HotelChatter || Cubicle Dreamin': Ecuador's Hacienda Pinsaqui

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? Send the story our way.

In this episode, Hotel Maven Amanda K heads to Ecuador. Enjoy.

Being in the mood for something a little more exotic just at the moment, a recent article in Go World Travel caught my eye. It made the Hacienda Pinsaqui in the mountain highlands of Ecuador sound particularly attractive.

Found just an hour and a half away from Ecuador's capital, Quito, the Hacienda Pinsaqui is an old manor home turned small hotel. Its 20 rooms look something like this:

Each large, airy suite is outfitted with French and Spanish antiques, sheepskin rugs and fireplaces or wood stoves. Floral canopies arch between the four posters of many beds; claw-foot tubs in the bathrooms invite travelers to a respite.

Sounds special. What also sounds great is the local touches, like the Andean band that plays each evening in the cellar bar and the traditional foods served up in the restaurant. On top of that, double rooms start at $108 including breakfast, which is more than reasonable. I think I'd use it as a base for exploring this pretty region, including the lakes, the Imbabura Volcano just above it and the famous Otavalo market nearby.

[Photo: newtobacas]

Related Stories:
· Spontaneous Spin to the Equator [Jaunted]
· Andean Retreat [Go World Travel]
· Hotels in Ecuador [HotelChatter]