This place is a little bit out of town but worth the journey. I could feel the stress melt away as we walked through the beautiful grounds to our 2 storey cabin. Everything is so lovely, I would highly recommend staying here. The food was great and the service impeccable. As for the distance from town, it is a nice walk and a taxi can be easily arranged for all of $3.00. Host will happily help you arrange outings and activities although we could have happily stayed in our hammocks watching birds and butterflies.

Additional advice: If driving down from Quito, I recommend anti-nausea medication. Our 3 children, usually so hardy, became carsick.

My wife and I stayed for 3 nights this month. More than we usually pay but it felt very worth it.
We were the only people staying there during the pre-holiday lull and we enjoyed the quiet and solitude. it is only a 20 minute walk or so into town.
Food was excellent, both breakfast and dinner are included with the room. The cabins were built by the couple, Efrain and Molly, and the workmanship is admirable.
We went birdwatching with Efrain one day and he is very knowledgeable and helpful in getting our gringo eyes to spot the toucans and tanagers that would have passed unnoticed if we were birding by ourselves.
Jerry
Boise

Stayed here as a "rest" after a busy 2 weeks in Peru. Loved the lodge, ours was at the back and we had no-one underneath. Very relaxing and restful, especially afternoon naps in the hammock. We had booked the birding package with Efrain who is a wonderful and knowledgeable guide and very keen to share his enthusiasm. We are not bird watching experts so did not appreciate quite how demanding it is! Very early morning starts and lots of peering up into the tree canopies, not great for someone with a dodgy neck. With hindsight think we should have gone for a shorter birding package and more lazing about. Molly and Efrain are a lovely, friendly and welcoming couple who really make you feel at home. We loved our stay there although would not say Mindo itself had much going for it. The only reason I am not marking it as overall "excellent" is that my husband was disappointed by the dinner choices on the two nights we were the only guests. The food had been very good but the last two nights we had a corn salad and then a vegetable rice dish. Not my husband's idea of a decent evening meal when you are paying a fairly expensive nightly rate. Molly had explained that her cook was off sick but we still felt a bit fobbed off.

My wife and I spent the four best days of our honeymoon at Casa Divina. The grounds are so beautiful -- tropical flowers, hiking trails and amazing birds like Toucanets sprinkle the property -- that we didn't take pictures because they couldn't capture the beauty of the place. Casa Divina is truly a labor of love, and it shows.

As a couple on our honeymoon, we stayed in the honeymoon suite, which came with a great bottle of red wine and a bar of local chocolate each night. This small touches were indicative of the care that Molly and Efrain put into making Casa Divina a great place -- every last detail was right. The locally manufactured organic soap was a nice touch and the room was always clean after we returned from our morning hike.

Our room was secluded with a huge porch and a hammock that was perfect for reading or napping. The food was amazing -- Molly even cooked a Thanksgiving dinner complete with stuffing, gravy and cranberry sauce. While some of the reviews have complained that dinner is communal, with such a small place, this is really the best -- and only -- way to do it. If you really dislike eating with strangers, I'm sure that you could ask to move your food to one of the other tables in the lodge.

The best part of this place are the owners, Molly and Efrain. Molly is an American living in Ecuador who is able to help you with anything from picking a good place to eat in Quito to arranging an airport pick-up. Efrain is a wonderful naturalist who helped us spot the cock of the rock and some amazing tanagers during our bird walk with him.

Beyond the lodge, the best part of Mindo is the birds. I can't explain how many cool birds there are -- and how great it is to stay at a place where Efrain can tell you what you're listening to. Beyond the birds, there is canyoning, zip lines and a place where you can fish for your own lunch. The town of Mindo is very cute, and we spent a happy afternoon watching the surprisingly cute and friendly street dogs walk through the park.

Casa Divina knocks it out of the park!