Luna Volcán, Adventure SPA (formerly Luna Runtún) — Hotel in Baños de Agua Santa

For Americans, if you like the 1970s Pocono hotels with the gaudy/tacky décor and heart-shaped tubs, as I will explain further below, then this place is for you. Beyond that, the actual reasons for my rating and comments are with the several significant and minor issues we encountered. I really wish we had saved our time and money and stayed in town, and would not suggest this hotel to anyone even though there are some good aspects.||||I will start with the positive aspects. The grounds are beautiful and beautifully maintained. The food at the restaurant is quite good. The rooms are very clean. The views from a handful (not most of the rooms) are spectacular. The bed was comfortable.||||So, why this rating? Here is what we encountered. We knew the hotel was hard to get to and we would arrive late, but we relied on the website information on when things closed. Specifically, it indicates that the spa/pools would be open until 9:30 pm and dinner until 10:00 pm. We had planned to have a soak and then go to dinner but when we got there a little after 8:00, we were told both closed at 9:30. I asked about the pools specifically and more than once, and each time was shown the sheet showing the closure at 9:30. So we decided to eat a quick dinner and then get to the pools before they closed. We arrived at the spa just after 9:00 and it was locked shut. We went to the front desk to determine the issue, I was told the piscine/swimming pool closed at 9:00. I pointed to the sheet I was shown several time showing spa/soaking pools closing at 9:30 and was told that was for the spa not the piscine, but I was not asking about the piscine and the spa and pools were locked shut at 9:00.||||Let me revert back to the dinner. We thought we would have a view from the restaurant, but after protesting where we were seated we ate in an interior back corner with no view at all other than to rooms that had a view. I must say, however, that even rooms with a view had limited view. I did see a staircase to an upper floor where there might have been a view, but no one was being seated there. Dinner includes either appetizer and main course or main course and dessert; no beverages. We were only able to get water when we tracked down the hostess; this was not offered by the waiter but we saw it being provided to others.||||Due to the early closing of the pools, we decided not to check out early as we had originally planned but rather to do something else early in the morning and come back since the pools were a major reason for our selecting this hotel. We told this to the reception but when we got back our room key had been disabled so we had to go to the reception for this to be corrected.||||When we finally did go to check out they could not get any credit card to work. I know this is sometimes a problem with one card but not 3. I gave them an American Express, Visa and Mastercard and somehow none of them worked. Fortunately it was just a small amount from drinks at dinner so I paid cash. And, the ultimate in tacky, they came back with 15 $1 coins for change rather than any bills—and you know they had bills.||||Now to the room. The first thing that hit us was shag rugs made of an unidentifiable substance. Then there were walls painted with what someone thinks is suggestive romantic images (and also not well painted with patches where the paint is missing or overlaps the baseboards). The only way to describe the room overall was just plain tacky! The room did not, in fact, have a heart-shaped tub, but it would fit right in. So, the best description is romantic tacky but there is absolutely no sophistication. There were lights placed in strange locations and lights that did not work at all. When you check in you get a detailed account of exactly how many and what type of towels you will receive and nothing more is available regardless of whether you use them or if you go to the spa (where no towels are available). ||||One final note. They do give you a map of the hotel grounds but it is dark and how to get from one point to another is somewhat difficult to discern,||||I just wish I had not spent all the time coming and going from this disappointment. I could have had more time to explore Banos and far less...

Visited in August 2024. Ecuador. Baños

This hotel was booked well in advance based on positive reviews and the stunning photos. Situated on a hilltop overlooking the city, it requires a 10-15 minute drive to reach, but the journey is worth it. The property is vast and beautiful, boasting a lush garden - a tranquil green oasis overlooking the bustling city below.

Accommodation:

We chose a cabin with breathtaking views of the mountains and the city. The panorama is truly unforgettable - during the day you see magnificent green peaks, and at night, the landscape transforms as thousands of lights beautifully illuminate the city. The cabin itself is cozy, constructed from wood and decorated with a charming interior and beautiful wall paintings. It is equipped with two complimentary bottles of water and a safe and a comfortable bed. While there are no closets, a small area with hangers provides space for a few items. This might prove less than ideal for longer stays with more luggage. The room lacks a TV, and internet access was intermittent. Unfortunately, there is also no mini-fridge to keep beverages cool. Despite these minor drawbacks, we enjoyed our stay, especially for a short getaway.

Property:

The property is expansive, beautifully landscaped and impeccably maintained. It features diverse flora, beautiful flowerbeds, and picturesque photo opportunities. The abundance of lemon trees was a delightful sight. We also spotted hummingbirds and other beautiful birds flitting through the gardens. Additionally, we encountered cows leisurely grazing on the property. From certain vantage points, you can admire spectacular views of the mountains and the city. The property offers a swimming pool, spa center, jacuzzi, and saunas. Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to enjoy these amenities, but they looked promising.

Food:

The on-site restaurant serves both dinner and breakfast. While the food isn’t phenomenal overall, it does offer some delicious dishes. We ordered grilled salmon, which was unfortunately overcooked, but the cod in shrimp sauce was absolutely delicious. We also enjoyed the ceviche. However, the service in the restaurant was disappointing and extremely slow, particularly at breakfast. Twice, we missed our breakfast due to the lengthy preparation time for omelets, which took over 40 minutes. This proved frustrating when time was limited. Breakfast lacked a menu and offered a limited selection: eggs, a small fruit assortment, yogurt with granola, and bacon – a rather meager and uninspiring choice.

Conclusion:

This hotel is an excellent choice for anyone seeking breathtaking views, a tranquil atmosphere, a respite from the city's hustle and bustle, and a connection with nature. While the food was a disappointment, I believe that addressing this aspect could elevate the experience...

Luna Volcan is an incredible resort, and despite giving it four stars, I would gladly stay here again in a heartbeat, despite the four star rating.

My wife and I came here on our honeymoon. The property is gorgeous and they did prepare a complimentary bottle of wine which was a lovely touch. There are real flowers everywhere around the property and they are truly magnificent. I'm not sure why some of the reviews on here say the food served for Breakfast and Dinner was bad, in our experience it was delicious. The flavor was always good.

The spa at this property was lovely and truly one of the best in Banos.

This is definitely a property where you want to do your research on the room that you stay in. We stayed in the cheaper room and the suite. The cheaper room has a mediocre view but has good temperature control and the shower/bathroom area is huge with a small outside area. The suite has an amazing view, with a smaller inside area and large outside area. There are nice details in the suite, such as heated floors outside but our main disappointment was that it smelled like smoke, likely a product of the fact the temperature control was limited to 20 degrees. To stay warmer fires must be lit which adds smoke to the room. The smoke was noted and didn't bother us but for the high price of this property feels a bit out of place.

The other complaints I had were about inconsistent service - albeit mostly great service. In the restaurant for breakfast and dinner, we sometimes got great service very quickly and very attentive waiters. Other times it seemed like they were doing the bare minimum, the experience varied by waiter. Also little things like not having slippers in our room, not having bath foam placed in the tub until the day after we used the tub for the first time, and confusion around towels at the pools were noted.

Also the walls in the suite while fairly solid, allowed some noise to pass through to the point where when the group next door had a party we had to ask them to quiet down.

Overall the staff was helpful and responsive, none of the issues described were "deal breakers" and the staff quickly rectified issues when they were notified, I just felt that for the price (top 5% of hotels in Ecuador) the service issues should be ironed out and the hotel warranted 4 stars overall. However the property, food, spa, pools and views are all beautiful and I would easily recommend this...