Exploratory Vacation

[VERONICA PELAEZ]

Hello!

I am planning a 2 week vacation in early to mid october. I am hoping to hit two or three of the places I might consider to live, which would include Otalavo.

Can you suggest two other places I can visit that are in cooler/drier type villages with decent infrastructure (by my research Cuenca would be too wet for me), with low cost of living, but not too far from amenities, maybe up to an 90 minutes away? Does Otalavo fit that description? How would I find non hotel type places to stay–such as people renting rooms in their homes for a few days?

Also, would it be prudent to rent a car from the airport (not sure which one would be the best to fly in to yet based on where I choose to scope out) to do the touring? I am fluent in Spanish so that would not be an issue 🙂

Thank you so much!

Veronica

[COUNTRY EXPERT- SUZAN HASKINS]

Hi Veronica, I do believe the Otavalo/Cotcachi areas are drier than Cuenca, at least at the time of year you will be here. You’ll be coming that shoulder season between our dry and wet seasons. But in the mountains of Ecuador it can rain at any time. For the last few days for example we have been having rain and fog at night. We love that and it keeps everything lush and beautiful. And the days are gorgeous.

Yes, there is decent infrastructure in the entire Imbabura province (north of Quito), where Otavalo and Cotacachi are located. The largest city is Ibarra, followed by Otavalo and then Cotacachi. You’ll find more retirement-age English-speaking expats in Cotacachi. Another area you might look is Ambato, to the south of Quito and Banos. (This is a really sweet little town that has been overlooked, I feel.) And you might want to check out Quito itself. It’s a fabulous city and, of course, enjoys the best infrastructure in the country. I’d recommend you stay in La Floresta neighborhood, perhaps at Hotel Andino. Miguel, the owner there, is as nice as they come and would be very helpful to you.

Whether you rent a car or not is up to you (all major companies are in Quito, plus a local called Simon), but it would probably be an expense you wouldn’t need, as you’ll want to explore most of these places by foot and/or bus — the local transportation is VERY inexpensive and buses are safe, although taking them at night is not suggested as the mountain roads are hard enough to navigate in daylight. Also, driving can be challenging if you don’t know where you are going. (I wouldn’t recommend driving in Quito; the traffic is awful and it’s difficult to figure out how the city is laid out.)

How to find places to stay with locals: the Spanish schools often offer this type of stay — just look for those where you want to be and contact them and see if they can help. Or try AirBnB.com — people often post on there who rent rooms in their homes. And the hostals in Ecuador are awesome, usually locally owned, very inexpensive and comfortable. You might just Google a few and see what you find. (In Cotacachi, try La Jora and Mindala — I am sure you will find lots of recommendations for Otavalo and Banos; I already mentioned Andino in Quito.)

Enjoy your travels!

[VERONICA PELAEZ]

Susan,

Thanks for your response and the suggestions! The reason I was wondering about a drier climate was due to mold that might happen in wetter climates. I also like the cooler climates– I know Guayaquil would be too warm for me. I’m not officially of “retirement age” per se, so I do plan on finding work when I relocate there permanently.

I don’t necesssarily need to have “big city amenities”, but just reliable roads, plumbing, internet access, water supply, access to non GMO/ non chemicalized food sources from local growers; things like that.

I will check out Ambato for sure, and Cotaccachi, but I will most likely stay to the outskirts of Quito if I do consider it.

Do you have any other suggestions for potential towns to live in and explore?

I’m so excited that my dream that has kept me motivated for so long now is beginning to manifest 🙂

Thanks again!
Veronica

[COUNTRY EXPERT- SUZAN HASKINS]

Outside Quito you might look at Tumbaco and Cumbaya or Los Chillos. If you want to live in a purely local community (little-to-no expats) then maybe Guayabamba. And you may like the communities of Loja and/or Vilcabamba — lower elevation and warmer. From Cuenca, you might look at the Yunguilla Valley. Get an hour or more into the valley from Cuenca and you’ll be at a lower elevation that’s also a bit drier and warmer and where just about anything can be grown. But remember that there won’t be many income opportunities in smaller communities. And no matter where you live, you’ll have to be entrepreneurial as finding employment in Ecuador can be difficult.

[BOB SHIRLEY]

Hi Susan,
I would like to know if there are any golf courses that have rental property or homes for sale?
Thank you

Bob Shirley

[SUZAN HASKINS]

Hi Bob, I just saw a beautiful golf course outside Guayaquil where you can buy a lot and build a home, and a big golf course community is now being built in Montecristi, adjacent to Manta. I don’t have my notes with me right now, but when I do, I will post. And for better details about the Guayaquil course, contact real estate agent Mike Sager: redwulf3@juno.com. For Montecristi, contact agent Maria Fernanda Carrasco Cordero: fernandacar8@hotmail.com. Just to be clear, I am not, nor is IL, endorsing these (or any) real estate agent or developer — you need to do your own due diligence.

[VERONICA PELAEZ]

Hello!

I saw a program on House Hunters television about Cuenca! It was so fun to see the views of that beautiful city. One issue that this particular family ran into was a very bad mold and bug problem in an older apartment or condo they were looking at. I wonder–is mold a big issue in Cuenca? Do you have to do anything in particular to stave it off?

I’m narrowing my search to Otalavo, Cuenca, Cotacacci, and Ambato. Am I correct that in each of these places there are stable roads, access to locally grown veggies and meats, and yearly temperatures that are about 40 degrees and higher at night, and no more than 80 degrees in the daytime?

[COUNTRY EXPERT- SUZAN HASKINS]

I’ll ask Edd to weigh in about mold in Cuenca, but I think it all depends on the property and how it was built, how old it is, etc. Wet cement is the most-used construction material in Ecuador and if it doesn’t have a chance to dry properly there can be issues. So look carefully at any property you may be interested in.

And yes, you are correct in your research about the places you mentioned.

[Author]

Posts