda, and the food was good, but the prices are (again)
high, by local standards.
The Location
– Qmanda
While I was
living there, in late January, the city opened a new 'urban parque' called
Qmanda just around the corner from the apartment. (La Ronda is a right turn at
the bottom of the street, Qmanda is a left turn). What they have done is gut
what used to be the Cumanda bus terminal and rebuild it as a cultural and
sports facility.
I understand
that the old bus terminal was pretty crummy and dangerous, so I suppose this is
the next step in upgrading the neighborhood. It is very well done and I was
quite impressed by it.
What I liked
the best, since I enjoy working out several times a week, is that the facility
includes a very well-equipped fitness center – they have dozens of treadmills,
stationary bikes, etc, as well as plenty of weights. The charge is only a
dollar or two an hour (try to get that price at a similarly-equipped gym).
The Location
– Centro Historico
The
apartment is in the colonial section of Quito (locally called Centro
Historico). This is the area the UN has declared a cultural treasure, and it
really is. The area is beautiful, with relatively few modern buildings. The
apartment has a small balcony from which you can see the hill called El
Panecillo, which is topped by a statue called La Virgen de Quito. A few minutes'
walk will take you to Plaza Santo Domingo, with a 17th century church
(beautiful at night when its towers are illuminated). Another five minutes of
walking will take you to Plaza Grande (aka Plaza Independencia), which is the
center of the city – here is the Cathedral and the Presidential Palace. A
hundred yards (or meters) of the plaza is another church, Iglesia La Compania
de Jesus (the Jesuit church) and another hundred yards past that is Iglesia San
Francisco de Quito (the Franciscans). All these buildings are centuries old and
absolute must-sees. La Compania may be the most magnificent building I've ever
seen.
A Few Words
about Noise
I'm pretty
easy-going about noise during the daytime, or actually at any time except when
I'm trying to sleep. This apartment is, as noted, very close to La Ronda, a
popular entertainment district, with plenty of live music and dancing. On
Friday and Saturday nights especially, the music can be heard in the apartment.
I loved it – I would often open the door on the balcony so that I could hear it
better. Others might feel differently, of course.
The street
music cuts off promptly at 11pm (I suppose the cops shut down the street
performances), so it was no problem for me as far as sleeping was concerned.
After 11, the noise from the street is minimal.
There are
also events at Qmanda that can be noisy (music, PA system, etc), but these are
in the daytime.
Ecuadorians
seem to love car alarms, which are highly sensitive and go off if anyone
sneezes near the car. This can be annoying at times, but it's not unique to
this area – the same is true throughout Quito (and probably elsewhere).
On one
occasion, another tenant in the building had a party with very loud music that
went on until 4:30am (!) – very annoying and very inconsiderate, in my opinion.
Unfortunately, there are rude people everywhere. This only happened once,
though, in the two months I was there.
A Note for
the Elderly or People in Poor Health
While I am
recommending this apartment for most people, I feel I have to advise anyone
much older than myself (I'm in my late sixties) and/or people who are not fit
and healthy, that the street the apartment is located on is very steep and for
the first few days there the climb had my legs hurting and made me pant for air
by the time I got to the top. In addition, the apartment is on the fourth floor
of the building (I counted sixty-five steps). I got used to both the hill and
the stairs after a week or two, but I work out regularly and am, thankfully, in
good health. But even after a couple weeks, the climbs were still tiring. If
you have health issues, you might find the place wearing.
An added
note: If you have health issues, especially respiratory, you should probably
discuss a Quito visit or move with your doctor, regardless of where in Quito
you're planning to move – the altitude could be a serious issue for you.
The
Apartment
Finally,
about the apartment itself: I loved it.
It is very
roomy. I don't know what the square footage is, but trust me, up to three
people could stay here quite comfortably, without getting on each others'
nerves. The combo living room/dining room has plenty of space and the sofa is
comfortable (that's where I spent most of my time when at home). There's a TV
with cable and DVD (most of the channels are in Spanish, of course). I'm not
much into TV or movies, so I only used it for a couple of NFL playoff games.
The dining room table is large enough probably for six, though I seldom used
it.
The kitchen
is not huge, but I imagine two people could work on a meal there without
getting in each others' way. The kitchen has all the appliances you would
expect or need (no microwave, though). Off the kitchen is a small semi-enclosed
patio with a washing machine. No dryer, but enough clothesline for my clothes
(might have to get creative in using the line space for more people). My
clothes dried in a day (two days sometimes for heavier items, like jeans) even
though I was there in rainy season.
The bathroom
is … well, it's a bathroom. Not much to say about it. I like to take longish
showers, and the hot water never ran out for me.
Both
bedrooms are large, and the bed in the master quite comfortable (the mattress
is a bit hard, which is the way I like them). The single bedroom is on the
street side, so it might get a bit more street noise.
The
apartment is fully equipped with all dishes, glasses, bedding, towels – really,
everything you need to get along. It's perfect for a new arrival who needs a
place to stay while getting oriented to the city, or if you are just coming for
an extended vacation and want to stay in Centro Historico.
An added
benefit is that Liliya (the owner) is a pleasant, helpful person, who is
willing to give advice which will help you get settled. In addition, unless you
are are adept in Spanish, it is good to be working with a landlord who speaks
English. After two months here (and several weeks in a language school), I'm
able to get along in Spanish. But when I arrived, with only the remnants of my
high school Spanish, it would have been very difficult to try to deal with a
Spanish-speaking property owner.
In short, I
recommend this apartment, with the few caveats I noted above, about the steep
hill and the stairs.
Bob from Chicago,
Illinois.
Monthly rental in Quito, for tourists and expats.
We have a 2 bedroom, 1 bath totally remodeled
Colonial Quito, furnished apartment for rent.
For booking, pictures and more info
http://quitorental.blogspot.com
Rental in Quito, for tourists and expats.
3 bedroom, 1 bath remodeled
Colonial Quito, furnished apartment for rent.
For booking, pictures and more info
http://quitorental2.blogspot.com
