The Secret Garden Reviews

Staff were wonderful and the place was full of character. Food was tasty while the views from the roof top terrace were excellent. Great location for exploring the old town while the 24hr security guard was reassuring (although I felt totally at ease in Quito). Had a fab time. Would stay again in a heartbeat.

This place's a cute little gem in Old Town. The patio with recept/rest./kitchen lends a rare sophisticated feel overlooking the city. Meals are a bit pricey. You can kick back with wine and hippie music. Comments about stairs were an understatement. It's steep and windy so take care in climbing them esp. when you got luggage. If you got to acclimatize, better pop those pills or you'd be done. A security guard's posted here day and night. Make sure you're taking a cab or know where you're going.

Great security at Secret Garden which is useful for Quito. Secret Garden approved taxis are awesome guys. Hostel not bad, most of the staff awesome, one was a bit rude. Couldn't work out how to get hot water so cold shower which isn't great. Rooms was nice, they shut down the bar at 11 which is good if you want to sleep but means you have to go out after that if you wanna keep drinking. Overall pretty good.

People are very friendly. Good location and perfect view!!! But the facilities are a little bit old. Shower water is not hot and wifi is slow...the price doesn't include breakfast. So if including breakfast and tax, the price of each bed is around $16, which is a little bit expensive as compared with Ecuador's pricing level.

My sister & I liked staying at Secret Gardens very much except at night when the music was so loud it felt like it was in our room. I talked with other guests and they said they couldn´t hear the music so I think it was our room. The staff was wonderful.

Great place,,wonderful food. They offer a very tasty dinner and everyone eats together in a dining room with spectacular views across Quito. Some bathrooms have only tepid water but eventually found one with hot water. Great atmosphere and staff is very helpful . They offer a free walking tour to get you started in Quito.

i wouldnt go there again although the hostel is very nice because of the dangerous area.

Very nice location. Easy access to old downtown. Nice food. But very noise in the morning when people were cleaning the hostel. They could care a little bit more. Great taxi drivers who served the hostel. I enjoyed alot my stay there. I would come as soon as possible. Thanks.

Great hostel, but not as great as everybody is telling.. I found it quit expensive for a hostel with bad showers, while it can be so cold! Also the food you can get on the AMAZING rouftop was quit expensive for what you get. But great atmosphere and nice staff!

The Secret Garden is an OK hostel. What really sets it apart is the travel agency ´CarpeDM` Paul, the owner is absolutely fantastic, for this reason alone i would recommend staying at the Secret Garden.

Friendly place and staff were really helpful.

We had 4 of the best nights sleep we'd had in ages... The beds were so comfy! The hostel is ran by volunteers, working for free board and lodge and although they were all very nice and friendly they didn't have any knowledge of the local area and insight that you come to expect as the norm from a good hostel. Hot water was only available in 1 shower and word got round so it too ran out and as Quito is so high it's cold and hot showers are needed to warm up! Be warned the old town is sketchy....

Poor organisation by the (backpackers-)staff, not really helpful at the receptiondesk because of distraction by other staffmembers playing around in kitchen. Subscribing for dinner doesn't mean you actually get dinner. Don't expect lots of food or culinary specialties.

I stayed two days at the Secret Garden and I liked it a lot! It has a fantastic roof terrasse! The staff is very nice. The showers are not so warm sometimes, but this is the only thing thats negative.

Good atmosphere, some nights are party nights and some are quiet. Also some rooms are noisier than others, but overall a good experience. Warm showers are hard to come by, only the electric powered one has seemingly warm water (at low pressure). Also breakfasts and dinners are served up on the terrace, which has a lovely view of Old Quito. Volunteer and local staff are great.

Fantastic hostel--the kind with the great atmosphere to meet other travelers that you're always hoping to find. Great friendly staff, a lively dinner/happy hour every night up on the roof patio overlooking a gorgeous view of the old city. Breakfast is not included but they have good options available for a fee. As others mentioned, there are a lot of steep stairs required, but the views and atmosphere are totally worth it.

The volunteer staff was friendly and helpful. Great views, comfortable rooms, and just a fun atmosphere!

I thought it was a little overrated. This was the last stop of our trip and we didn't have a lot of money and they don't allow you to eat your own breckfast or diner in the hostel because they have food for sale. I felt like there were a lot of rules here and it really wasn't in the best location. I think I would have prefered to stay in the new town.

This hostel has the mix right - comfy rooms, good chill-out/computer zone, great bar with a stunning view of Quito's old city and super-helpful staff that make the experience pleasant. We used the tour booking office here and got a great last minute deal to the Amazon. The breakfast was great (even if you do pay a little extra), dinner is good too & the inhouse laundry service saved the day. We came back and stayed here twice during our Quito travels. Plenty of hot water and great nightlife!

pretty chill spot, not a whole lot to do in the area but cabs and buses are all cheap and plentiful. the place was clean and nice, though i'd highly recommend going out to eat as the food there is pretty bad and more expensive than elsewhere.