Echo Valley Ranch & Spa — Hotel in Area E (Bonaparte Plateau)

I can only say: Paradise on earth! Such a very special, very peaceful place with the most stunning views! Trees, mountains and valleys all around, it could not be more beautiful! We were in awe! Such a great place for the horses, with huge winter and summer pastures. Beautiful little ponds to try your luck fishing, or just sit on one of the many benches and listen to the gurgling creek. Endless trails for biking, hiking or horseback riding.

I can’t even say what the highlight of our stay was, somehow they were all highlights. Let’s start with the food: The meals were superb. I probably had the best lamb and Thai dinner ever, despite having been to Greece and Thailand. But it wasn’t just the food itself, it was also the people preparing the food and the people sharing those meals with us. Such a kind and interesting team. And such fascinating conversations at meal times! By day three, I’m sure we all sounded like old friends, so much animated story sharing, teasing and laughter going on! A very special atmosphere with very special people! Clearly one of the highlights of our stay, much appreciated and enjoyed three times a day...! (We opted for the family style meals, but you could choose to eat by yourself as well.)

There are so many interesting and different activities on offer, but the best thing is, you can be as busy, or quiet, as you want to be, your choice! We opted for horse harmony, trail rides, fly fishing, survival spirit and Spa treatments. Plus the daily morning Thai yoga, very different from the yoga we know, and such a great way to start the day! Together with the three meals a day, that kept us ample busy. But we also took our time to relax and just “be”. In this kind of place, we sometimes just wanted to stand by the paddock and watch the horses. Or enjoy the scenery, completely in awe. Or play with the dogs and cats…

Having a Spa Treatment was yet another special treat! We tried the fusion treatment as well as the Thai massage. After that experience, I will probably switch from my usual deep tissue massages to Thai massages, I enjoyed it that much!

Last but not least the trail rides. They can be as long or as short as you want them to be. We started out with the Horse Harmony to get to know our horses better and then off onto the trail rides, even though we were absolute beginners. Such fun riding through the forest on those beautiful animals! Seeing a bear from a safe distance was very exciting. We’ll forever cherish the beautiful pictures taken on those trail rides!

We cannot thank our hosts and the whole Echo Valley team enough for this very special time we shared in their little piece of heaven. Thank you to all of you!

Silke, Victoria...

The peaceful magic of Echo Valley envelopes you moments after your arrival up the gravel road to get there. Everyone there is warm, friendly, helpful and eager to make your stay exactly what you are hoping--even if you don't what you are hoping for which we did not. ||We did Thai yoga every morning, rode their lovely horses daily (shout out to Magic and Diego

The Ranch & Spa rooms were beautiful, neat, clean, and well maintained. There are king beds which can be converted into two doubles, with ample linens and blankets and pillows. There is a large refrigerator, table and chairs, large dresser, and large bathrooms with all the products and hairdryers. The views from the rooms are beautiful and all within walking distance of the activities. Each lodge also has a porch with chairs which allows guests to enjoy the view including sunrises, sunsets, and the horses grazing.|The Ranch & Spa has every activity you will need including yoga, spa treatments, hiking, horseback riding, archery, shooting, survival skills, fitness center, and an indoor pool. Activities are led by well trained staff who make them very enjoyable such as the archery/shooting instructor with the great sense of humor and the massage therapists who will work out all the kinks you have from the flights.|The Ranch & Spa is very safe. The location lends itself to that naturally since it isn't located near a major city. The only concern would be animals and the staff provide warnings and ample information about those. In addition, there are firearms and archery equipment on the property, if needed, and the dogs are happy to help scare away the deer.|The Ranch & Spa is totally walkable, just bring good walking shoes such as sneakers, hiking boots, and riding boots. They have plenty of land on the ranch itself and all the buildings are a brief walk from each other.|The Ranch & Spa has WONDERFUL food and drinks. The water on the property is drinkable, however, you can get bottles of water at the main lodge along with tea, coffee, juice, soda, wine, etc. The food is wonderful and with three meals a day, no one will be starving. You start with a buffet breakfast with a range of foods from scrambled eggs to granola and fruit. In the afternoon, it's a three course lunch with appetizer, entree, and dessert. In the evening, it's a five course dinner with wine or other drinks. The chef and staff make food on the premises using natural ingredients and all our meals were healthy and delicious. We wanted to take them home with us! Some examples were duck confit with an orange sauce, penne with a light sauce and chorizo and garlic bread, and a flourless chocolate cake with raspberry sauce, whipped cream and...