A SECOND SECRET GARDEN? You heard right Katherine and Tarquin have spent the past 2 years creating their dream home and hostal high in the Andes overlooking Cotopaxi National Park. Check out the temporary website www.secretgardencotopaxi.com Meanwhile,The Secret Garden Quito is a small Australian/Ecuadorian run hostal located in an historic colonial district overlooking the famous Quito Old Town. Our building is UNESCO World Heritage listed, located on a cobblestone street. Our neighbours are Ecuadorian families - not souvenir shops and travel agencies (although these are only a 20 minute walk or 5 minute bus journey away). Our guests often comment that The Secret Garden is so clean, safe, secure, friendly, quiet, conveniently located, good value, has great hot showers, super comfy mattresses etc etc - these things make a hostal good, but not great. So what`s the difference? It`s our decision to not have a TV room in the hostal, our guests would rather relax watching the hummingbirds feed from the flowers on our terrace garden. It`s our music, mosaics and murals (many created by our previous guests from all around the world). It`s our hundreds of plants, including over 30 different herbs, fruits, veges and edible flowers which we use in our kitchen. It`s our environmental initiatives such as urban organic gardening, composting, recycling, energy conservation etc etc. It`s our good food and good times - everyone shares breakfast and dinner together at one big table. It`s our Aussie BBQ nights, Live Indigenous Music, Salsa Club nights (anyone for pool karaoke?). And finally we humbly confess to having the most breathtaking view of any hostal terrace in South America!!

HOW`S YOUR SPANISH?? You cannot easily travel in South America without at least a basic understanding of Spanish. Being able to speak better Spanish will help you interact more with local people, they will be more open (and able) to share their culture, and you will find travelling a lot easier (you will not be ripped off so easily, or get stuck sleeping in a dodgy bus station because you could not understand the bus timetable!!). We now have 5 of the most qualified, experienced and friendly Spanish teachers in town. If you really want a full immersion into the language, we can also arrange homestays with a local family living in our Colonial neighbourhood. Our low overheads/costs (classes are held in the hostal) mean lower prices for students and a fair pay for our teachers. All the info is at. You can often VOLUNTEER WITH US, serving in the restaurant/bar, greeting guests, organising reservations etc etc (a bit of helping to wash up, but no cleaning!!). In return we offer free food board, a healthy number of free drinks per week and 20 hours per month of free one-to-one Spanish classes. Minimum one month stay - email us if you're interested. Thinking of heading to The Galapagos Islands? The Jungle? or maybe some trekking in the spectacular mountains of Ecuador? Click on the tab link below for all the info.

 Luggage storage
 Dinner may be served in the room
 Heating
 Access to internet
 Laundry services/washing machine
 Licensed bar
 Mixed dorms
 Around-the-clock recetpion
 Restaurant
 Safe deposit box
 Phone at reception
 Patio, summer terrace