HotelChatter - ec

Ecuadorean Getaway: Termas de Papallacta

annie0007 — 2008-04-21T14:21:47-05:00

Sure, there are plenty of skyscrapers in New York City, but can that compare with a thermal spa 10,824 feet above sea level?

After a long day droning away in a corporate cubicle, some R&R in a steaming natural bath sounds pretty excellent. Enter Termas de Papallacta Spa & Resort, roughly 40 miles due East from Quito. It sits in the Amazon region of Ecuador, lodged in between two volcanoes that naturally power the thermal springs that are this resort's primary draw.

Let's face it, delays on the MTA subway system pale against the power of a live volcano.

Best Green Hotels: In The Cool Shade of Mangrove Tree

markj — 2007-11-06T11:02:04-05:00

<![CDATA[<img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/3/redmangroveinn.jpg" class="imgborder"><a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/maps/Green-Hotels-Map"><img align="right" src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/3/redmangrove_sm_map.png"></a> The Today Show is doing a week long series on "the Ends of the Earth" and managed to remind us of a cool eco-hotel, the <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/hotel-reviews/Red+Mangrove+Adventure+Inn/local/659">Red Mangrove Inn in the Galapagos</a>, this morning. We have talked about this hotel before, but now it is time to add it to our Best Green Hotels map. Claudio Dominguez, who owns the inn, built the place in an environmentally conscious way to protect the wild mangrove trees surrounding the property. The inn is near Puerto Ayora, and the 12 rooms have built-in platform beds plus bathrooms that are almost carved into the indigenous rock. While the hotel is not 5 star earth killing

Two Hilton Hotels in Ecuador Get New Looks

juliana — 2007-10-17T09:15:01-05:00

<![CDATA[<img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/admin/hiltoncolon4.jpg" class="imgborder">We didn't even know there were <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/tag/hilton%20hotels">Hilton Hotels</a> in Ecuador but apparently there are and they are finishing up some major renovations.A rep for the <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/hotel-reviews/Hilton+Colon+Guayaquil/ian/118337">Hilton Colon Guayaquil</a> and the <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/hotel-reviews/Hilton+Colon+Quito/ian/111078">Hilton Colon Quito</a> gave us the detes on the new looks. The Hilton Colon Guayaquil got a $3 million renovation of its 255 rooms and 39 suites. Meanwhile, the Hilton Colon Quito spent $2 million converting 92 of the La Pinta tower rooms into 42 suites, as well as building a separate private lounge in the tower. Both hotels will have new amenities such as: <blockquote> the Hilton Serenity Bed, new furniture, Cuisinart coffee makers and flat screen TVs.</blockquote>The Hilton Guayaquil renos are completed and

Cubicle Dreamin': Ecuador's Hacienda Pinsaqui

amandak — 2007-08-29T09:09:16-05:00

<![CDATA[ Cubicle Dreamin' is a feature in which we ask the hotel mavens to take some time out of their busy work day, surf the Internet, and tell us what hotel they wish they could beam themselves to right that very second--all on the slave driving companies dime, of course. Oh, like these people aren't surfing aimlessly anyway--at least now their purposeless clicking will be cobbled together into useful hotel stories--we hope. Have a destination hotel you are just dying to leave your cube for? <a href="tips@hotelchatter.com">Send the story our way</a>. In this episode, Hotel Maven <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/user/amandak/stories">Amanda K</a> heads to Ecuador. Enjoy.<img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/3873/HaciendaEcuador.jpg" class="imgborder"> Being in the mood for something a little more exotic just at the moment, a

Ecuador's Eco-Friendly 'Outcast': The Black Sheep Inn

amandak — 2007-06-26T10:58:33-05:00

<![CDATA[<img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/3873/View_Black_Sheep.jpg" class="imgborder"> It's got a cute name, which helps a lot. On top of that, it's got high environmental principles and is located in the Ecuadorian Andes. Perhaps that's reason enough to check in to the <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/hotel-reviews/Black+Sheep+Inn/local/673">Black Sheep Inn</a> near the village of Chugchilán in Ecuador. It's just had a renovation so that more of its 9 rooms have private bathrooms, but the eco-Ecuadorian character is still there.What's green about the Black Sheep? The food is a good start--room rates include a gourmet vegetarian dinner and an organic farm breakfast. They also have recycling systems in place that, they say, result in zero waste--one of the owners was even elected to be the "King of Garbage" for the