View from Hacienda Rumiloma room
On a recent hotel site inspection tour in Ecuador, I had the wonderful opportunity to meet Amber Laree de Freire, who co-owns Quito’s Hacienda Rumiloma with her mountaineer husband Oswaldo. She graciously invited me to stay at the property for a night and I jumped at the chance, having first read about the property in a glowing New York Times piece about Quito (scroll down to “#9: Above the Clouds” for the Hacienda Rumiloma review).
While Quito is home to a number of opulent boutique hotels, charming guesthouses, and sleek modern hotels, Hacienda Rumiloma is in a standard all its own: the property combines the best elements of a mountain lodge, a classic Ecuadorian Hacienda, and a luxury B&B. At times, I felt like I was staying a rich relative’s house, it was that comfortable, welcoming, and homey; at other times, when dining, I clearly knew I wasn’t staying with any of my relatives: the food here is far beyond the culinary capabilities of my family. In fact, the property boasts one of the finest restaurants in Quito, with carefully prepared dishes incorporating the best traditional Ecuadorian foods in exquisite cuisine replete with distinguished European sensitivity (e.g. for a dish that I tried, the menu read “Cordera le Cantera-Tender Lamb, marinated in our house Sangria, barbequed & served with fluffy “Chaucha” potatoes, Fava beans, and Andean Corn”). And it has marvelous views to match: at night, while enjoying a robust Argentine Malbec with your meal, the lights of Quito sparkle like pixie dust below. At lunch, enjoy a view of the property’s 100 acres of primary forest as it stretches beyond a forest blanketed valley up a craggy flank of massive Volcan Pichincha.
The hardest part about enjoying the outside here, however, is that your suite will be so nice that you may not want to leave it after your porter brings your bags and stokes the fire in your room’s pot-bellied wood burning stove. All the rooms are incredibly spacious (the smallest is around 600 feet), elaborately decorated in warm, inviting tones, with comfortable accented furniture and fine King beds. They feature enormous bathrooms (including deep soaking tubs), chandeliers, and huge plate glass windows. The grounds are beautifully manicured, and on any stroll of the lawns, you may come across one of the strutting, resident peacocks.
Despite its seclusion, Hacienda Rumiloma is surprisingly not far from the domestic airport, where you’ll catch your flights to/from the Galapagos (allow approximately 20 minutes or so). Pricing is firmly in the luxury hotel segment, with the least expensive King Suite running about US$350/night, while dinner entrees tend to start in the high teens and go up from there. In summary, for luxury travelers seeking a refined, secluded escape for their overnights in Quito, Hacienda Rumiloma provides a perfect, unforgettable solution.
For Galapagos travelers, we often recommend 2 nights in Quito prior to a cruise, with one overnight in Quito following the cruise. Hacienda Rumiloma makes a fantastic choice for an indulgent post-cruise hotel night – what a remarkable way to wrap up a trip of a lifetime! Please contact us for details on our year-round Galapagos cruise dates, rates, and Quito & Ecuador land services that range from Quito hotel bookings and airport transfers to extended multi-day treks in the Ecuadorian Andes.