UNIQUE & STYLISH Boutique-Colonial Loft @ Quito Centro Historic
âą BOUTIQUE-modern design âą HOME-LIKE coziness âą AUTHENTIC Old Town Quito vibe âą WIFI - fast and reliable âą WASHER/DRYER âą CENTRAL location âą SPECTACULAR View from shared terrace
Your perfect home-base when in Quito. Exclusive & fully-equipped apartment housed within "Casa LunaLoma", a lovingly restored 100 yr old Colonial Home, located 5 mins from Quito's Historic Center, iconic landmarks, churches & museums and it faces one of the most memorable icons of Quito "El Panecillo" which holds the statue of our Virgin Mary.
Apt "Chuquiragua" takes its name from a beautiful, high-altitude, orange flower native to the Ecuadorean Andes.
"Chuquiragua" is a spacious, fully furnished, modern loft apartment located on the first floor of "Casa LunaLoma" (The Moon Hill House), a charming and beautifully restored 3 stories high House. This 100 yrs old grand colonial house is located in the heart of "La Loma Grande" (the Big Hill) a colorful and traditional residential neighborhood adjacent to Quito's Historic Center.
"Casa LunaLoma" is located in Quitoâs Historic Core, on the neighborhood called âLa Loma Grandeâ which is minutes away from all the famous landmarks and also where local residents live. As with any Latin American cities, common sense safety should always be exercised at all times. Pick pocketing exists in the Historic Center of Quito as it is attended by many tourists.
La Loma Grande is not the gentrified part of Quito, which is what gives its unique character. Regardless, it's a neighborhood that is constantly patrolled by police cars, especially being so close to a tourist area to preserve the safety of residents and visitors. During the day you will feel safe walking and enjoying the beauty of Old town Quito. In the late afternoon we always recommend to use a taxi cab to return home, the price for the rides are very convenient. Esteban, your Host in Quito will be a great support to give you any additional information related with safeness.
This house was the original home of the Cascante-Lopez family and its 9 children and for 80 years it has remained family owned. Today it houses a collection of 7 unique apartments, each one with its own personality and special qualities, yet they all exude the same welcoming warmth and charm.
Loft "Chuquiragua" features modern amenities and is a mix of uniquely curated design touches and classic colonial architectural details. Its hardwood floor in the loft and exposed wooden beams add warmth and coziness.
Our thick walls with tapered, deep-inset windows are unique to our building, creating Casa LunaLoma's signature, modern-colonial style. These windows beautifully frame views of "El Panecillo" and "La Virgen de Quito" as they face the south west side of our House.
Loft "Chuquiragua" is the perfect place for couples, solo adventurers, friends & business travelers that appreciate design esthetics, boutique designer touches, comfortable modern amenities yet seek out immersive cultural experiences. Our apartments are designed and inspired by a mix of colonial-modern style and are centrally located, making your experience uniquely local.
Our Loft is also a great place for those travelers looking for a spacious home-base while exploring Quito's surroundings, or for those nearing the end of their travels through Ecuador, looking for a place that feels like home away from home while not missing a beat in maximizing their cultural immersive experience.
Our apartment is 850 sq. Ft. and is spacious enough for 2 travelers to feel right at home.
Below please find more detailed description on "Chuquiragua"
Entry Bottom Floor:
As you first enter the loft, you will be greeted by our cozy dining room and living room. Our dining room is perfect for intimate breakfasts and dinners. It can accommodate up to 4 people (photo only shows 2 chairs). Our adjacent living room has a set of comfy wicker chairs great for relaxing, kicking your feet up and having a glass of wine after your day exploring the city. It also holds a smart TV you can hook to your Netflix in case a little binge watching is in the works for the evening.
Both spaces are beautifully lit by one of our most striking and favorite features of our unit, its windows. As our building is almost 100 years old, the thickness of our walls are, let's just say very deep! And so are our windows! We have two unique windows: A horizontal panoramic, deep-inset window with a beautiful view of Old Town Quito as well a very modern vertically narrow, deep inset window with a perfect framing of "Our Virgin of Quito". This narrow window travels upward to our upper loft. A special design touch we love.
Across from our living room is a kitchen that faces our house shared courtyard and water fountain. The lighting through this window is very lovely in the mornings! When you first arrive, our kitchen will warmly welcome you with a small basket of goodies which we always provide to our guest to include: Small bottles of our most iconic local mineral water called "Guitig" (A must-try), local Ecuadorian ground coffee, local Tea, etc. (We know how it is to finally arrive at home-base from long flights!)
The kitchen itself has all the essentials for meal preparation: Electric stove, fridge, coffee maker, microwave, tea kettle, pots, pans and cooking utensils. Whether you are doing a light morning coffee prep or if you want to fully venture into doing a more immersive cooking, the kitchen is ready. Many of our guest purchase items from the local "Tienditas" (mini-markets) to prepare their meals. Also, let us know if you have any special requests for foods to be stocked in the fridge prior to your arrival, we are happy to help with that at an additional charge.
On this floor, you will also find our bathroom and shower with hot water as well as a washer & dryer (yes, note on the dryer!) which is great when you have traveled from various spots and need some garment freshen ups. It's right here, just like home. :)
Upper Loft
Now as we head upstairs, the wooden loft stairs are safe, modern and beautifully crafted. The upstairs loft has a lovely traditional colonial window that faces the front of the house and fills this room with great light.
Our loft bedroom has a king-sized bed with hotel quality cotton sheets & bedding. Our down comforters were specially selected with a thick density to embrace the colds of Quito's evenings. Our mattress is very comfortable. Needless said, your evening will be ultra cozy!
The bedroom also has plenty of storage: on the sides of the king size bed and on a built-in closet. You will also find a build in work table station and build-in bookshelves making it very functional and practical for those who want to get a little laptop work done!
As the evenings in Quito can get very cold, the apartment comes equipped with 2 space heaters as well as extra blankest for your cozy usage.
For parties of 3, a temporary bed can be set up on the bottom floor at additional cost.
Our apartment has free fiber optic internet connection with high speed WiFi enabled access throughout the house, so you remain connected.
Overall, Our Loft "Chuquiragua" is an excellent choice apartment with a lot of character and beautifully curated design touches. It's perfect if you are looking for a home away from home that allows you to relax while still experiencing a unique and memorable taste of Quito and still being central to all that Old Town Quito has to offer.
This property is well maintained and enjoyable. We loved the vibe of the upstairs of the loft... very cozy. Great decoration and lots of thought were pit into the last renovation. The only downsides are the neighborhood (a bit rough), and we couldn't get the downstairs warm (downstairs heater didn't work well).
Beautiful apartment and great host, rough neighborhood
The apartment is gorgeous, full of character, and exactly as pictured. Maria and Esteban arranged for a car service to pick us up from the airport and Esteban met us upon arrival at the apartment.
Unfortunately we ended up leaving after one night and checking into a hotel, because we were unable to walk around the neighborhood after the sun set (around 6pm). It is only safe to leave the apartment in a car after dark, which I wish we would've known beforehand. While the apartment itself is very secure, we didn't feel safe in the neighborhood.
My husband and I had a wonderful 2-week stay in this adequately appointed apartment. We love staying where the locals live when we travel, so this was perfect. We visited lots of the little restaurants, shops, and bakeries in the blocks near Casa LunaLoma--all great experiences.
Maria and Esteban were gracious and helpful with our questions. On our first day, Esteban even rode in our taxi with us to help us find our tour location as we were running late. Service with a smile! :D
We felt safe in the area, but didn't travel after dark unless we were in a taxi/Uber. (Side Note: We much preferred our experiences with the Uber drivers while in Quito as compared with the city taxis. However, we LOVED Patricio, the cabby associated with Casa LunaLoma! We hired him to transport us to and from the airport.)
The heater provided was just enough heat while downstairs, and the down comforter was nice and cozy while sleeping in the loft. If you get cold feet, bring some slippers or thick socks as the tile floors downstairs never warm up--well, not enough for us. :)
Having a washer/dryer combo was definitely a plus. Don't wait until the last minute to do laundry though as it takes several hours for a load to wash and dry. I brought a travel elastic laundry line with built in clothes pins, and I hung it between two chair in the living room to dry some of my delicates.
It's a city of 3+ million people, so don't expect peace and quiet! There are dogs barking, horns blaring, loud chatter from neighbors, and announcements via bullhorns on passing vehicles at all hours, but you're in a major metropolitan area in South America. If you're a light sleeper, utilize the ear plugs they provide or download a sleep/noise app before you arrive--we did!
Our overall experience in this apartment and capital city was wonderful, and we're thinking of returning with our children and grandchildren next summer.
Thanks for a great experience!
This is a lovely place to stay in Quito. The central historical district is in easy walking distance, and there is parking available inside the building (just a few steps from the apartment). Esteban was very helpful in orienting us to the city.
The property was centrally located in historical district. Easy to walk to and from many locations. Very comfortable bed and living space. Highly recommend this property.