Traveling from Quito, you'll follow the route of legendary Spanish conquistador Francisco de Orellana, when he made his Andean trek in 1542. And when you get there, indulge in nine hot thermal pools, fed by the Pallapacta river. Hot thermal steam billows into the fresh air, and you're at such a high altitude, clouds literally blow through the lush mountain terrain. Everywhere there are plants and greenery, trees and trails and mountains that give the place a feeling of enclosure.  And there's three cold pools, to ensure you don't doze off.  

The resort website claims that "besides improving intestinal function, the baths' curative properties are also anti-allergenic, anti-inflammatory, diuretic and anti-rheumatic."  New York City tapwater frankly pales by comparison -- plus you'll pay through the nose for those Manhattan doctors, where as here you'll have an on-site doc take your blood pressure and give you a freebie check-up, after you've had a massage and "a wide range of physiotherapeutic treatments, all of which are endorsed by the Ecuadorian Medical Federation."

There are thirteen luxury cabins, each outfitted with a fireplace, and a short walk to the pools. Out your window you can see the snow-capped crest of the local volcano, Antisana.

A room with a whirlpool caps at US$140; a one-bathroom cabin is $165. You can totally blow your treasury rebate check on that. If you don't splurge on a cabin, the hotel rooms have views of the Andes, and the restaurant serves spectacular South American wines and the local specialty, fresh river trout.

Tripadvisor reviews hilariously refer to this place as a good place to "get high in the Andes."  

And while posters complained of drunken Russians hooting in the pools during the night, and room for improvement, who can think of anything but bliss, sitting in a natural hot spring surrounded by green mountains, thousands of feet into the sky?

[Photo: Jo Simon]