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Yikes, my bad — you are right. Old Town is in South Quito. And of course I know that…I guess I was writing too fast for my brain to keep up. Apologies.

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Hi Don, if you have a college degree you might also qualify on a professional visa. I’d suggest you speak to a few different facilitators to determine the best route for you. You don’t say where you are, but if you are near Salinas or Guayaquil, reach out to Dana Cameron: dana.visas@gmail.com or agua_plata@hotmail.com — the latter may be a better email for her. If you are in or near Cotacachi or Quito, contact Santiago Andrade:santiago1397@gmail.com. Edd will have suggestions for you in Cuenca.

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HI Larry, Old Town is in northern Quito, it starts just after Parque el Ejido. The nicest place there (I would LOVE it if my husband too me there) is Casa Gangotena. It is, however, in the $450-$500 a night range. You might write to them and ask if they have any special “promotions” — always worth a try. Hotel Patio Andaluz is more mid range ($165 or so a night) and also very nice. The location is not as good as Casa Gangotena, but only block or two to get to the sites.

If you don’t mind taking a taxi to Old Town…or you can walk it during the day… another nice hotel is Mansion del Angel (same owners as the awesome Hotel La Mirage) in Cotacachi.(Mansion may be billed as being in Old Town but it is not in the heart of Old Town…you’ll need to take a taxi as I’ve said…only maybe $2.)

Both Casa Gangotena and Patio Andaluz have on-site restaurants with very good food. Mansion del Angel may serve room service (they did when I was there, but that’s been a couple of years now).

And of course, if you don’t want to stay in Old Town and/or don’t mind taking a taxi, you’ll find great options including the Hilton, Marriott, Swissotel, and a new NH Quito Royal. I’ve stayed at al but the latter and enjoyed every stay…

Enjoy your visit. I’d highly suggest you take a guided tour of Old Town. It’s really fabulous and it’s great to her about it from someone who knows it well. Your hotel can line that up for you, or reach out to Oswaldo Munoz: oswaldo@nuevomundoexpeditions.com.

Please be careful if you are out in Old Town at night — that’s a gorgeous time to be there with all the buildings lighted up but don’t let your guard down or get off the beaten track. Take a stroll down La Ronda Street and stop somewhere for a canelazo (hot cinnamon, slightly alcoholic drink).

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HI Michael, contact attorney Alvaro Coronel at acoronel@morenodidonato.com and/or attorney Santiago Andrade at santiago1397@gmail.com and ask them about this. I know someone who has a similar issue but has had no problems getting residence in Ecuador. Often, it helps to ask several different visa facilitators or attorneys — one of them will have a solution for you.

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You can rent a car, go by bus or hire a private driver. There is only one road up the coast so little chance of getting lost. San Clemente had some damage during the earthquake so be prepared…and be sure your destination is up and running and ready for guests.

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A couple of things you can do. Once you figure out your itinerary, you can find a bilingual driver for each area. And since you may not need someone full-time, this would probably be the best way to save money.

For instance if you will spend time in Quito, just take a taxi from the airport into the city and then arrange for day tours. Oswaldo Munoz can help you: oswaldo@nuevomundoexpeditions.com

He can also arrange a driver to take you to other areas of the country if you like.

If you’ll be going directly from the airport to Cotacachi, there are several bilingual drivers with vans you might hire — just repost here if you want those contacts.

Same in Cuenca and on the coast…you would probably fly there and then hire someone to pick you up. Just let us know where you are going and we can offer come recommendations.

One expat that offers a service as you describe is Jack Abercrombie. Everyone who has toured the country with him has raved about his services. He’s a good guy. Contact him at journeymanjack.com@gmail.com

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Vilcabamba is lower in elevation than most other popular expat communities in the Sierras (at about 5,000 ft. depending where in the valley you are) and you’ll find temperatures averaging 65 to 82 degrees F (18 to 28 degrees C) year round.

I don’t live in Vilcabamba so I can’t give you any personal reference on safety issues there. It certainly depends on how and where you choose to live. In Ecuador, taking personal responsibility is key. I always recommend you follow the lead of the locals. If they have bars on their windows or a security system, so should you.

I have heard there have been some break-ins in Vilcabamba, but I don’t know that it’s anything more than you would find anywhere else in the world. It’s a small, peaceful village, and from a personal perspective, I have never had any concerns when I have visited.

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Robin, I’d suggest you look at Olon…a very nice community about 45 minutes north of Salinas. There are lots of nice little communities in that area, in fact…all along the coast from Salinas to Manta.

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Thank you for your service, William! Please see the “Travel Itineraries” section of this website for lots of details of how to get from place to place and where to stay. And post any follow-up questions here and we’ll be happy to help you.

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I like Hotel Andino in Quito: great location, great family that runs it, in the $35-$40 range but they are often sold out. See the “Travel Itineraries” section of this website for more input.

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Hi Pamela, I’ll answer for Jim. If you buy in a very old building, you may encounter the issue of being asked to dispose of toilet paper in a bin instead of a toilet. But I’d guess you won’t have that problem in just about any place you’d rent in Cuenca…again, unless you’re looking at a very old property. Even some of those have been rehabbed and you should not have that issue.

Please navigate around your Ecuador Insider website for the info you need about getting a visa. But yes, most people choose to hire either an attorney or visa facilitator to help with the process.

As for your other questions: Cuenca is a large city. As in any large cities, the closer you are to downtown or commercial areas, the more exposure to vehicle fumes you will have. If this is an issue, you should look to more “suburban” or residential neighborhoods.

Some farmer use pesticides and some don’t. You can buy organic produce in Ecuador but there are no real governing policies so you’ll need to take people at their word. Once you live here a while you’ll know who the trustworthy vendors are.

Yes, you can buy seafood straight from the fishermen if you like.

Yes, you can get unlimited internet access, typically from $30 to $70 a mont depending on your speed/bandwidth requirements.

Until you get a feel for living in Ecuador and especially if you are a single woman I would recommend living in a place with good security. That may or may not be a gated community. There are many small and large apartment buildings with very good security, for instance.

Cuenca has several farmer’s markets, typically called mercados in Ecuador.

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Hi Brian, I’m afraid I don’t know of any place called Montacito in Ecuador. Do you mean Manta or perhaps Montanita? Or maybe even Montecristo? Let us know and we can help you!

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Hi Sue, to be eligible for discounted airfare, you must have your residence visa in Ecuador. Then, you qualify for a 50% discount on international airfares that originate in Ecuador. This discount is on the base fare and not the additional taxes, fees, and service charges applied. In other words, and for example only, if the airfare is $1,000 and the base fare is $700 and the additional charges are $300, you’ll pay $350 (50% of $700) + $300… or $650.

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Larry, this website may be helpful: http://www.cuencacarshare.com

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Hi Larry, there are a couple of places to stay right near the airport. There is a new Wyndham Quito Airport that I understand is very nice. (Haven’t stayed there yet but will on our next trip.) It’s called the Condor because is is shaped like a condor. http://www.wyndham.com/hotels/ecuador/quito/wyndham-quito-airport/hotel-overview

And if you want a budget option, I’d suggest Quito Airport Suites: http://airporthotelquito.com The rooms are small and the walls are thin but it is comfortable and the staff is very sweet and nice. Ask them for an airport pick-up. I think they may charge $10 for that, but ask to verify.

Do you have transportation to Cotacachi the next morning? Most drivers should know both of these locations but be sure to give them the address and phone number to be sure.

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