Page Importance:
Casa Vida Verde is a fully furnished residential hostel, created to provide a safe and comfortable residence for foreign students, workers and tourists who would like both independence and the opportunity to socialise with others. The Casa Vide Verde means "The House of Green Living," which unfortunately sometimes mean no hot water or heating, and can make for some chilly nights.
Both English and Spanish are spoken, and nightly or long-term stays can be arranged. The hostel has a great view of Quito and the mountains from the roof-top terrace and a kitchen with all basics items. All bills are included in the cost of a room, and all cleaning costs are included with the exception of your dish washing, which you are expected to do yourself.
The following facilities are offered: comfortable beds (no bunks), a security guard outside 24/7, laundry service (for an extra charge), TV, DVD player and many DVDs, a computer (which can be used for an extra charge) and wireless internet. In addition, Spanish lessons can be arranged through the Vida Verde Spanish School.
The hostel has 3 large private rooms with bathroom, desk and wardrobe that can sleep 1-2 persons ($14 nightly or $220 monthly), one shared room with 4 beds, a walk-in wardrobe, desk and large bathroom ($4 pp nightly or $90 monthly), a rooftop cabana with a desk, wardrobe and bathroom (for 1-2 persons, $14 nightly or $200 monthly), a private room with an outside bathroom (for 1 person - $7 nightly or $140 monthly) and a single room with a private bathroom for one person ($9 nightly or $165 monthly)
English Teaching
If you have experience teaching English or a teaching certificate, we can help arrange work. Often we have teachers staying with us and we have contacts with nearby English schools and institutions that are always looking for teachers who can commit for at least a few months. Pay is between $5 and $10 an hour.
Location:
Gonzalo Noriega N39-221 y Gaspar de Villaroel
Northern Quito - the "New Town", Quito, Ecuador
Hotel
This Hotel is: Budget
Hotel Amenities, Services and Facilities Community Kitchen, Laundry Service, Internet Facilities - Charge, Travel Info Desk, Lounge, Book Exchange - Free, Luggage Storage, Non-Smoking Rooms, 24-Hour Hot Water
Getting There:
Near Quicentro Shopping Centre (10 min walk), 10-15 ecovia bus ride from Mariscal Area. Get off at Los Sauces stop near dominos pizza. Walk up Villaroel 3 blocks, Noriega is on the right.
Room Prices:
Lower:$7
Higher:$14
Price Description:Price includes tax
Contact Information:
Phone: 02 2260471
E-mail: info(at)vidaverde.com
URL: www.hosteltimes.com
| Academia Latinoamericana - Learn Spanish in Quito, Ecuador All levels. The most effective methods. University credit through New Mexico State University. Reasonable rates & more www.latinoschools.com |
| 4 & 5** Custom & Scheduled Tours by www.SouthAmerica.travel Create your own travel itinerary with our custom Travel Planner, or choose from one of our 100s of carefully designed itineraries. Special escorted departures. SouthAmerica.travel |
Big Family
Casa Vida Verde is not the type of lodging you would expect in a 1.5 billion people's city - it is in fact far more than a hotel: It is your family of choice, your future friends which you soon will be cooking, talking, laughing and going out with.Apart from being extremely welcoming this place is your first choice if you want to dive into Ecuadorian live and culture. And if you want to experience more of Quito than just taking pictures of famous places. For people who are opposed to the typical... :-)
an awesome place!
really a fun place, good location, clean rooms and a warm feeling of home. there are good people from all over the world and of course, Mercedes the owner will help you out with anything you need! don't miss this place while in Quito!!
Great place, great people!
It all starts with the best host in town, Mercedes :D The rooms are clean and spacious, the kitchen has everything you need, you can watch dvd's, surf the internet, chill out at the front, get a tan on the rooftops or watch the stars at night, hey you can even dance in the living room if you want to!! (preferably not alone ;) ) and oh yeah, the people are oooooh so friendly and social :)Ok for the slow people: in short this is the place to be in Quito ;) Thx for having me!!
casa
awesome place
very nice hostel
this hostel is a very very nice place...I lived there for 2 month and there was nothing that I din't like!! you just have 3 minutes to walk to the metro-station (ecovia) so you can reach every important places. the people there are very kind and will always help you solving your problems...just try it :o)
casa verde
Mercedes was so nice, that she hosted me because my first host let me down. Thanks a lot!
casa verde
Mercedes was so nice, that she hosted me because my first host let me down. Thanks a lot!
Awesome Hostel!
I spent my spring break in Quito visiting, and this place was amazing! Great rooms, great view, very cozy, and Meche is amazing! There weren't a lot of places to eat around the area, but it was a short ride to La Mariscal. It had a great atmosphere with a wide array of people coming and going. It definately added to my trip and I will definately stay there again when I make it back to Ecuador!
Rooms in Quito
This is the best place I stayed in Ecuador. Mercedez is very nice and friendly. Situated in a quiet and safe neighborhood near downtown!
Dallas review
This hostel was very friendly, always welsoming newcomers and making them feel part of the family. The rooms were very cozy and well kept. The price was very reasonable. It is not far from the bus or downtown and there is a restaurant and grocery store nearby. All in all, I recommend it.
Great stay
Mece is so nice and was always very helpful. I loved the people I met there at the Hostel and the flexibility it offered. I studied at USFQ and it was conveniently located on the Ecovia line, easy to get to University and easy to get downtown! I also felt very safe all of the time. As an extended stay (8 months) I could not have asked for anything else. Thanks!!
So nice people there !!
Casa Vida Verde is a lovely place, not very far from downtown Quito with so cool people... you won't find better in Quito, for sure !!
I like Meche!
Mercedes is adorable, I liked the BIG rooms in Casa Viva Verde and as I'm a jogger, all the park near by. Easy to go downtown with the bus.
Casa Verde
My family!
Casa Vida Verde
Mercedes was a most gracious host. Located a block away from the red line, walking distance to two different parks, local food, shopping, and a good pub. The private bathroom and big rooms are a major plus. Great place, I would highly recommend it to anyone staying in Quito.
Very Good
I stayed a few days back in September and it was great. Big, safe, clean, and Mercedes was great. I recommend it for sure.
All good!
I only stayed here for a few nights, but was more than happy with the experience. There were a great bunch of people staying there, and the manager Mercedes was a lot of fun. Thumbs up!
Loved it!
I spent a lot of time at Casa Vida Verde and loved every minute of it. It´s in a very safe part of town, near the Ecovia (public buses) which made getting around the city very easy, and it has a great family/community feel to it. The manager of the hostal speaks both Spanish and English (and learning German) for travellers who are not completely comfortable with their Spanish yet and was always helpful when we had questions about the city. It´s is a great choice for the price you pay. I will keep in touch with the people I met through there long after I leave Quito.
Comfortable enough
I lived in Casa Vida Verde for a couple of months in 2007. I would say that it is pretty good value for money, but that some of the comments listed were true. The cleaning lady was supposed to come once a week, but probably only came a total of 2 or 3 times during my stay. The internet was up and down a lot - though management persisted with fixing it, it is my belief that the bandwidth was not sufficient for 7 computers, which was the main problem. And the kitchen was not well stocked. Still, it was always possible to improvize with the equipment that was there. I found that there was quite a bit of petty note-leaving, but I guess you get that in all shared houses. Overall though, it was a comfortable enough place to live for a couple of months and was on the whole nice and quiet.
3/4 of a year!
I lived in Casa Vida Verde for approximately nine months between August 2006 and May 2007. I had what was considered by the original manager to be "the best room in the house" and I had to agree. There were great views of Quito from both my room, the rooftop terrace and the kitchen. My room was big with tons of storage space and could have easily accommodated another person. There was plenty of space in the kitchen and in the refrigerators for each person (we each got our own shelf) and, while it's not the classiest kitchen in the world, you get what you pay for as far as hostels and Casa Vida Verde is a great value overall. I spent many nights baking in this kitchen. The things I liked most about this hostel were the quiet atmosphere and the chance to meet other travelers. Parties aren't allowed at this house, which was fine with me, as I was a busy student while I was in Ecuador. Also, I had the opportunity to meet all sorts of interesting people from all around the world and all walks of life which broadened my views immensely. I really liked the location, as it is just a couple of blocks from one of the main bus lines and in what seems like a comparatively safe neighborhood. There aren't a whole lot of restaurants around, but the hostel is within walking distance of three supermarkets. The only complaints I would make about this hostel is that if you are renting a room by the month and have a friend spend the night with you, you are required to pay for them as if they had spent the night in the dorm room (this seems strange, because after living there for awhile, the atmosphere seems as if you are renting a room in a house, not a hotel.) Also, the cleaning lady did not come consistently, so I often ended up cleaning my own room, which I didn't really mind, but felt like it was something we were paying for. As someone mentioned below, we did have ongoing problems with the Internet service in the house but this was not generally the fault of the management. I walked with the manager twice to the phone company when the service was down for a week and the manager had tried calling several times, and we were given the runaround there. A couple of days later we finally managed to get someone from the company to come out to the house, and it turns out that they had to replace one of the phone wires. Unfortunately the concept of customer service (even for utilities) doesn't really exist in Ecuador, which wasn't the fault of the hostel in this case. The shear size of the hostel and the number of people sharing the connection certainly slowed things down, but I can remember few times where I was forced to go to a friend's house. Overall, I had a great experience there, or I wouldn't have stayed there so long. When I come back to Ecuador, they'll be one of the first places I look for a room.
Great place!
I have no complaints at all... I loved this place because its just like home; clean, everything available, very chill atmosphere, great location and nice people. You feel extremely relaxed in this place!
I just loved this place!
The house is in a safe location and has lovely views from the terrace. Very quiet and relaxing atmosphere. I had a great time living there.
Casa Vida Verde - some good & bad
I had an approximate two-month stay at Casa Vida Verde around the later part of 2006. I have to say that in general I was pleased with my experience there and whatever criticisms I write here are long overdue but also outdated and possibly inaccurate (as of November 2007). The location had a much safer feeling to it while walking about day or night. That can't be said for other areas of Quito, especially the most popular Mariscal (Gringolandia) or Centro Histórico (Old Town). The other small streets around it are tranquil with security guard booths almost block by block. The main boulevards within just a block or two are busy, noisy, air polluted (mostly by buses), and very dangerous vehicular traffic. Pedestrians are clearly second-class citizens. What is lacking in the immediate area are the many cheap eateries to explore outside your doorstep like other hostels are likely to have. Quicentro which is an upscale shopping center roughly a 15 minute walk away has KFC, TGIF, etc. as well as a not-so-cheap food court. Inside, the big house of Casa Vida Verde is overall good with nice views from the rooftop and some rental rooms. The management/owners appeared to be friendly and certainly helpful. My biggest complaint would be the kitchen facilities and the Internet service. The kitchen size was adequate with 2 refrigerators, enough counter space, lots of cabinets, and a nice view of the western neighborhoods, mountains, and low-flying aircrafts descending towards the airport. Kitchen supplies were poor in general. The pots and pans for cooking were usually broken and of lower quality. Kitchen necessities which did exist were mostly donated by various long-term guests who found it more convenient to buy particular items than complain about what should be expected in a hostel's accommodation. I actually started to wonder if the owners were expecting to stock the kitchen in this manner. Kitchen counters as well as utensils would often go unwashed after use for the better part of a day (or longer). I was quite surprised there wasn't a cockroach problem I experienced at a seemingly cleaner hostel. Occasionally there had been feeble half-hearted attempts by the management to improve the situation. The original live-in manager appeared to have put a decent effort into the improving the establishment until he left to pursue opening his own hostel. The replacement manager was family of the business's owners with little experience or devotion to the facility since (I believe) she already had a full-time job during the day as a Spanish teacher. In turn they hired an outside person (likely a low-paid person who most the guests or tenants didn't know) to come in periodically to sweep, clean, vacuum, wash, resupply, etc. Regarding the Internet service, I realize that it was a newer perk at the time (Oct-Dec '06) offered by fewer hotels and hostels. That of course should be rapidly changing as the competition will otherwise get the business of the foreigners who want it. This service was first introduced to Casa Vida Verde by a long term guest who sought to cut his own expenses by sharing his wireless broadband with other supportive household members. When that guest left (taking his wireless router with him), many of the others wanted to have that service carried onwards, including the new manager. While giving lip service to continuing the household internet policy, the management didn't appear committed to it as they left the guests to have to figure out the various problems (frequent down times, inadequate bandwidth for the up to 7 or more household users at a time, promptly finding service representatives & communicating with them as needed, installing equipment, configuring access, etc). In fairness though, I can't say that at that time if internet access was advertised as one of the hostel's selling points. To one of the later guests, it clearly was a promised service. There wasn't likely to be any complaints since almost all of the longer term guests were busy in school, working, or out and about doing other things. They were mostly between 18 and 30 years of age without the experience of what to expect nor having the know how to demand that services could or need to be better. Of course, who am I to complain ? Truthfully though and aside from my own inhibitions, I didn't feel I was there "long term enough" to merit such assertiveness nor had I really intended to stay there as long as I did. It is very possible that by now (almost a year later), some or all of these complaints, criticisms, or concerns have been addressed and alleviated. I hope others will follow-up a report to this saying the items I pointed out have indeed changed for the better. If and when I return there, I will try to be more prompt with a report. I would like to know that this place has improved because I did like it and knew it had decent potential.
Great place to stay.
I have been at Casa Vida Verde for 3 months while working in Quito. It's cheap and easy living. I pay my fees by the month and I dont have to worry about the utility bills. There are always new people moving in and out so it's a great place to meet new folks. The management are responsible, flexable and easy and to deal with. Also having the wirless internet in the hostel has been a big plus for me. One draw back is the lack of a party atmosphere, if your looking for a place to stay where people are up all hours of the night then Vida Verde is not for you. Otherwise, I have really enjoyed my stay here and would gladly recomend it anyone visiting Quito.
Awesome value
I have stayed at Vida Verde for the last two months and have had a great time. The rooms are all spacious and the people really cool and friendly, and there are always people moving in and out which makes it a social place to live- I have made some really good friends there. Removed from the bustle of the Mariscal, the house offers a different experience to the gringo party nightlife you might get elsewhere, but it is homely and safe and a warm place to come home to at night with great views of the city- particularly from the roof terrace.
Top Quito Hotels | Quito Hotels by priceQuito Hotels by type | To see in Quito
Top Quito Restaurants | Other Quito pages
|
Advertise | Anúnciese | Jobs | Alliances | Alianzas | Terms of Use | Contact Us | About Us | Blog | Dueños |