The famous Cuenca hatter We have decided that today is going to be devoted to wandering around the colonial streets of Cuenca. Our goal is to get lost ... and to see a majority of the hundred or so churches in town. We dine on fresh fruit and pancakes at Hotel Crespo before venturing out. Cuenca is mostly deserted at this early hour. Even though we are in the heart of tourist district, I don't feel as if Cuenca would even be on the same scale as other "touristy" destinations. At around 9 AM, the streets fill with kids walking to school and adults walking to work. There is a distinctly business feel to the air. People seem to have a purpose to their day. We don't see much in the way for other travelers. I love it! The colonial architecture makes this the most beautiful city in Ecuador, in my mind. It reminds me of a larger, less-gringo version of Antigua, Guatemala. Cuenca is known to be the center of art in Ecuador. We visit several excellent galleries and I'm tempted to buy an especially impressive oil painting. Cuenca is also famous for its Panama hats. Strangely enough, Panama hats aren't from Panama; they're from Ecuador. The indigenous people outside of Cuenca make the hats from a local plant. They are finished in Cuenca and sold all over the world. They received the name "Panama hat" because they were initially exported through Panama and to the rest of the world. Great story, but one that must make people from Cuenca a little annoyed! I buy a few hats for myself and one for my dad. Between the shopping and the church-seeing, it has been a productive day and we return to Hotel Crespo for the night. The hotel is one of the oldest in Cuenca and still has its original architecture and old-world charm. The location downtown isn't too bad either ....
Excellent travel advice and service
This is my second experience working with Adventure Life. I’m sold. Jess Heuermann is an experienced traveler and provides a lot of useful information when planning a trip. These are the questions I like to ask at the outset - What’s it like to go here, there, what would you suggest, what do people report, can we add any additional side trips? Jess took the time to answer my questions and seek additional information to share with me. Petchie Colina is outstanding in helping with travel logistics and final preparations. Adventure Life has excellent guides and offers private guides and small group adventures. We enjoyed the opportunity to talk with the guides and drivers to learn more about their countries, cultures and histories. A highlight was having the guides pick local restaurants where we could share meals together. Highly recommend.
Claire Cordon
5 days ago
Our six-day tour in Iceland went smoothly with one exception. We had asked for two rooms each night. Somehow we were booked with one room with three beds. It could not be fixed at the first hotel in Reykjavik because the hotel was fully booked. Once informed of the problem, however, Adventure Life rebooked for two rooms for the remainder of the trip. As an 85-year-old traveler, I appreciated that one could participate at different physical levels at many of the stops. Iceland is a great place to visit but on the expensive side.
Mary Warren
6 days ago
Jess was very easy going and answered all our questions. It’s not easy dealing with 6 people at once but she did an outstanding job!
Diane Foster
1 week ago
Kassandra and the Adventure Life team have been incredible! Kassandra was very knowledgeable and attentive to our asks while making sure we kept within our budget. This was our first experience with a travel agent and we were blown away by the booking/initial exploration service. We will use Adventure Life again.