If you want to experience some relaxing time at an authentic Ecuadorean hacienda without paying very much, then Hacienda Guachala is a perfect choice. A friend and I stayed here for two nights mid-week in March 2011 before spending a weekend in Otavalo. Even if you don’t have time to stay for a night or two, I would highly recommend stopping here for a couple hours to enjoy lunch and just walk through the beautiful grounds and admire the history of this place. Hacienda Guachala is about one mile off the Panamerican highway on a paved road about twenty minutes south of Otavalo and a bit more than an hour north of Quito. It’s a perfect stopping place on a trip between Quito and Otavalo. The Hacienda is also about 5 minutes south of the equator and the Quitsato Project Solar Clock/Calendar (which is definitely worth stopping for) and about 10 minutes south of the city of Cayambe (not much for tourists to see in Cayambe).
The hacienda’s grounds are simply gorgeous with beautiful flowers, trees and bushes. The old buildings and courtyard make it authentically feel like you’ve gone back in time. It is very relaxing surroundings compared to the noise and hustle of Quito.
Lodging prices are a terrific bargain. We had a room with three twin size beds for $40. My bed was comfortable, but my friend complained about his mattress. The beds are rustic wooden tree branch frame beds with thin mattresses and lots of wool blankets on them. It gets very cool here at night so bring a warm jacket. The rooms do not have heat, AC or a fan. However they do have fireplaces. We decided not to bother setting a fire although the fireplace was obviously well used and the room had a definite smoky odor from smoke that has permeated into the painted walls and room furnishings. People with respiratory issues may not want to stay here. The room was large with high ceilings. The bathroom was somewhat cramped and dated, but clean. Larger people may feel very awkward and confined in the small shower stall.
The food was a highlight. We ate all our meals (2 lunches, 2 dinners and 2 breakfasts) at the Hacienda. There is ample variety on the menu and the prices were a really great bargain. The menu is in both English and Spanish so placing your order with the Spanish-only speaking wait staff is not too challenging. It’s very fortunate that the food here is exceptional because there are no other options for getting a meal without asking for a taxi to come and take you somewhere. I saw a few restaurants on the Pan American highway about a mile walk from the Hacienda, but nothing that looked worthy of venturing to. There is a small town closer to the Hacienda if heading away from the Pan American highway, but I didn’t walk fully in to explore what might be there.
The nearby town of Cayambe is famous for its dairy products and for "bizcochos", a type of rich, buttery biscuit. The women in the kitchen at Guachala baked fresh bizcochos on both days we were there. In addition to giving us a sample fresh out of the oven, we had a basket full of them with each meal. I don’t want to think about how many calories I consumed in the less than 48 hours we spent there!!! At breakfast they served fresh yogurt and real butter and fresh made jams. Their food was truly exceptional.
All the staff we encountered at Hacienda Guachala were exceptionally friendly. My Spanish is very limited so we did encounter language challenges when we first arrived. The woman working the front office did not speak English and was asking me questions that were beyond what my Spanish travel phrase book could handle for translation. Nevertheless, she showed us to our room and we were set.
I had made reservations several weeks in advance from the US via e-mail. I was concerned over the lack of responsive communication I received back from them, even when I sent some e-mails in Spanish. They responded that they had availability, but never really confirmed that I had a reservation. My frustration was at a point of almost giving up and reserving a room elsewhere. When we arrived in Quito several nights before we were to go to the hacienda, I had the concierge at our Quito hotel call the hacienda just to confirm that they still had a room for us. They told him everything was set and so I felt better then. As it turned out, there were very few other guests staying there those nights and we practically had the entire place to ourselves.
The hacienda has a beautiful library, although the older books are kept locked behind glass doors. There is a pool table for use by the guests in the library along with a few ancient computers. We eventually had success getting an internet connection but don’t expect too much from those computers. The library also had a small TV with satellite that allowed us to watch CNN and Fox News in English. The hacienda also has a pool enclosed in a green house filled with beautiful flowers. It was very relaxing and pleasantly warmer just sitting by the pool under the enclosure.
One particular reason I wanted to stay at Hacienda Guachala was in hope of being able to see Mount Cayambe. Sadly, the peak was covered in clouds for the entire 2 days we were there. Even during clearer times you would have to venture away from the hacienda to get an unobstructed view looking east to Mount Cayambe.
I would certainly recommend staying at Hacienda Guachala, however, if I could redo my vacation I would have stayed for one night rather than two.
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