As you admire a huge vertical garden – a great wall covered in over 150 orchids and other indigenous flowers of Ecuador – you think to yourself; ‘only in La Casona de la Ronda’. And you would be right; La Casona de la Ronda is the only hotel in old Quito with a flower wall, and its unique aspects don’t end there.

Dating from between 1738 and 1763 this historic casa follows a traditional Spanish layout, with stone pillars, ceramic floors, a wooden roof and special sugarcane work; all combining to create a truly quaint courtyard with interesting corridors radiating outwards. There is also an amazing viewpoint lounge overlooking the skyline of old Quito – and a choice of rooms that feature furniture hand-made by skilled local master craftsmen.