Hi Floyd, take a look here at some sample itineraries: https://internationalliving.com/country_clubs/ecuador/travel-itineraries/
There are some hotel and hostel suggestions in there. (Hostels here are not just for youth and range from shared accommodation to private accommodation with private bath and cable TV).
If you have a lot of time to spend, you will have no problem. But remember that Ecuador has huge mountains and it takes 2-3 times as long to drive anywhere as you might expect for the same distance back home. From Quito or Guayaquil you can fly to most major towns in Ecuador. But Quito and Guayaquil are the hubs — you’ll can’t fly to Vilcabamba from Cuenca, for instance. But overland that rip will take you only about 3.5 to 4 hours.
It might help you to take a look at the Aerogal www.aerogal.com.ec/ and Tame http://www.tame.com.ec/ websites while planning your trip.
You should not have problem making any reservations unless you plan to arrive during any local festivity of any kind – -and there are many and I certainly don’t know about all of them. if I were you, I’d wait until closer to your travel dates, just so you can remain flexible.
Send on any other questions you may have…