The Suites Metropoli may not be as stunning as some of the really fancy hotels one can find in Quito. It's a bit more quaint, much smaller. It is also far better - at least for anyone looking for a really great experience where you don't need to rely on tour groups, can get private (and amazingly knowledgeable and caring drivers - including the owner who is one of the kindest and most caring people you'll meet, so much so that it's hard to think of him as simply 'the owner'; he is someone very open-minded, intelligent, worldly and will take guests to amazing places in his car - a personal touch you'll find no where else. The rooms are quaint - they aren't these massive luxury rooms of some hotels - but they are what you actually want (you just don't know it yet!). It's a very 'authentic' experience - a place where you are made to feel at home, a place where you can learn and experience Quito and Ecuador at your own pace, and in a way that allows you really do things you want, with great guides you'll come to consider friends almost immediately. You won't get stuffed on tour busses and forced to experience things as a 'typical tourist' who isn't really immersing themselves in the country - a real shame for one of the most incredible places on Earth. The hotel is near the top of part of the upper city, close to Pinchincha, and you can see the entire city, Cotopaxi and other volcanoes from your windows - you'll really be on top of the world. If you are only staying a day or two, then this may not be the right place. If you want to actually experience Quito, Cotopaxi, Mindo, the Amazon, Guayaquil, etc. without being wrangled into tourist traps and with just those people you want with you, with incredible guides then this is where you have to stay. You can stay in grand hotels that try and keep you in, and not experience the city if you want - but if you are someone who isn't the 'tourist' that wants to just do the 'big hits' really quickly then you can't do better than Suites Metropoli. The owner, Santiago, also has some Air BNB's - and if you are looking for something a bit bigger, more private without feeling like you're in a hotel in Chicago - if you are visiting Ecuador from Europe, the US, Canada you can find fancy hotels that are designed to be ridiculously over the top anywhere - and if you are going to Ecuador for that experience, you aren't going for the right reasons. This is the diamond in the ruff, an incredible place that you'll love. It has served as a hotel for diplomats and foreign officials over the giant hotels for a reason. And I leave you with an anecdote to show you how great Santiago and his staff are: we wanted to go to a real touristy part of Quito. We asked him to get us a taxi - he refused! Now, why is that good? Because he refused due to a dramatic increase in crime against tourists in that part of Quito - he wasn't willing to help us go somewhere alone where he thought we could be in danger. Now that really is
