Ecuador's Hacienda Cusín

On a 2-week trip to Ecuador in January ’06, my wife, Barbara, and I chose to splurge a bit and stay in Hacienda Cusín (visit www.haciendacusin.com or phone U.S. rep, Myths & Mountains, at 800/670-6984), near Lago San Pablo and about 10 kilometers southeast of Otavalo. We reserved a few days prior to arrival by calling from our hotel in Otavalo; we used a local number: 918-013. (Our Cingular GMS phone worked fine in Ecuador.)

This is a beautifully converted 17th-century hacienda, the oldest part of which dates from 1602. It was completely renovated in 1990 for the purpose of modern comfort and utility but not to the point of destroying the ambiance.

The oldest building contains a sitting room and library with fireplaces and Spanish colonial furnishings. The dining room is all rich wood, with many interesting paintings and wall decorations. Tea and coffee are served at your request.

Our suite included a fireplace that was lit for us while we were out for a stroll. The hacienda no longer has 100,000 acres as it did in the early days, but there is enough room for a wonderfully productive vegetable garden. All of the produce used in the kitchen, including some of the fruit, comes from the garden. Lunch and dinner both were memorable. Main dishes ran $17-$24, and a meal for the two of us was near $65, including a cocktail, wine and tip.

Double rooms were $107, including an “American” breakfast. For longer stays, package deals were available with meals and horseback riding or mountain biking. Prices on longer stays are negotiable and automatically discounted if booked online.

We returned to Quito the next day for one more night and then got up at 3:45 a.m. to take a cab to the airport for a 7:45 a.m. flight. We probably could have arrived a little later, but the flights are routinely oversold, so it isn’t worth the chance plus they don’t assign seats ahead of time.

SAM KAMILOS

Carmichael, CA