Let's explore the surreal castles of Quito

This is one of the few castles that has been preserved as a hotel.

For more than 80 years, this Andean capital has been guarded by a strange array of kitschy castles – brimming with turrets and towers, spires and faux drawbridges, Moorish cupolas and sweeping staircases.

In a city internationally renowned for its colonial architecture (its historic centre has been a United Nations World Heritage Site since 1978) the castillos de Quito in Ecuador have often been dismissed as architectural oddities and mid-century eyesores.