Hotel Doña Esther
Location: Juan Montalvo 444 y Bolivar, Otavalo, ec
Star Rating: 8.9 Stars
Property Type: Hotels
About this Property
Charming Accommodation in Otavalo
Unique Inner Courtyard: Relax in our cozy rooms situated around a picturesque inner courtyard, offering a peaceful ambiance during your stay.
Delicious Dining Options: Indulge in mouthwatering dishes at our on-site restaurant, providing a delightful culinary experience for our guests.
Convenient Location: Explore nearby attractions easily, with Ibarra and Quito in close proximity, and the Quito Mariscal Sucre International Airport just a short distance away.
Book your stay at Doña Esther Otavalo for a memorable experience filled with comfort and convenience.
Important Information
Please note that the restaurant is closed on Monday evenings.
All tourists need a medical travel insurance during their time traveling in Ecuador as of Feb 1, 2018.Please inform of your expected arrival time in advance. You can use the Special Requests box when booking, or contact the property directly using the contact details in your confirmation.
Policies
Check-in: 01:00 PM - 12:00 AM
Check-out: 12:00 PM
Amenities & Facilities
- Non-smoking rooms
- Restaurant
- Room service
- Terrace
- Family rooms
- Pets allowed
- Luggage storage
- Safety deposit box
- Ironing service
- Packed lunches
- Shared lounge/TV area
- Shuttle service (additional charge)
- Outdoor furniture
- Staff adhere to local safety protocols
- Guest rooms disinfected between stays
- Cleaning standards that are effective against Coronavirus
- Physical distancing rules followed
- Hand sanitizer in guest room and key areas
- Cashless payment available
- Fire extinguishers
- First aid kit available
- Sanitized tableware & silverware
- Guests can opt-out any cleaning services during stay
- Smoke alarms
- Shared stationery like menus, pens are removed
- Guest room sealed after cleaning
- Physical distancing in dining areas
- Food delivered to guest room
- Process in place to check health of guests
- Access to health care professionals
- Face masks for guests available
- Mobile app for room service
- Front desk (limited hours)
- Free wired internet
- Airport transportation - pickup (surcharge)
- Airport transportation - drop-off (surcharge)
- Internet access
- Housekeeping on request
- Japanese garden
- Horse riding nearby
- Vegetarian menu options available
- Accessible shuttle
- No accessible shuttle
- Accessible train station shuttle
- No accessible train station shuttle
Rooms Available
-
Triple Room with Private Bathroom
This triple room features garden views and a private bathroom.
Max Occupancy: 3 (3 Adults)
- Shower
- Seating Area
- Toilet
- Washing machine
- Private bathroom
- Sofa
- Hardwood or parquet floors
- Wardrobe or closet
- Terrace
- Linen
- Upper floors accessible by stairs only
- Clothes rack
- Toilet paper
- Sofa bed
- Bottle of water
- Trash cans
- Cots
- Body soap
- Socket near the bed
- Smoke alarm
- Fire extinguisher
-
Double Room with Private Bathroom
This double room has a double bed, views of the garden and a private bathroom. Some rooms feature a balcony with street view.
Max Occupancy: 2 (2 Adults)
- Shower
- Toilet
- Washing machine
- Private bathroom
- Hardwood or parquet floors
- Wardrobe or closet
- Terrace
- Linen
- Upper floors accessible by stairs only
- Clothes rack
- Toilet paper
- Bottle of water
- Trash cans
- Cots
- Body soap
- Socket near the bed
- Smoke alarm
- Fire extinguisher
-
Quadruple Room with Private Bathroom
The quadruple room features a washing machine, a seating area, a terrace with garden views as well as a private bathroom boasting a shower. The unit has 3 beds.
Max Occupancy: 4 (4 Adults)
- Shower
- Seating Area
- Toilet
- Washing machine
- Private bathroom
- Sofa
- Hardwood or parquet floors
- Wardrobe or closet
- Terrace
- Linen
- Upper floors accessible by stairs only
- Clothes rack
- Toilet paper
- Sofa bed
- Bottle of water
- Trash cans
- Cots
- Body soap
- Socket near the bed
- Smoke alarm
- Fire extinguisher
-
Premium Quadruple Room
This spacious top-floor room features a terrace, a seating area with fire place, a kitchenette with refrigerator and a private bathroom. Accommodates 4 maximum people.
Max Occupancy: 5 (5 Adults)
- Coffee/tea maker
- Shower
- Kitchenette
- Refrigerator
- Seating Area
- Toilet
- Washing machine
- Private bathroom
- Heating
- Fireplace
- Sofa
- Hardwood or parquet floors
- Dining area
- Wardrobe or closet
- Stovetop
- Coffee machine
- Terrace
- Linen
- Dining table
- Upper floors accessible by stairs only
- Clothes rack
- Toilet paper
- Sofa bed
- Bottle of water
- Trash cans
- Wine glasses
- Cots
- Body soap
- Socket near the bed
- Smoke alarm
- Fire extinguisher
-
Twin Room
This room features two beds, garden views and a private bathroom.
Max Occupancy: 2 (2 Adults)
- Shower
- Toilet
- Washing machine
- Private bathroom
- Hardwood or parquet floors
- Wardrobe or closet
- Terrace
- Linen
- Upper floors accessible by stairs only
- Clothes rack
- Toilet paper
- Sofa bed
- Bottle of water
- Trash cans
- Cots
- Body soap
- Socket near the bed
- Smoke alarm
- Fire extinguisher
Guest Reviews
- Guy (9/5): -
- ELIZABETH (10/5): Best hotel of all tome - Everything especially the staff. I stay in roughly 30 different hotels every year and this is probably my favorite of all time. Absolutely loved it. Not fancy but perfect Nothing. Best hotel ever!
- Travelingdanes (10/5): Skønt hotel med perfekt lokation. - Dette hotel er et rigtig godt hotel. Store værelser, gode senge og en fantastisk bruser med masser af varmt vand. Virkelig god morgenmad og det sødeste personale. Ligge perfekt. Værelset var meget koldt, så man frøs en del. En alarm i nærheden gik i gang 3 ud af vores 4 nætter, tidligt om morgenen.
- Christiane (9/5): -
- adrian (8/5): Dobry hotelik na jedna dwie noce wszystko ok - Ze względu na opóźnienie lotu przespaliśmy tylko parę godzin i zjedli śniadanie hotelik ok
- Iris (10/5): -
- Ralf (9/5): Authentisches gutes Hotel mit perfekter Lage - Authentisches Hotel mit perfekter Lage mitten im Ort. Nettes und hilfsbereites Personal.
- Gerhard (10/5): Grossartiger Aufenthalt - Grossartiger Aufenthalt
- Berc (6/5): -
- Cinja (8/5): - Lage
Freundlichkeit des Personals
Viele Ablagemöglichkeiten in Zimmer in der Nacht tropfte es von der Zimmerdecke
- Erin (7/5): -
- Karin (9/5): - staff - wonderful
- delphine (9/5): Je recommande ! - l emplacement, personnels adorables , bon petit dej , restaurant très bon ras
- Jill65 (9/5): Lovely place and great location - The staff were very friendly and efficient, the room was clean. We loved the old building with the courtyard in the middle. The restaurant was also great - loved the wood fired pizzas
- Joey (9/5): Fantastisch! - Het is een erg fijn hotel, middenin het centrum van Otavalo. Ze hebben een super leuk restaurant beneden waar je heerlijk kunt eten. Ook het personeel is super vriendelijk!
- Katarzyna (10/5): -
- Carlos (9/5): Acogedor - El desayuno, el ambiente, la biblioteca y la decoración del lugar Talvés sugerencias para conocer o realizar actividades en la provincia de Imbabura.
- nico cleemput (8/5): -
- Adrienne (9/5): Absolutely amazing staff - Gorgeous! Breakfast was excellent but dinner was overpriced and not good.
- Francesco (10/5): -
- Marjolein (10/5): - Prachtig hotel, mooi dakterras, veilige plek en fijne mensen! En lekker ontbijt ook.
- Esther (10/5): -
- Jessica (9/5): - A lovely hotel with a beautiful rooftop, a delicious and generous breakfast, and basic but comfortable rooms. The street-facing rooms are noisy but that's because it's in a central location.
- Debora (9/5): -
- Virginia (10/5): -
- Antoine (10/5): - Bien situé. Bons conseils.
Restaurant sur place.
- Julia (10/5): -
- Gabriel (9/5): Rustic hotel in central area - Very nice patio and rustic hotel with lovely areas. Clean and simple but relaxing , next to the main square and walking distance to the poncho market and food market. Adriana was very attentive and helpful for furder activities. Thanks a lot!. Good breakfast 😋 A bit loud from the street ( we had a room facing the street ) tiny balcony. I would rather take one to the patio side.
- Gregory (9/5): - Great location, friendly and helpful staff and the restaurant was exceptional
- Jardinier (10/5): - super emplacement et très calme
service exceptionnel
- nicolas (10/5): Excellent séjour en famille dans un hôtel charmant en plein cœur de Otavalo - Le charme de la cour intérieure et son emplacement très central Rien
- Philipp (10/5): -
- Karen (10/5): A charming hotel - a lovely place to stay in Otavalo! - This is a beautiful old building, with a lovely courtyard, and very attentive staff. Breakfast was included in the rate, and the food was delicious. The location was perfect for exploring Otavalo and the surrounding area. The rooms were a little chilly, but the extra blankets kept us warm at night.
- Michael (6/5): Hostel Doña Esther has a great Restaurant - Hostel Doña Esther has a really good restaurant with wood fired pizza oven & great pizzas along with a Mediterranean themed menu offering Ecuadorean faves. This hostel provides a rustic, well located respite in Otavalo for back-packers looking for lodging with private space. The 12 rooms feature twin or double beds & small private baths with good-sized shower stalls, limited electric outlets, and overhead lightbulb, good Wifi, and no TVs or phones Rooms have one window opening to the hall & plant fulled central courtyard. Slab doors have skeleton key locks but a sliding bolt inside for security. Front entrance is locked at night. We booked Doña Esther based on reviews as a hotel, but somewhere in time this property morphed to a basic hostel in need of upgrades and systems maintenance. For example, to get hot water in the sink the shower has to run. Fixtures need replacing as toilets use tons of water to flush. Rooms are not heated and we had to ask for more blankets. No screen on windows and a 2-inch gap at bottom and top of door. Noise from the street & first floor restaurant was disruptive but by midnight it was quiet.
- Carlos (10/5): Great place with awesome staff! -
- Ivan (10/5): Otovalo was a fun place to visit. Watching the locals work at the market was great. The city was ver - The restaurant was exceptional. Possibly the best dinners we have had in Ecuador Nothing
- Judith (8/5): Very good - Charming, well located hotel with a terrific restaurant and gracious staff. Rooms are decorated with local weavings on the bed. Beautiful towels and lots of hot water for showers. Quiet! Plenty of blankets to make up for lack of heat. Great dinner menu and ample breakfast with many choices. Facilities are rather basic.
- Dave (3/5): Great stay! - Rustic and historic building. Beds were great, staff helpful.
Highly recommend!
- Cheryl (10/5): Exceptional -
- Jenny (10/5): Perfectly cozy stay in Otavalo - I love so much about this place! Sweet Dutch owners, amazingly friendly and efficient staff, cozy room, the hottest shower in Ecuador, great location near the main square, incredible food in the restaurant downstairs! I extended my stay and every meal was delicious! Explored the area with their driver Don Luis, took daily Spanish lessons with Christian of Only Way Global. Love it here. Really nothing
- E_r_i_k (4/5): It was a fair place to stay. I won’t stay again. - The morning breakfast is enormous for one person and very good. This place was Okay, but it was very costly for what it offered. The floors make a loud noise when you walk, and the rooms are not soundproof at all. People come in the middle of the night, and you are woken up every time.
- Kathryn (7/5): Lovely old property - Lovely old building in a quiet corner of the town- near the main square. Staff were lovely and friendly and helpful with our bags. No electricity in the daytime (until 6pm)- so bring a torch for the bathroom, and also means no WiFi.
- Susan (8/5): One night stay Otavalo - Location was good everything was in walking distance. Restuarant was really good. Rooms comfortable. Door not complete to floor level and difficult to close
- Sandra (6/5): Pleasant -
- Marks (10/5): Lovely guesthouse in Otovalo - Authentic guesthouse in the middle of Otovalo. Nice views from the rooftop to the mountains around. Traditional design in rooms - very nice.
Breakfast basic but good enough to start the day.
- Coutu (9/5): Superb - The rooms ere clean and staff was super friendly and helpful! The restaurant is super cozy and has the best food we found in Otavalo! We also used the hotel driver on multiple days who enthusiastically brought us to the local sites and was timely in picking us up when we stayed in a place for several hours.
- Sebastián (10/5): Exceptional -
- Anonymous (9/5): Easy and very helpful staff - The staff was great. Rooftop views and delicious breakfast Location is a bit sketchy at night
- Craig (7/5): Good -
- Massey (8/5): Very good -
- Anna (10/5): Exceptional -
- James (8/5): Very good -
- Allison (10/5): Exceptional -
- Gwendolyn (8/5): Very good -
- Blanca (8/5): Beautiful and comfortable hotel, lovely staff - Beautiful hotel. The room was very clean and comfortable, the shower was very good. The staff were very kind and helpful.
The Restaurant was also very good.
We also did our laundry there and it was very efficient.
We recommend this hotel.
- Juliana (9/5): I’d definitely stay there again tho not during festival! - Wonderful place with a lot of thought and attention! It was very noisy due to a fiesta in the streets all night. But that’s not fault of place…I had a room off the street tho so I can’t imagine how loud those rooms are!
- Edlyn (10/5): Exceptional - The stay was incredible here! The staff was kind and helpful in securing taxis for us. The restaurant experience was exceptional and the breakfast was great. Location is perfect to the market and to the neighboring waterfalls and hikes. The room was spacious. The reading room was a wonderful way to relax. There was nothing that we did not like!
- Rekow (9/5): We had a wonderful stay and the staff and food was excellent! - The breakfasts were very good as were the evening meals we had! There could have been better lighting over the bathroom sink/mirror area.
- Elizabeth (10/5): Exceptional - Beautiful quaint small property on quiet street so no traffic noise. The owner has a blog describing everything about the area in detail. Staff was very helpful. Rooms not big but sufficiently comfortable, great hot showers. Yes the food is fantastic. Dinning room great for conversing with all the other travelers. There is a rooftop to watch the pretty sun set over the mountains and I think he should fix that up some more. 2 or three nights was all I would stay without some green space. I should have done my shopping on another day besides Sat. The market very crowded.
- Thomas (8/5): Nice hotel but not made for single travellers -
- Bruce (8/5): Cute hotel with good restaurant just steps from the market. - Cute rustic hotel along the main street in Otavalo just steps from the market. They have a deal with a parking lot in the next block which was a great bonus. We enjoyed our meal in the hotel restaurant and the cook-to-order breakfast as well. The staff was very friendly and helpful. We expected basic rooms, but they could still use some attention to lighting and some extra blankets for the cool nights in this mountain town.
- Simon (10/5): Exceptional -
- Jennifer (10/5): Great location in Otavalo! - Loved the comfortable rooms and decor. Restaurant noise was a little loud at times.
- Harper (9/5): Superb -
- Chris (7/5): Good -
- Anonymous (8/5): good central location to visit Oravalo - the central location everything was good. it wasn’t exeptional
- Jeremy (9/5): Superb -
- Wouter (7/5): Good -
- Janet (7/5): comfortable economic friendly hotel in good location. - friendly staff, good breakfast and restaurant room overlooking street was noisy
- Nancy (10/5): Exceptional - The restaurant in the hotel served amazing food.
- Carol (9/5): All in all it was a very comfortable stay and a good choice for Otavalo! - Beautiful rooms and interior patios. Great location just a few blocks from the market and Central Park. The staff were very friendly and helpful. They offer a choice of several things for breakfast, which is included. The pillows could have been more comfortable.
- Lauritzen (8/5): Very good - Rustic and cool rooms, great food and service. A little gem in Otavalo. Well worth it. I really liked everything and it was a bargain for what we got. Some more translations in English would make it more approachable for tourists.
- Russel (9/5): Superb - Garden. Restaurant. Small room
- Kenneth (8/5): Very good -
- Sara (10/5): Perfect location, safe, great restaurant/host/staff! Highly recommended! - Hosts were extremely responsive to messaging - arranged a reliable driver for my airport transfer and a few solo day hikes, which made me feel very safe. Breakfast was good, box lunches were more than I needed and there is an extensive reasonably priced menu for lunch/dinner. Staff were all friendly and helpful. Location is perfect - safe walking to plazas and markets. Room is basic but as expected. It was a bit chilly with open central courtyard but thick woolen blankets are provided and plenty of hot water. Bottled water dispensers on each floor. Lovely rooftop terrace with views of town and surrounding volcanoes. Great value and would absolutely stay here again.
- Craig (10/5): Exceptional -
- Michael (8/5): overall good and suited our requirements on tis occasion - Staff were delightful and helpful. Room was a reasonable size; hot water was a bit limited when there were lots of guests in the hotel and one of our rooms was close to the kitchen vent and was a bit smelly during breakfast cooking.
nice rooftop area to sit outside. Kitchen smells in one of our rooms was not pleasant.
- Patricia (9/5): Good location, good staff and nice stay! - Good restaurant and excellent choices for breakfast
- Patricia (9/5): Good location, nice staff and great breakfast - The included breakfast is ordered of a menu that has a good selection of foods. Excellent!
- Mario (10/5): GREAT SPOT NEAR PLAZA BOLIVAR THAT WON’T BREAK THE BANK with WONDERFUL STAFF - I stayed in Room #10 for 4 nites. The staff was welcoming & always ready to assist. The attached restaurant is superb; perhaps the best pizza in all of Ecuador. The facility also has lots of travel info, both printed & virtual. The shower had great pressure with hot water. Also, less than a block from local bus stops to Terminal Terrestre & beyond. Nothing in particular unless you wanna nit pick. The lodging was great. Enough said.
- Thomas (9/5): Superb -
- Victor (9/5): Comfortable, clean. Great location and staff. - Basic room, very clean. Good location, good food, helpful staff. Comfortable bed. Strong Internet connection. There is no common area to relax.
- Ana (7/5): Good -
- Sylvain (8/5): Very good - Welcoming, authentic and confortable hotel. Hot shower, good wifi.
The main advantage of that hotel is its restaurant. I ate there for 3 nights and everything was good. It's nice to just have to go down to the restaurant after a day of activities. No need to get out. The offer of good restaurants is not very large in Otavalo. Just a tiny bit noisy : barking dog, signing roster (yes!), noise from the kitchen
Coffee at breakfast can be improved
The only window gives on the interior courtyard so it must be closed for privacy.
But these negative points would not stop me to go back to that hotel for a next trip.
- M (8/5): A wonderful stay in a great little town. - The restaurant is fantastic. Possibly the best meal we had in Ecuador the 8 days we were there. Street noise. Not the worst, but it's a little loud
- Mario (8/5): Nice place but small uncomfortable room. - -The staff was very nice
-Best breakfeast in 6 weeks of traveling
-Shower has very hot water and very good pressure
-Good location -Very cold
-Room is small
-Bed isn't very comfortable, pillows especially
-Noisy
- David (10/5): Really love this place in Otavalo... you will too! - Very authentic and welcoming hotel in Otavalo with an excellent restaurant! Loved the location lose to the main plaza. Loved the interior courtyard! The staff is friendly and welcomng.
- Tanya (8/5): Very good - Little gem with cosy athmosphe with traditional decor, which made us feel the authentic experience of Otavalo. Staff very friendly, efficient, and accommodating. Toiletries provision could be improved for the price paid. But not a biggie.
- Thibaut (8/5): Very good - The staff was super friendly and helpful. The hotel is well located and is charming with a nice vibe. We also tried the restaurant which was pretty tasty! If the weather is not sunny and warm, the room could be a bit cold. However, there are extra blankets.
- Elizabeth (8/5): Good value, good location—enjoyed our stay - staff was really nice. shower had great pressure and hat lots of hot water. Easy walk to the market. there were good breakfast choices and breakfast was good. had shop of high quality homemade items. only tall people could turn on the water for showers.
- Lisa (8/5): Great location, nice restaurant and friendly helpful staff - location good, very nice staff
restaurant was good. clean room
- Su (10/5): I return to Otavalo every few years.. always check availability here first. - Food was wonderful. The staff was so pleasant .. everything is so well done we didn’t need to make requests.
We booked a driver from the airport in advance because of a midnight arrival.. he was right on time, and offered interesting commentary on the way to the hotel.
We used him again for other activities.. he was great
. We were 2 ladies traveling and we felt safe and comfortable at all times. Maybe a washcloth. But not white
- Anna (10/5): Exceptional - great location. the friendliest and kindest staff. excellent restaurant. a little oasis in Otavalo. nothing , everything was perfect.
- Lucia (10/5): Exceptional -
- Sebastián (9/5): Superb -
- Anonymous (10/5): Exceptional -
Photos