Hotel Azul de la Plaza

San Sebastian square is right outside this lovely little boutique hotel, with the central square a short walk away and the river just two blocks up. Inside, my room was clean and comfortable, with a wide view over the square. Breakfast was great, and the staff were friendly and helpful. The shower was the best I had in Ecuador.

One night we couldn’t get into the hotel at all because the person on the night shift had fallen asleep. We rang the bell again and again, but nobody opened the front door. When we asked the owner for a refund for that night, he didn’t seem to care or try to help, and just told us to contact Expedia since that’s where we booked. Very unprofessional. I’m never going back.

Hotel Azul turned out to be a really pleasant surprise for my first visit to Cuenca. It’s a cozy place, nothing flashy, but I was impressed by how comfortable and spacious the room was, the city view, and the steady, strong Wi-Fi. The staff made the stay memorable and were patient with my limited Spanish. They were happy to help in English, too. In the morning there’s coffee and breakfast, and the on-site laundry is amazingly affordable. I liked it enough to add a few days to my stay. The location also worked well, with affordable, tasty restaurants close by and an easy walk to the river or city center.

The room had a clogged sink, and the lack of blackout curtains meant the sun woke me early every morning. The bigger hassle, though, was getting into the building. We weren’t given a key, and the doorbell didn’t work, so we often had to knock with nobody there to let us in. I had to find a phone number on Google and call. I was lucky to have phone service from abroad, but someone without that option could have been stuck outside for who knows how long. They also charged a fee for credit card payment, so we had to pay cash. That was odd for a hotel, and none of the other four hotels on my trip did that.