Since I have Ecuador on the brain, I thought you guys might want to read one of my Trip Advisor reviews on a resort a couple hours away from Quito:
We live in Otavalo, Ecuador and were having friends from the States come visit us. We picked them up in Quito and took a bus from the station to the town of Papallacta the next day. I think the bus said Baeza on the side and it was just a few dollars. The road to Papallacta is beautiful, but at some parts not for the faint of heart. (dirt roads, curvy, steep drop-offs with no guardrails...) We got off at the fork of the road just before the bus continues on to Baeza and had some cold beers at the La Choza Don Wilson before hailing down a truck that all seven of us rode up the hill for 60 cents. It drops you right at the door of Termas de Papallacta. We got a large, 2-story cabin with kitchenette and fireplace. Several private hot pools were right outside our door, literally 10 steps away to heaven! The staff was pretty friendly (but not overly) and the maids let us peek inside the other non-cabin rooms. They were very clean and cheery, but not near as awesome as our cabin. The grounds are full of huge heated thermal pools and you can swim all day in a different pool of different temps and depths. Our group ranged from age 6 to 56 and we all had a GREAT time, however this town and resort is in the middle of NOWHERE and there's not much to do but relax, which was PERFECT for our group. We did a self-guided hiking tour which you can discover lot of flora and fauna including llamas that let you pet them. For a fee there were also longer guided hikes and horse-back riding, but not much else, so bring a book if you bore easily. We ate at the restaurant once, but the prices are "Americanized" and food wasn't that special, so we instead walked down the road out of the resort to the other small hostels which also had restaurants with great, cheap, authentic food. And since they don't get much business, they bent over backwards to make our meals extra special. Another thing to keep in mind is the weather. I brought a terry-cloth robe to wear when walking from pool to pool because the altitude there is still quite high making for chilly and cloudy days. I saw other wet guests shivering and running to hurry and get into the next hot pool. But if you get lucky and the skies clear, look to the north for a view of a snow-capped volcano in all its glory. All in all, this resort is worth the price we paid for the cabin and I WILL be back!
We live in Otavalo, Ecuador and were having friends from the States come visit us. We picked them up in Quito and took a bus from the station to the town of Papallacta the next day. I think the bus said Baeza on the side and it was just a few dollars. The road to Papallacta is beautiful, but at some parts not for the faint of heart. (dirt roads, curvy, steep drop-offs with no guardrails...) We got off at the fork of the road just before the bus continues on to Baeza and had some cold beers at the La Choza Don Wilson before hailing down a truck that all seven of us rode up the hill for 60 cents. It drops you right at the door of Termas de Papallacta. We got a large, 2-story cabin with kitchenette and fireplace. Several private hot pools were right outside our door, literally 10 steps away to heaven! The staff was pretty friendly (but not overly) and the maids let us peek inside the other non-cabin rooms. They were very clean and cheery, but not near as awesome as our cabin. The grounds are full of huge heated thermal pools and you can swim all day in a different pool of different temps and depths. Our group ranged from age 6 to 56 and we all had a GREAT time, however this town and resort is in the middle of NOWHERE and there's not much to do but relax, which was PERFECT for our group. We did a self-guided hiking tour which you can discover lot of flora and fauna including llamas that let you pet them. For a fee there were also longer guided hikes and horse-back riding, but not much else, so bring a book if you bore easily. We ate at the restaurant once, but the prices are "Americanized" and food wasn't that special, so we instead walked down the road out of the resort to the other small hostels which also had restaurants with great, cheap, authentic food. And since they don't get much business, they bent over backwards to make our meals extra special. Another thing to keep in mind is the weather. I brought a terry-cloth robe to wear when walking from pool to pool because the altitude there is still quite high making for chilly and cloudy days. I saw other wet guests shivering and running to hurry and get into the next hot pool. But if you get lucky and the skies clear, look to the north for a view of a snow-capped volcano in all its glory. All in all, this resort is worth the price we paid for the cabin and I WILL be back!
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