Hacienda San Agustin de Callo
Just over an hour from the capital Quito, the Hacienda San Agustin de Callo is built on one of the two most significant Inca sites in Ecuador.
Since Inca times, the buildings have been an Augustinian convent and then home to a French Geodesic Mission, and as a result, the Hacienda incorporates very distinct architectural styles - Inca, Spanish colonial and 20th Century Republican.
There are just eleven spacious rooms and suites in various different houses on the property. The luxury suites in particular have cosy fireplaces and great views of Cotopaxi volcano.
The restaurant serves authentic Andean dishes including llapingachos, a type of potato cake, and locro, a rich cheese and potato soup served with slices of ripe avocado.
Activities on offer include trekking in Cotopaxi National Park, and mountain biking on the slopes of the volcano itself. Guests can also go riding (with a picnic) in Ilinizas Ecological Reserve, visit the crater lake of Quilotoa passing through the artists' village of Tigua and the local market of Pujili, or drive to Chimborazo National Park to see wild vicuñas in their natural habitat.
Why We Love It
In 1921 the Hacienda was purchased by General Leonidas Plaza Gutierrez, leader of the Liberal Revolution, who went on to become President of Ecuador in 1901 and again in 1912. The Hacienda remains in the family to this day and is currently owned by the General's granddaughter Mignon Plaza.
Casa Aliso
This delightful little property offers all of the style and comfort of a small luxurious home, with warm and tasteful interiors.
A private residence built in 1936, the house retains the feel of a fine home, thanks to fresh flowers, marble staircases, antiques and interesting portraits on the walls. The house has a lovely private garden, which many of the rooms overlook.
Casa Aliso is located in La Floresta, an elegant tree-lined residential area in the northern sector of Quito, surrounded by restaurants, hotels and banks.
Why We Love It
A short walk away is Ocho y Medio cinema which shows arty Latin American and European films.
Casa Gangotena
Located on Plaza San Francisco, a cobbled square with a history stretching back to Inca days, Casa Gangotena is the perfect base from which to explore Quito.
The 31 rooms in this Neo-Classical historic mansion are adorned with Art Nouveau furniture, rich carpets and high ceilings, all complimented by contemporary touches such as flat screen televisions. All of the rooms have a view of the historic square, the inner courtyard or the Panecillo hillside. The third floor terrace is the best place to watch life in Quito go by and has great views of the square, bell towers and spires of the Old Town.
All of the sights and attractions of Quito are on the hotel's doorstep. Guests can step out of the hotel and walk around the city, taking in sights such as churches La Compania de Jesus and San Francisco; the cafes, music and artisans of La Ronda street; City Museum and the Maria Urrutia Museum; and the religious art collections inside the Franciscan and Dominican complexes. The options are endless.
Dining at Casa Gangotena celebrates Ecuadorian cuisine, with food from both the Andes and the coast featuring on their ever changing menu.
Why We Love It
According to early conquistador records from the 15th century the square was once home to Inca temples, one of which sat on the site of the hotel.
Hacienda Cusin
Situated within a wide scenic valley just south of the snow-capped Imbabura mountain lies Hacienda Cusin, a restored 17th century estate.
The hacienda's old-world charm is illustrated by its winding cobblestone pathways that lead to fountain courtyards, and the sheep and llamas that graze under its avocado trees.
The rooms are furnished with colonial antique handicrafts and possess extensive garden views, while the garden cottages echo the white walls and terra-cotta tile roof of the main building.
Miles of winding trails surround the hacienda and there are horses available to rent, so that guests can explore deep into the hills and fields.
Why We Love It
The Hacienda is named after a local warrior who fought bravely against the Incas.
Hacienda Pinsaqui
Hacienda Pinsaqui is a colonial property that has belonged to the Freile family since 1888 and is one of Ecuador's oldest and most historic haciendas.
The suites are all individual, comfortably furnished with original antiques and fireplaces, many with balconies overlooking the lush gardens. Heavy blankets cover the beds as nights can get chilly, and this is a place to relax and soak up the authentic atmosphere.
The property's beautiful private grounds are yours to explore, with their ponds, palms, and resident roaming llamas.
The hacienda has a restaurant serving Ecuadorian and international food, the terrace has lovely garden views and snacks can be eaten here, while in the cellars there is a wonderfully atmospheric bar, where you can relax in front of a roaring fire.
Why We Love It
One of the oldest Hacienda's in Ecuador which is family run, ensuring it remains cosy and homely.
Hacienda Zuleta
Zuleta is a 4,000 acre colonial working farm that has belonged to the family of a former Ecuadorian president for more than 100 years.
Surrounded by the natural beauty of the Andes Mountains and fertile farming valleys, Zuleta is a great option for lovers of horse riding or walking,
The beautifully decorated bedrooms - all in the hacienda's main building, which dates back to the late 17th century - each have their own fireplace as the hacienda is set up high in the Andes and the temperature is refreshingly cool here. Decorated individually with antiques, family portraits and hand-embroidered linens, the rooms feel a world away from a hotel's.
Delicious organic home cooking and regional cuisine is offered daily, prepared with vegetables, trout and dairy products produced on the farm.
Why We Love It
Arriving here is like going to stay with a great friend or family member. Guests are encouraged to treat the place like home.
Mashpi Lodge
Just two and a half hours west of Quito in the biodiverse hot spot of Tumbez-Choco-Magdalena, the new Mashpi Lodge is the ideal staging post for anyone wanting to explore the Andean Cloudforest.
The 22 rooms and suites are contemporary and sophisticated in design and the floor to ceiling windows are perfect for watching the hundreds of species of birds, monkeys and plants which inhabit the reserve.
Mashpi is deeply committed to the sustainability of the surroundings and the lodge has been built to blend into the forest with the staff recruited from the local community. Guests of the lodge can enjoy day and night-time guided nature walks along the many trails, as well as visiting the natural orchid garden, lagoons and waterfalls. There is also an Aerial Tram, which allows guests to get up close and personal to the most active part of the forest - the canopy.
Ecuadorian Cuisine is served alongside a good selection of Chilean and Argentinean wines in restaurant, and other facilities include a small massage room and a panoramic Jacuzzi.
Why We Love It
Mashpi walks the responsible tourism walk as well as talking the talk - the air conditioning is even powered by ecological gas.
Patio Andaluz
Located in the heart of the historic centre of Quito, this small and charming colonial-style hotel is surrounded by churches, museums and national monuments.
Hotel Patio Andaluz offers true old world elegance and comfort with comfortable colonial style rooms, sunny patios surrounded by arches, balconies and wide corridors.
Why We Love It
Although there is little discernible evidence nowadays, the hotel was part of the original set of buildings that constituted the city of San Francisco de Quito at the time of its foundation in the 16th Century.
Plaza Grande
This legendary building was originally the home of Juan DÃaz de Hidalgo, one of the Spanish conquerors who founded Quito in the early 16th century.
Located right in the heart of colonial Quito on the Plaza de la Independencia, opposite the Cathedral and close to the Presidential Palace, this boutique hotel is one of the best located in town. There are just 15 colonial style suites at Plaza Grande, with sumptuous teakwood beds and Jacuzzi bathtubs, and some suites offering unbeatable views of Plaza de la Independencia.
La Belle Époque restaurant, modelled on a 1940's French dining room, offers a menu of fine French cuisine with plaza views, whilst Café Plaza Grande is a more laid back affair, with the sounds of an Ecuadorian guitar duo drifting over diners from afternoon to evening. Plaza Grande also features a small spa and sauna, and an elegant Champagne bar, on the upper floor.
Why We Love It
Plaza Grande offers the chance to stay in an original Colonial Mansion, within this historic city, and World Heritage site.
Hacienda Piman
Hacienda Piman is a historic property in the dry mountains of Imbabura Province in the northern Ecuadorian Andes, an hour from Zuleta. The original buildings may date from the 1600s but the owners offer a really fresh (and refreshing) take on staying in a luxury hacienda in Ecuador.
Designed as a blend of traditional and modern architecture, Hacienda Piman has 17 simple but tasteful bedrooms, with seven in the main house and ten distributed across a further five cabins, all with thick stones walls, and decked out with faux antique furniture (designed by Roxanna, one of the owners, and built locally) and paintings. The bathrooms are contemporary and well thought out with enormous showers.
Roxanna and husband Guillermo take pride in their Ecuadorian culinary heritage and serve up a wide selection of home-cooked dishes using locally sourced ingredients. The specialities are soups and fresh fruit juices using seasonal Ecuadorian fruit.
The Hacienda is a perfect sanctuary that affords guests the chance to rest and relax in a peaceful setting by the open-air swimming pool or in the beautiful and colourful gardens but more energetic activities are also on offer, including walking and bike rides, particularly to nearby Otovalo.
Why We Love It
This former colonial and republican country manor has been beautifully restored. During construction, instead of chopping down trees the builders built around the trees so they are incorporated into balconies and through windows. The old chapel has also been fully restored to its former glory.
