Hotels in Ecuador often give discounts for children under 12, and children under 3 or 4 are usually allowed to stay for free. This varies according to the hotel, but in general, don't assume that your kids can stay in your room for free.
Hotels offering regular, dependable babysitting service are few and far between. If you will need babysitting, make sure that your hotel offers it, and be sure to ask whether the babysitters are bilingual. In most cases, they are not. This is usually not a problem with infants and toddlers, but it can cause problems with older children.
All children, no matter how young, will need a valid passport to enter Ecuador. By law, minors under 18 need no special permission to enter or leave Ecuador. However, I recommend that adults traveling with children who are not their own carry documented permission from the parent or guardian of record, and contact a local Ecuadorian embassy or consulate before traveling.
Recommended family travel websites include Family Travel Forum (www.familytravelforum.com), a comprehensive site that offers customized trip planning; Family Travel Network (www.familytravelnetwork.com), an online magazine providing travel tips; and TravelWithYourKids.com (www.travelwithyourkids.com), a comprehensive site written by parents for parents offering sound advice for long-distance and international travel with children.
