If you’re moving to a foreign country, then what your kids are going to do there, will probably be a concern. I was a little worried about that when we moved here. What was I going to do all day (aside from school)?
Well, here are a few great places that I love to go:
Parks in Ecuador
El Ejido Park (Parque El Ejido), Quito
Parque El Ejido is huge! At the entrance, there is a huge arch like the one in Paris, France. Half of the park has playground equipment, including…
- A huge tube slide, it’s so long and fast! There are numerous other slides going off around it too.
- A really fast fun zip-line. Not like one of those that you go out over a crater, just a long wire and a seat, but it’s my favorite!
- Monkey bars and swings
- And the other half is a running track and miles of grass. It is really pretty! There is also a nice reptile zoo nearby. It was kind of creepy; it had dim, eerie blue lights. It kind of made me feel like I was in prehistoric times! I’m the kind of girl that likes snakes, spiders and bugs so I liked it. But if you’re scared of that kind of thing, you probably shouldn’t go there.
Parque Paraíso, Cuenca
Parque Paraíso is a very big park. It has…
- a big running track
- a lot of fun playground equipment
- a nice bit of green space
- a pond with paddle boats
- horse and buggy rides
I love going to this park with my dog Chica.
Parque de la Madre, Cuenca
Parque de la Madre is like Parque Paraíso, except smaller. It has most of the same things that Paraíso does, but they are all smaller. You can read more about my favorite parks in Cuenca.
Restaurants in Ecuador
Tutto Freddos (or Nice Cream), Cuenca and Other Places
Tutto Freddos is a very nice ice cream and pizza shop here in Cuenca. They have every kind of ice cream and pizza, it’s really good! They have locations at Mall del Rio and across from Parque Calderon. And many other places I don’t know of. 🙂
I love their pizza!!!!! My fav is Pepperoni. And my favorite ice cream is Nutella. That is a kind of hazelnut-chocolate spread that they made into an ice cream.
Café Austria, Cuenca
Café Austria is a Gringo hangout, if you don’t mind me saying that :). It’s a really nice restaurant. I love their spaghetti! I’m not really familiar with their menu, but what I know they have…
- Ice cream
- Coffee, of course
- Spaghetti
- French fries
- And more!
They also have WIFI so it’s a nice place to go to have lunch and hangout.
Frutilados, Cuenca
Frutilados is a nice quiet restaurant off of Parque Calderon. You can get…
- Ice cream
- Coffee
- Hot chocolate
- And more I can’t remember!
Read about the bird’s eye view of Parque Calderon from Frutilados.
Gelateria Pizzería La Fornace, Cuenca
This is a nice place to stop and have lunch. It has….
- Pizza of course
- Ice cream
- Salchipapas
- And more
They have really good pizza!
Pizza Hut, Most of Ecuador
I’m sure you have heard this one before! It’s in a lot of other countries too. And I don’t need to go over everything it has because everyone has either been there or heard about it. So, anyway, one of my fav pizza places!
Malls in Ecuador
Mall Del Sol, Guayaquil
I love Mall del Sol! It is really big. It is actually the biggest mall in the country! It has…
- A food court (with all the food that we gringos are used to :^))
- Mr. Books bookstore – with a nice section of English books
- A humongous toy store
- Adventure stores
- Clothing stores
- And many others
This mall is only about a 2 minute walk from the Howard Johnson and Sheraton hotels. So if you’re just visiting than you will find it easy to visit the mall.
Mall Del Rio, Cuenca
Mall Del Rio is two floors, it’s cool! It has…
- A super market (Coral del Rio to be specific)
- A food court
- A beauty shop
- A teenage girl store called Funky Fish (which is a very strange name…)
- A jewelry store
- Clothing stores
- And more!
Mall Del Rio is not as big as Mall Del Sol, but it does have a good selection.
Millennium Plaza, Cuenca
Millennium Plaza is a nice small mall. It has two levels, top is a food court. I am a sucker for ice cream, and like most the malls here it has my fav ice cream shop, Tutto Freddos (Nice Cream)! Here are some other shops it has…
- A teenage Goth store called Pink Punk
- A number of ice cream shops
- A bunch of other stores 🙂
- Close to Parque de la Madre
Monay Shopping, Cuenca
This is a really nice mall. It is modern and pretty. Here are some things it has…
- Colonial furniture shop
- Clothing stores
- Food court
- Gaming store
- And of course, more that I can’t remember.
Keep in mind that the features on some of the malls mentioned here might be in the other ones too. I just can’t mention them all over and over again because that would just be boring!
Handicraft Market, Galapagos
The handicraft market in the Galapagos is a very nice place to spend a couple of hours. It has…
- Marble turtles
- Stuffed animals
- Jewelry
- And much more!
Handicraft Market on Santa Cruz Island, Galapagos
Read more about the Galapagos Handicraft Market.
Resorts in Ecuador
Punta Centinela, Salinas
The Pool at Punta Centinela
Punta Centinela is a beautiful vacation resort in Salinas. It has…
- A pool
- A private beach
- A lot of geckoes :^)
- And more!
It is a lovely place to go for a vacation!
Sol y Agua, Santa Isabel
This is a very nice resort in the Yunguilla valley. It has…
- A slow, twirley water slide
- A very fast, strait water slide
- A pool, of course
- Little cabins
- A snack bar
- And more!
If you go down that fast slide, you will want to cross your legs! I love going there for a day just to hang out and relax.
Red Mangrove Aventura Lodge
Traveling to the Galapagos is an amazing adventure that every kid will love. Read more about our recent Galapagos Family Adventure.
So, as you can see, if you move to Ecuador then your children will have lots to do! Thank you for reading! And don’t forget to check out my blog Culture Sponge and sign up for my free newsletter!
Interested in other great things for kids? Ecuador for Kids – Keeping the Kids Happy
Thanks for a great article! I will have some neat places to take my grandson, thanks to you.
So glad you enjoyed it. Let us know how he likes these places.
Hi Drew:) My favorite is Nutella too! I just wanted to tell you that next time you’re around the Parque San Blas check out the Monte Bianco Heladeria. Their Nutella is even tastier:-P
Hi Drew, I`m an 8 yr old whose family is thinking about moving to Cuenca. I really like your blog and want to start my own someday.
Do you answer when people comment? Have you made a lot of friends there? Do you miss your friends from Canada?
What a great post Drew. We are so happy to have retired in Ecuador and visit a few of these places. Keep enjoying and sharing your favorite places.
Hola, great site….in particular we noted the store called “Funky Fish”. Maybe we should check it out considering our last name:))) Keep up the great work, really enjoy reading this site. We are from Canada as well. My wife is originally from Nova Scotia and I am originally from Saskatchewan. Both of lived in Alberta for a number of years before coming to Ecuador almost 2 years ago. We now have a home in Vilcabamba and are quite enjoying the wonderful weather. No snow:)))
I have to yet meet someone in Ecuador regardless of nationality who does not love Tutto Freddo. We have actually cried over finding it closed one day… no other ice cream can fill the void! They are definitely the best in our known world. In Guayaquil they are close to the Parque de las Iguanas and another one at 9 de Octubre.
Mall del Sol is big, but expensive. We usually go for food and drinks and to the movies, but not to shop. It is also a great meeting place to get together with friends and then go from there.
Great post. The info is very helpful as I am planning a 2-3 week exploratory trip this spring. Then hopefully relocation to Ecuador. Please keep the posts coming. Thank you
Juan Grande
Great info. Any and all info helps. Please keep them coming. I am planning my exploratory trip this spring and hopefully relocate shortly thereafter.
Muchas Gracias
Hey Drew. Your article was well done again. You definitely know your surroundings, and apparently ‘love’ pizza. 🙂 I don’t blame you. I like how your comments are to the point. A lot of info,that one can read in a short time. That’s good for today’s life style. The first time I learned about the malls and other shops in Cuenca from your parents articles, I was pleasantly surprised. I did not imagine it to be so modernized. See what education from traveling does for you! Or, since someone as myself hasn’t visited Ecuador, I can gain more knowledge from your experiences. So great. Keep up your skills, and I look forward to reading more. Someday I hope you can personally show me around your city. Take care.
Thanks for another great post! Your comments about the everyday things–and the special things–really make the city and country come to life for us wannabe gringuadorians! Keep up the excellent work!
Hi Drew!
Once again you have provided some very important information about Ecuador. I am a grandma with 5 grandchildren, whom I hope will visit me when I get there. Nice to have a list of things for them to do.
And for me too. I love parks and playgrounds, especially water parks.
I have a question for you, I have dogs who like to go just about everywhere with me, except malls, so are dogs allowed in the parks you listed?
Keep up the good work!
Nice photos..EVERYTHING helps give a better and warmer vision of what our new life will be like. Thank you once again…..merry Christmas ! And a healthy new year…