Papallacta Hot Springs — Attraction in Papallacta

I spent two nights here in cabin 53.

South side cabins woefully outdated - look like they have not been updated in 40 years, though mine did have a beautiful ceiling. (I have no info about other cabins.) No AC or fan so it gets hot in the afternoon. No screen on sole small window so if you open it for relief, insects can get in. Door knob/lock very loose. No soundproofing: at times felt I was practically in the same room with the family of four next door (including two small children). Sink faucet sprays in different directions; probably hasn't ever been cleaned. Arrived at balneario 5 minutes after it opened on a Sunday and it was already too crowded for my comfort so I immediately left. No explanation of what the difference between the balneario and the spa is (both words translate to "spa" in English). Long checkout process with people waiting 15+ minutes in a line of 4-5. Screaming children all day at guest-only pools. I loved going at night and early in the morning, though, as they presumably slept.

A few small, inexpensive changes in the rooms could go a long way. Recommend adding a fan to all closets, replacing window treatments, replacing outdated headboards, perhaps painting rooms pastel blue or green. The bathrooms would need to be completely redone though to bring them up to standard.

Beds very comfortable. Bathroom functions very well despite being exceedingly outdated cosmetically: good water volume, control of temp and has a clothesline. They provide a large cistern full of drinking water in the room, which I appreciated wholeheartedly as I arrived dehydrated. Strong wifi signal all over property. Pools for guests really nice. Phenomenally tranquil environment in the Andes. Absolutely gorgeous landscaping throughout; whoever maintains that deserves a gold star or two. Restaurant excellent in both service and food. Frederick, who seems to be either the waiter captain or team lead, stands out as a true asset and has everything under control at all times. He and some of the other staff are completely fluent in English if you need it. All the restaurant staff are literally running around working as hard and quickly as possible. Some have complained about the restaurant prices but I thought they were well-matched with the quality and portion sizes. Cannot comment on trail or spa as I skipped them both.

Despite my assorted...

This is a beautiful Spa about an hour and a half outside of Quito up in the mountains. We took a taxi from Cumbaya, Quito which can cost between $30 to $40 US dollars. There is a comfortable bus from Quito or Cumbaya that goes to the little village of Papallacta for around $2.00 and from there you take a taxi for another $2.00 to the resort. We discovered this only once we were at the resort. On our return trip to Cumbaya we took the bus and we're dropped off at the Scala Shopping Centre. The bus does carry on to Quito. I suggest calling the resort to get more details on the other drop off and pick up points. The 4 of us stayed in a 2 storey, heated cabin that could sleep 6 people very comfortably. There is a bedroom with ensuite bathroom on the main floor and another bathroom for the guests staying upstairs which has 4 single beds, very cozy and comfortable. There are plenty of blanket and towels available. Each cabin has a thermal pool right outside the door. There are many pools of different sizes all over the resort. The setting is beautiful and the resort fits right into the environment . There are hiking trails and an Eco Information Centre . There is a good restaurant in the main building of the resort and Internet through out the resort. Umbrellas are supplied in the main lobby for guests to borrow when necessary. We enjoyed our stay and I'd recommend a visit to Termas...

I came in mid-march. I went to both the balneario ($10.50) and spa ($24), and obviously thought the spa was much better. Both don’t really have change for large bills like $100, so pay in smaller bills or card.

The official website is confusing because in english both balneario and spa are translated to “spa”. The more boujee spa is the one that loans you a towel for free, and requires you to have a swimcap on. It’s the one with the wooden inn-looking front; it looks small from the outside but it’s the entrance to a much larger area inside.

The balneario had one main pool, with mini circular pools towards the top. On the other hand, the spa had several large pools spread around with some nice fountains and jacuzzis. There were already people by 9am in the balneario but when i switched to the spa at 10am i only saw one other person there and for the most part i had my own pool. The spa also has hotter pools, whereas i felt like the balneario was warm at the start but didn’t give the hot spring temperature I wanted.

The amenities are also much better in the spa. They offer sunscreen at the entrance to the pools. The showers are nicer (relative to the balneario, which are not nice). There’s spa music playing so it has a much more calming atmosphere.

Service staff at both balneario and spa were very nice even though I couldn’t speak...