Cuenca, Ecuador

Diane: I chose our first accommodations in Cuenca from the guidebook, “the spacious rooms have colonial-style furniture, and there are many flowers.” Indeed, the hotel was full of plants. The greenhouse style roof over what must have been a courtyard provided all the light, the plants needed.





The rooms are huge with raised ceilings of pressed metal, all painted in gold, silver, red, and blue. They are also in need of repair, with some holes and cracks. The huge glass windows and doors face the noisy street.



Cuenca is quite a walkable town. Depending on who you believe, there are anywhere from 300,000 to 500,000 people living here. For the most part, houses are built right next to each other, and the first mall just opened here a few months ago. Consequently, the city is fairly compact and does not sprawl much. Although no longer constructed of small tiles, most roofs sport the look of a Mediterranean red tile roof. You can walk up above the city and get a great view.