Looking up at the historic Plaza Grande hotel.

A weekly series featuring luxury hotel expert Mary Gostelow’s hotel pick of the week. 

At 9,350 feet above sea level, Quito, Ecuador is the highest capital city in the world (before anyone contradicts and says “no, it is La Paz,” let me point out that Bolivia’s legal capital is Sucre, down in the lowlands at 9,219 feet above sea level).  Quito has a pair of sibling hotels that know exactly how to make the traveler to or from Galapagos feel marvelously relaxed and at home. The Plaza Grande and Swissôtel Quito share an owner, and both are managed by brilliant young Ecuadorean GM Gino Casagrande.

One of Quito’s beautiful, old churches.

The 15-room Plaza Grande is right across Independence Square from the signature San Francisco church. The five-floor building was given to explorer Francisco Pizarro in the 16th century. Today its interiors emulate the feel of First Class suites on a luxury ocean liner, with highly polished floors, marble bathrooms and real pens and ink in your bedroom stationery box.  Stay here, say in the charming Royal Suite #22, and you can sign in the contemporary Swissôtel Quito, and vice versa.

In Plaza Grande bedrooms, boxes hold paper, and real pen-and-ink.

At the 242-room Swissôtel, book a room that gives access to the top, 13th floor club lounge, which has superb full buffets three times a day. I would also do weekend breakfast/brunch in the Swissôtel’s Café, when the copious spread includes a full ceviche bar with local beers. I would dine, too, in La Locanda (the only one of the 620 employees who is not Ecuadorean is Milanese chef Maurizio DiMunno). Both hotels’ concierges are 100 percent reliable at arranging airport arrivals and departures, helping with logistics pre-Galapagos and on your return to the USA.

Ceviche and beer for breakfast, anyone?

And to finish it off- the sweet mango sorbet at La Locanda.

Read last week’s Hotel of the Week here.