Vista Los Andes Loft is a boutique-style home-base perfect for a small family or a group of friends who appreciate designer touches and comfortable, modern amenities for short & long term stays. HIGHLIGHTS: •Traditional Colonial accents •Writer’s loft/office space •Cozy fireplace •Panecillo views •Safe & private •High-speed WiFi Vista Los Andes is one of six private apartments within a beautifully restored 100-year-old colonial home, located just a five-minute walk from Quito Centro Historico. The space Loft “Vista Los Andes” or “View of the Andes” was inspired by the incredible view available within our private balcony of the Andes mountain range. “Vista Los Andes" is an Inspiring, fully furnished, modern-colonial apartment located on the second floor of "Casa LunaLoma" (The MoonHill House), a charming and beautifully restored 3 stories high House. This 100yr old grand colonial house is located in the heart of "La Loma Grande" (the Big Hill) a colorful and traditional residential neighborhood adjacent to Quito's Historic Center. This house was the original home of the Cascante-Lopez family and its 9 children and for 80 years it has remained family owned. Today it houses a collection of 7 unique apartments, each one with its own personality and special qualities, yet all exuding the same welcoming warmth and charm. Apartment “Vista Los Andes” is a cultured traveler’s haven and a complete apartment. It features modern amenities with a most special mix of distinctively curated design touches that integrate local Ecuadorian culture, world culture, and our very own Cascante-Lopez family culture. It is a light-filled suite with high vaulted ceilings, full kitchen, cozy living room with fireplace, an inspired writer’s loft with a full library and an exclusive private balcony with a privileged view to “El Panecillo” and the “Virgen de Quito”. Vista Los Andes exudes Inspiration and much care. One of our most special apartments. “Vista Los Andes" is the perfect place for the adventurer couples, families, solo explorers, friends and business travelers that appreciate the arts & world culture, design esthetics, boutique designer touches and are seeking for complete amenities yet still with an immersive cultural experience. This is the perfect fit. Our apartment is designed to elegantly integrate classic colonial architectural elements with modern amenities and be stylistically woven together by a mix of colonial-modern style with world art and vintage travel as a theme. Our Loft is also a great place for writers, artist, photographers, designer travelers looking for a calm, retreat-like space that is recharging, home-like and comfortable while providing them with tranquility & inspiration. Our apartment’s upper loft holds a writer’s/traveler's studio and a full and very unique library that once belonged to my dear uncle who is an international scholar and world traveler. This along with the warmth of its classic wood burning chimney and skylights make it highly inspiring unit. Our apartment is over 1,440 sq. ft and is spacious enough for 2-5 travelers to feel right at home. Below please find more detailed description of “Vista Los Andes" Accessing the Unit: As “Vista Los Andes” is located on the second floor of “Casa LunaLoma” accessing it will require the ability to climb through our original wooden stairways through one flight. No worries, we’ll help you with this if needed! Entry Floor: As you first enter our unit, you will be greeted by large panel windows that run through the south-west side of our house and beautifully drape our main hall with light. Depending on what time of the day you arrive, you should notice the light quality, one of the most beautiful features of this apartment - the Quito light that constantly ebbs and flows, glows and dims based on the ever-changing climate of our city. …so going back to our unit, to your immediate right, you will find a very small, intimate reader’s nook with a vintage chair and a small build-in library. This is a special nook, great for anyone seeking to relax and do a little reading. This chair once belonged to our grandfather, a Colonel in the Ecuadorian Army. This was his retreat chair where he read his newspaper daily, religiously. The build-in library is also very special as it holds a vivid collection of vintage world travel books as well as a condensed collection of classic Spanish literature. A lovely spot. As you continue through its window light-filled corridor you are then greeted by both of our two bedrooms. The first one holds two twin-sized beds for two separate guests or can be combined into a single King bed. Our bedding is hotel quality cotton sheets and our down comforters were specially selected with a thick density to embrace the colds of Quito's evenings. Our mattress is very comfortable as well. Needless said, your evening will be ultra cozy! The room also has a build in closet and dresser with drawers. The second room holds a Queen sized bed. This room has direct access to its own private bathroom and shower. Another quality of both of these rooms is their high vaulted ceilings and exposed wooden beams making the space very open and breathable. Originally, these two rooms were the Cascante-Lopez family’s main dining room. This space for many many years hosted daily family meals for 2 generations of family members! Needless said it holds great energy. As the evenings in Quito can get very cold, the apartment comes equipped with 2 space heaters as well as extra blankest for your cozy usage. As you proceed the corridor you’ll then encounter our main kitchen which at your arrival, our kitchen will warmly welcome you with some goodies which we always provide to our guest to include: Medium size bottles of our most iconic local mineral water called "Guitig" (A must-try), local Ecuadorian ground coffee, local Tea and crackers. (We know how it is to finally arrive at home-base from the long trip and walk up two flights!) Our kitchen is a cook-ready! It is pretty complete with all the essentials for meal preparation: Electric stove, fridge, coffee maker, microwave, tea kettle, pots, pans and cooking utensils. Whether you are doing a light morning coffee prep or if you want to fully venture into doing a more immersive cooking, the kitchen is ready. Many of our guest purchase items from the local "Tienditas" (mini-markets) to prepare their meals. Also, let us know if you have any special requests for foods to be stocked in the fridge prior to your arrival, we are happy to help with that at an additional charge. Here you will also find a table perfect for intimate breakfasst and dinners. It can accommodate up to 3 people (photo only shows 2 chairs). As you proceed within this hall you will find our second (and Main) Bathroom. It has a full shower with hot water and a very charming little window that leads to an inner outdoor wall. As you continue within our window light-filled hall, you then enter our main living room. A lovely exposed high ceiling room that greets you with a central classic wood burning fireplace and two facing couches, ready for a relaxing Quito evening drinking your warmest beverage cozily. It also has a small nook and small built-in mini library with some great books to discover. This room also holds a smart TV you can hook to your Netflix in case a little binge watching is in the works for the evening. What also makes this room so unique is two main features: it’s access to the upper studio loft and it’s direct access to a full balcony! Starting with our loft! In our main living room, you’ll find a set of modern wooden stairs, beautifully crafted that will lead you to our studio, a writer’s loft. This small upper room is one of the most magic places in this house. It holds a great library of English, French and of course, Spanish literature, along with travel books and vintage electronics! This is just a small sliver of one of my uncle’s personal library. He was a great scholar and world traveler. This loft also has a build in desk and is a great place for those looking for a place to think and get inspired in. Above you, you will find a beautiful large skylight window that also creates another extraordinary and inspiring experience. This room can also serve as a third bedroom in the case that a 5th guest needs stay. We can set up a small bed here for an additional cost. Let us know. As we head back downstairs again, our Living room has access to a very special and very private outdoor patio/balcony. The view from here is stunning and very privileged as it faces directly our most iconic city statue “La Virgen del Panecillo” Our famous winged Virgin Mary statue that oversees our city of Quito. This view is lovely both during the day and evening. Here you will find a table that seats 4 people and is great for either your morning coffee or a warm evening nightcap. Our apartment has free fiber optic internet connection with WiFi enabled access throughout the house, so you remain connected. Overall, Our Apartment Loft “ Vista Los Andes" is an excellent choice apartment with a lot of style, character and beautifully curated design touches and exclusive features. It's perfect if you are looking for a home away from home that allows you to relax, get inspired, disconnect while still experiencing a unique and memorable taste of Quito and still being central to all that Old Town Quito has to offer. Most certainly it will make your experience of Quito, that much more special. Guest access The best way to get to the apartment is via taxi. When first arriving, we recommend using one of our vetted taxi drivers who will welcome you at the airport. Once in the city, taxi or Uber is the best way to get around Quito in general, particularly in the evenings. We are also very near a trolley station stop (800m) and buses. Our guests normally do not drive to our location as Old Town Quito is hard to drive through with old narrow roads and high traffic, yet we do have a garage parking available within the house for an additional cost. There is also a local parking garage close by that we recommend. Other things to note CHECK-IN Guest must present their passport. Guests must wear masks during check-in and within shared areas. LATE CHECK-IN: We offer late check-in if needed. Most flights arriving from the US to Quito come in at midnight. Please be aware that if your flight arrives at midnight, we require that your check-in day is the previous day. TAXI PICK-UP: We offer reliable taxi pick up service recommendations. This is a separate charge payable directly to the driver. SAFETY: The neighborhood is relatively safe, yet please note it is still up and coming and it is not the gentrified part of Quito, which is what gives it its unique character and provides a special immersive cultural experience. We always advise all our guests to remain vigilant when walking within any area of Old Town Quito and to always choose the usage of taxi services in the evenings.  There is a double door main entrance to the house, and each apartment has its own private entrance. For your safety, cameras are located on the exterior of the home as well as the interior shared spaces. COURTESY LUGGAGE STORAGE: For our guests who will be traveling through Ecuador but want a home-base, we will gladly store your luggage for free as a courtesy if you have another reservation with us upon your return. LAUNDRY: There is a shared washer/dryer available free of charge. CITY SOUNDS: Though Barrio La Loma Grande is relatively quiet and is not within the hustle/bustle of Quito’s historic center, you may occasionally hear the local sounds of daily commerce, such as the gas man driving by selling his gas tanks over the loudspeaker! CLEANING: For our guests with longer stays, we have cleaning services available for an extra fee.  TRAVELING IN GROUPS: If you are traveling with a larger group and are looking for additional apartments where you can be together, yet also have some independence, check out our other apartments within Casa LunaLoma.