Jules Europe

I don`t know the prices of these things but Ecuador compared to Spain is something like 4 times cheaper in most things and Spain is cheaper than the UK where you are, so I doubt this would come to much.

retired_poppi

We have lived in Cuenca for about a year.

The quality of cotton goods available in most stores in Cuenca is poor. The thread count is low. High thread count sheets are available at a few locations, but they are expensive. We made a trip back home to bring bed linens to Cuenca when we moved from a completely furnished apartment to our new condominium.

If you are still considering the bed linen question, reply, and I will go to Su Casa and write down the prices.

JClinton

Hi Poppi,

Thank you for the reply. We are going to bring some linen with us but will not be able to bring enough for our whole apartment so any information on the locations to get good linen and an indication of cost would be very help, thank you very much.

Kind regards,
Joanne

retired_poppi

Here are some prices (in US$) from Sucasa, one of the up-scale stores here in Cuenca.
Sheet set - fitted bottom, flat top, 2 pillow cases

180 thread count
$32 Twin
$44 Queen
$48 King

300 thread count
$75 Twin
$102 Queen
$125 King

I have not found any better quality than the 300 count.

dloseff

Thanks for the info on bedding, retired_poppi. My family, two girls, my wife and I will be moving to Cuenca in a few weeks, and we were just wondering about this. A friend of a friend who just returned said that pillows cost about $100 - can that be so?! Also, we are debating whether or not to bring our down comforter. How available, and how cheap are good blankets, traditional woven wool ones and/or modern mass produced?

retired_poppi

I am on vacation in China at the moment. I will be in Cuenca about the middle of August.

We brought our down comforter and down pillows with us when we moved. They are available in Sukasa, but are expensive.

You can get synthetic pillows and blankets for much less than $100, but the cumfort and quality amight dissapoint you (and the blankets tend to have garish prints). There is a large store here, called Coral Centro. You can find any thing there at a reasonable price - it is where the common people shop. There is a branch in the mall and a stand alone store on Avenue Americas. Any taxi driver will know where it is.

Hope that helps

dloseff

Hello Again retired_poppi,

We have recently arrived in Cuenca, for what will be a 1 year stay, and have just rented an unfurnished apartment. So we are looking to buy some used items, including the following:
- Refrigerator
- Stove/oven
- Small sofa
- 2 comfortable chairs
- Single size matress
- 6 sets of Plates, glasses, silverware, etc.
- Blender
- Pots and pans, cooking utensils
- A small table for 4
- Blankets
- Hangers

I know we can puchase all of this stuff new, but I thought I'd try to check to see if we can get them used first. If you, or anyone you know has any of these items, and is looking to unload them, please let me know.

Thank you.

mytriumph

Hello All,

I intend visiting Cuenca next month.
I propose flying there from Canada with a one way ticket, as I intend going to Peru at some later date.
Will having a one way ticket present any problems?
I am travelling on a Canadian p'port.

Thanks,

Nelson

Jules Europe

Having just a one way ticket only will cause you problems, you will need to show that you have an exit ticket from Ecuador. You need to satisfy the airline (In yout case in Canada) that you have an on-going ticket.

Europeans get 3 months valid entry to most Latin American countries and therefore I imagine most North Americans the same, some countries like Chile though make North Americans pay an entry visa.

Also be aware, that most Latin American countries have a departure tax which if travelling with a family or visiting multiple countries can be very expensive, Ecuador is one of the more expensive countries for this departure tax.

mytriumph

Thanks for the info it probably saved me a lot of hassle when entering the country.

I double checked with the Ecuadorian consulate here in Toronto and their response was that if I have a bus ticket for Peru, well that would suffice.
How do I get that when I am at the immigration counter.

Anyway, I shall get a return ticket.

Jules Europe

Without a return or on-going ticket, I doubt that they would let you board the plane in Canada anyway.

You`re thinking of travelling from country to country by bus in South America!!! Well I hope your a sturdy type and have a will in place Believe me, the experience is sheer hell especially on Ecuadorian and Peruvian roads, If you suffer from travel sickness....don`t do it, also its best to travel by night, so you don`t get to see how many times you`ve escaped death. Even the shortest journeys there, that you think will take just a couple of hours etc because they look quite close on the map, usually end up taking like 6-8 hours. Going further afield could easily take over 20 hours!!!

You should only really be thinking about travelling by bus if you are on a tight budget because they are super cheap. If travelling by bus, always use the more expensive ones as they don`t make stops on route, when buses stop on route especially at night this is dangerous.

Bus tickets are normally purchased at bus stations inside the country but I`m sure investigating the net or going to a travel agent where you are could be the answer. You will certainly need to have this in your possession before leaving Canada, unless of course you have a return plane ticket.

Emma_Jayne

Hi,

I'm moving back to Cuenca for a few months and would like to rent an apartment in the city (previously lived out in the campo)

Could anyone recommend any websites, agencies or contacts who can help find us an apartment? We have a good budget and are not too fussy!

Many thanks

TXAg

I am interested in getting a second place in Cuenca that my family and I could stay in for a month or two in the summers or maybe over Christmas. We now live in Texas. I have some questions I would be grateful to receive answers to.

1) Are there any expat families in Cuenca we could talk to? (We have three boys ages 10, 8, and 6).

2) I would need internet access in order to work 3-4 hours per day while in Cuenca in order to keep my clients happy. Super fast internet is not critical, but a reasonable degree of reliability would be.

3) I have heard about some kind of half-price deal for roundtrip airfare originating in Ecuador. Is anyone aware of this? My thought was that I would buy a one-way ticket down there and then plan my next trip so that the return to Ecuador coincides with my next trip from Texas.

4) I would like to come down for a week or so in the spring to check out Cuenca. Would anyone be interested in a house-swap? We live in the suburbs of Dallas Texas.

Thanks in advance.

TXAg

ddagmar

Hi. I think that you may be talking about the senior's discount for half-price airfare originating in Ecuador for residents. So, If one of you is over???65 is it??? then the return ticket from Ecuador back to Texas would be 1/2, and I am not sure about the resident part or the exact age. A travel agent may know the details.
Diane

Hwy101

Hi, Brand New here (this will be painfully obvious); How do I subscribe to Threads about Ecuador? I am sorry, I just don't see it. Thanks, Tom [Newbie]