About this hotel
General information
Hotel del Parque occupies the former Hospicio Corazón de Jesús, built in 1891 by Guayaquil’s oldest charitable society as the city’s first refuge for the homeless, the elderly and the disabled. When the building was threatened with demolition, it was dismantled, carried piece by piece to the Parque Histórico on the Daule River and painstakingly restored alongside three other heritage buildings.
Today it is a small hotel of 44 rooms and a member of Relais & Châteaux. Interiors by designer Julio Vinueza take their cue from the building’s Republican architecture: Ecuadorian-made furniture, marble bathrooms and a palette of grey and yellow. Two courtyards with fountains and tropical planting sit at its heart, and beside it stands a rebuilt 19th-century chapel painted in shades of blue, mixing Gothic, Renaissance and Mediterranean features, used for weddings and vow renewals. All around are the park’s gardens, home to parrots, toucans and spider monkeys.
Location
The hotel sits within Guayaquil’s Historical Park in the Samborondón district, on the banks of the Daule River. Guayaquil airport is about 10 minutes’ drive away and the city centre around 15 minutes; airport transfers are arranged on request. Direct flights from the airport reach the Galápagos Islands, landing on Baltra or San Cristóbal in under two hours.
Spa
The massage room is set in the wooden bell tower of the historic chapel, with a 360-degree view over the gardens. Treatments include 45-minute massages – aromatherapy with essential oils, a warm candle-oil massage and a hot stone massage focused on the back – as well as beauty treatments.
Sports & leisure
The main draw is the Historical Park itself: three recreated ecosystems among mangroves shelter more than 50 species, among them harpy eagles, toucans, sloths, tapirs, collared peccaries and spectacled caimans. The park is open to visitors from Wednesday to Sunday, while on Mondays and Tuesdays it is reserved for hotel guests. The concierge arranges private guided tours, along with:
- a coffee introduction, from the plant to roasting your own beans with a specialist
- a chocolate experience in a house more than 120 years old: harvesting cocoa pods, traditional chocolate-making and a tasting
- an introduction to Ecuadorian medicinal herbs
- a gym, and a reading room with games, television and laptops
For children
Children are welcome: they can join a treasure hunt through the park and have their photos taken among the plants and animals, printed at the hotel. A children’s menu is available on request.
Restaurants & bars
Cooking here leans on fresh local produce; private dinners can be set up on the river dock or in a quiet corner of the park, and room service runs from 6.30am to 11pm.
- Casa Julián – signature cuisine built on Ecuadorian flavours, in a restored 19th-century building overlooking the Daule River
- El Jardín – garden café for breakfast, light meals, sandwiches, salads, pastries and coffee
- La Pérgola – tapas and signature cocktails right by the river
Pets
Pets are not permitted at the hotel.
Rooms
The 44 rooms and suites are spread over two floors, furnished with pieces made in Ecuador, their grey and yellow tones bridging old and new and the tropical greenery outside.
Each room has air conditioning, a marble bathroom, minibar, safe, alarm clock, coffee and tea with a French press and kettle, bathrobes and slippers, free Wi-Fi, USB sockets by the bed and hypoallergenic bedding on request.
Deluxe Double
A room with two double beds and a garden view, well suited to friends, colleagues or family.
Deluxe King
A room with a king-size bed and windows onto the garden.
Signature King
An upper-floor room with a king-size bed, a sitting area and views over the gardens.
Junior Suite
A generous room with a king-size bed and a garden view; it can be joined to a neighbouring Signature King to form a two-room suite.
Park Suite
A suite with a king-size bedroom, separate living and dining rooms, a small pantry kitchen and four large windows over the park; the main bathroom has a freestanding tub looking onto the tropical gardens.
Photos are for illustrative purposes only. Actual room layout, furnishings, décor, views and amenities may differ from those shown and may vary between rooms of the same category. Hotel and room descriptions are based on information provided by the property and are believed to be accurate at the time of publication, but are not guaranteed. The hotel may renovate or change its rooms, facilities, restaurants and services at any time without notice. The final details of your stay are confirmed at the time of booking. See our Terms of Use.