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Hotel Dona Esther

Juan Montalvo 4-44 Half a block of the Parque Bolívar, Otavalo 100450 Ecuador
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Traveller (93)
Dining (36)
Room & Suite (28)

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About

#2 of 5 inns in Otavalo
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Value
Doña Esther is a small colonial style hotel in the center of Otavalo, just half a block from the central Bolivar park and near the famous Saturday crafts market. With only 13 rooms we can keep it personal, someone of our staff will always be eager to help you. Your room has a view on the green inner courtyard, so you can sit outside your room and enjoy a glass of beer or wine after a day of activities, which our staff will gladly bring up to your room. Or have a seat on the rooftop terrace with beautiful views over Otavalo and the surrounding mountains. Our restaurant Árbol de Montalvo (See here on Tripadvisor) with a delicious and inventive menu is just downstairs, our reading room has enough books to buy or exchange. A choice of breakfasts is included in the room price. Our restaurant is open every day from 7am until 9pm, only Monday evenings we're usually closed at 6pm. Come and take a look, we'll be happy to have you as our guests!
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Property amenities
Paid public parking nearby
Free internet
Restaurant
Hiking
Horseback riding
Kids stay free
Highchairs available
Taxi service
Street parking
Wifi
Patio
Gift shop
Outdoor furniture
24-hour check-in
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Room features
Bottled water
Clothes rack
Wake-up service / alarm clock
Bath / shower
Hair dryer
Room types
Mountain view
Non-smoking rooms
Family rooms
Good to know
HOTEL STYLE
Centrally Located
Quaint
Languages Spoken
English, Spanish, Dutch
207Reviews3Q+A33Room tips
Traveller rating
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Quay K wrote a review Aug 2023
5 contributions
Wow! Beautiful. Charming. Great courtyard. Fantastic food, baked in a large outdoor oven. Gorgeous. Warm blankets for chilly nights. Serves Coca tea.. Incredible. Large range of food choices. Breakfast choices included. The yogurt, granola and fruit is enough for two, with delicious honey.
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Date of stay: August 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled with friends
Room Tip: The personal pizzas are big enough to share. The cauliflower with cheese soup is to swoon over.
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Sheila D wrote a review Mar 2023
Orillia, ON31 contributions53 helpful votes
This quaint hotel is perfectly situated in Otavalo. Wendy and Arthur, the proprietors are welcoming and helpful. as are all of their staff. Everyone seems to have a sense of pride in ensuring that your stay is comfortable. We felt they went beyond typical service to make sure our stay was as pleasant as possible. The restaurant is excellent...the best meal we had in Ecuador: fantastic soups, perfectly done shrimp and amazing sauces. We would highly recommend both the hotel and restaurant and hope to visit again.
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Date of stay: March 2023Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Response from Wendy van Driel, Owner at Hotel Doña Esther
Responded 16 Mar 2023
Thank you so muxh for these wonderful comments, we're happy with happy guests. It was nice to meet you and we certainly hope to see you again! Best, Wendy&Arthur
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
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MDanielaRA wrote a review Aug 2022
Chicago, Illinois96 contributions39 helpful votes
Good place in Otavalo located near the Saturday Poncho Market. Very clean, breakfast was very good. Staff was friendly and even they offer rides to Quito airport. It is also good that the hotel has a restaurant for lunch or dinner.
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Date of stay: July 2022
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Well_Travelled_TO wrote a review Jun 2022
Toronto, Canada182 contributions234 helpful votes
My primary reason for visiting Otavalo was the Saturday morning Poncho Market and Dona Esther is located at a short distance from there. The Dutch couple who own the place are helpful and friendly, as are the staff, although few speak English. Wendy, the owner, had a small electric heater put in my room, which I really appreciated. Noise reverberates around the courtyard and tour groups in particular tend to forget that they aren't the only guests. The valve for the shower is positioned so high that I couldn't reach it; but I was given a mop handle with which to move the lever.
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Date of stay: May 2022
Value
Cleanliness
Service
Room Tip: At first, I was in a noisy, street-facing room (#2) that I couldn't didn't lock, but I...
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
1 Helpful vote
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CemUlusoy wrote a review Nov 2021
Rovaniemi, Finland90 contributions26 helpful votes
Clean and quilt room even at the hearth of the town, hot shower, nice breakfast, friendly owner but sometimes frustrated to can't communicate with the staff because almost no-one speak any english but I recommend.
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Date of stay: October 2021
Value
Location
Service
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Joerg wrote a review Oct 2021
9 contributions1 helpful vote
We liked the place because verybody was friendly and customer oriented and a nice restaurant was attached. Contrary to the Lonely Planet we liked the Pizza in the wooden fired oven very much. The rooms were ok and adequate and very clean.
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Date of stay: October 2021
Value
Rooms
Service
Room Tip: All rooms are good
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Response from Wendy van Driel, Owner at Hotel Doña Esther
Responded 24 Oct 2021
Thank you so much, we're happy that you had a good time with us. And yes, our pizzas are good, I still like Lonely Planet, but find their view on restaurants - in general - not always accurate, besides, no argues about taste, right? Besides that, we offer a lot more than pizzas on our menu! Come.visit us again when you have the chance!
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
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Maryam S wrote a review Apr 2021
Los Angeles, California, United States172 contributions172 helpful votes
I stayed here in March 2021 these are the pros and cons based on my experience: Pros: If you want to be in the town of Ottawa this is a perfect location right in the middle of the town, walking distance to the famous Saturday market, close to the restaurants, the staff are very nice and helpful, the staff help you to arrange activities at reasonable prices, breakfast was very good. Cons: Don’t expect anything fancy this place is clean has hot shower but it’s basic nothing fancy or luxury. There is no elevator which is very common in Ecuador and didn’t bother me but be mindful of that or get a room at a lower floors.
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Date of stay: March 2021Trip type: Travelled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Response from Wendy van Driel, Owner at Hotel Doña Esther
Responded 2 Apr 2021
Thank you for your comments. However, I would like to state that an elevator for only three floors in a colonial building is somewhat overdone. And yes, a luxury hotel would be far more expensive....we are more.a family style hotel, with a personal atmosphere.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
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Linda J wrote a review Apr 2020
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania31 contributions23 helpful votes
We spent two nights here. The first night we had a room facing the street and it was noisy. Not the traffic or dogs as other people mention but continual sirens from 3 am on. Apparently it was security alarms from some of the stores but it was unbearable. The hotel has an open courtyard so there was no escaping the noise! This is not something the hotel has control of and we were fortunate that they were able to move us to a room at the back the next night. They had one staff member on staff at breakfast and dinnertime that spoke english and she was very helpful. e used therir driver for a day trip nd for transfer to Quito. He was very good.
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Date of stay: March 2020
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netllama wrote a review Mar 2020
Sf Bay Area792 contributions318 helpful votes
I spent 3 nights here. There are a number of non-trivial flaws which drag down a place with much potential. First the positives: * Good central location in a walkable part of town * Staff was friendly and spoke ok English * Unlimited free purified water * wifi worked well The problems: * By far the biggest issue is noise. My room faced the street, and without exaggeration, the noise is nearly constant, all day & night. Vehicles, people, barking dogs, etc. What's worse is the noise from inside. Walls are thin, and I frequently heard voices, plumbing, walking, crying babies, etc. I slept rather poorly every night, as the noise is unrelenting from all sides. * The breakfast is mediocre at best. Tasteless, stale bread, unseasoned eggs, white processed cheese slices. It was rather unappetizing. * The odor of sewage from the bathroom. I was able to block much of it by keeping the bathroom door closed, but i'd still spend much of the night listening to noise and smelling sewage. I doubt i'd return, as most of the problems are not correctable without significant time & money.
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Date of stay: March 2020Trip type: Travelled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
1 Helpful vote
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LSL wrote a review Feb 2020
Stevenson119 contributions41 helpful votes
The restaurant inside this hotel is a fabulous place to have a meal. The food is inexpensive and delicious. The portions are large. They have wood oven pizza and an extensive Ecuadorian menu. The staff are very friendly. They understood food allergies. Great restaurant!
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Date of stay: February 2020Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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PRICE RANGE
RM 278 - RM 368 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
LOCATION
EcuadorImbabura ProvinceOtavalo
NUMBER OF ROOMS
13
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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HOTEL DONA ESTHER: UPDATED 2023 Inn Reviews, Price Comparison and 145 Photos (Otavalo, Ecuador) - Tripadvisor

Frequently Asked Questions about Hotel Doña Esther
Which popular attractions are close to Hotel Doña Esther?
Nearby attractions include Otavalo Market (0.5 km), Plaza De Los Ponchos Mercado (0.4 km), and Parque Bolivar (0.05 km).
What are some of the property amenities at Hotel Doña Esther?
Some of the more popular amenities offered include an on-site restaurant, free internet access, and a gift shop.
What food & drink options are available at Hotel Doña Esther?
Guests can enjoy an on-site restaurant during their stay.
Is parking available at Hotel Doña Esther?
Yes, paid public parking nearby and street parking are available to guests.
What are some restaurants close to Hotel Doña Esther?
Conveniently located restaurants include Daily Grind, Mi Otavalito, and Arbol De Montalvo Restaurant.
Is Hotel Doña Esther located near the city centre?
Yes, it is 1.0 km away from the centre of Otavalo.
Which languages are spoken by the staff at Hotel Doña Esther?
The staff speaks multiple languages, including English, Spanish, and Dutch.