Llullu Llama Mountain Lodge — Hotel in Isinlivi

We stayed here for about 4 days. We had a memorable time and loved all the many people we met. It was also interesting learning about how poor this and other areas of Ecuador are, the challenges they face and how the Lodge supports the local community. We understand that the Lodge is owned by a Dutch/Equadorian couple. They have really hit the nail on the head regarding what people are after and how to run a sustainable and ethical business.||We did not do the Quilitoa loop hike but based on other detailed reviews we knew we would have a lovely time. In fact many guests staying for only one night were sad to move on. We did see the Quilitoa Lake on the day we hired a private taxi to take us to a Saturday market (cost was about USD 70 I think, for both of us) and got an excellent sense of the wider area and communities, thanks to our wonderful driver.||Location: remote - in a good way, but does mean it takes a bit of time to get there. From Quito we took 2 public buses (each a bit over 2 hours - about $2.50 per bus) and a 35 minute camioneta taxi from Sigchos to Isinlivi (fixed price of $12 - we didn't know this and were charged $15). On the way back we took the 45 mins milk bus with the locals (9am on Mondays only - we paid $1.50 as did the locals, but it felt like the driver made up the price on the spot at the end). I highly recommend the experience - although you'll need to duck branches if you're standing! The Lodge is really helpful in providing transport support, such as all relevant bus timetables - including a private taxi option. Do not try to do a private taxi or Uber yourself because you'll really appreciate having someone that knows the steep, winding and near non-existent road for the section closest to Isinlivi. ||Atmosphere: friendly, cosy and even luxurious. One of the highlights is getting to know other guests over dinner and breakfast. Because we stayed for a few nights we also had the pleasure of getting to know some of the lovely people working there too.||Rooms: we had a private room with an incredible view of the mountains and, on one clear-ish night, the moon and stars! It felt very luxurious. Due to the dry/compost toilets in the private rooms, I would recommend that you have room cleaning every day. We typically don't, but by the afternoon of the 2nd day the smell suddenly became really bad. Reception immediately identified it was probably the toilet and recommended room cleaning - which did indeed sort out the problem. The private rooms have a fireplace but we didn't use it because our room was well insulated.||Value: excellent. There are many interesting activities.||Cleanliness: squeaky clean.||Noise level: people seemed to be respectful of the polite notice in the common area of the quiet areas. Plus most people while we were there wanted to get a good night's sleep before setting off for Day 2 out of 3 of the Quilitoa Loop hike.||Service: all staff were so friendly and helpful, including through promptly responding to our queries on WhatsApp even before we arrived. We also loved that almost all of the staff were locals. A few call outs:|- everyone in the kitchen who made the most delicious meals and snacks|- Paola who was on front desk just the point we had lots of queries (about optional activities, our room and transport options back to Quito) and who arranged for Carlos to accompany us to the guinea pig farm because I was worried we wouldn't find it ourselves, plus I speak no Spanish!|- Carlos who was so generous with his time and knowledge. We learnt so much during the time we were with him.||Amenities:|- Breakfast and dinner are included. A boxed breakfast was arranged for the day we had to leave at 6.30am to get to a Saturday market.|- Snack/lunch options are excellent and well priced|- Massages are available for about USD 25 pp. We heard from a couple of Canadians that theirs was excellent. As mentioned in other reviews there is also an onsite spa for USD5 for 1 hour.|- Quilitoa Loop instructions for each section. We heard from people doing the hike that the help sheets are really well done.|- Booklet of various other hikes in the area are in the common area|- Reception desk can go through the list of activities you can do in the area. There is also a blackboard at reception listing all of these. ||Note: on Sunday there is a shorter list of activities, outside of the hikes. At the time we went these were a market visit and the guinea...

What a place to relax for a while! This is a beautiful chalet-style hostel to take a break in - stunning views, comfortable beds, spacious private cabanas, wood burning stoves, lounge areas, loads of games, yoga/exercise studio (check with them if they have a yoga teacher at the time if this is a priority for you, the teacher left halfway through my stay), jacuzzi & sauna, great & plentiful meals (e.g. breakfast has tonnes of fruit, fresh local yoghurt, muesli, eggs, fresh bread, while dinners included lasagne, shepherds pie, quiche, always with soup and salad), lots of activities in the area and lovely staff. I liked that I could wash my clothes using the laundry stone, and the compost toilets are easy to use and a good reminder of how we should encounter the world as privileged travelers. Communal meals were nice for socialising but if you need space to yourself I was advised that you can always ask for this too. I thought lunch options were pricey compared to my other stop in Chugchilan and drinks expensive too (something like $3-5 for a hot chocolate and mulled wine). This did tie in with my experience of being quoted double for a taxi journey than I was able to secure myself, which can leave a slightly bitter taste, but I could see how hard the women from the village worked all day long there and appreciate it is bringing money to the area, plus I got a good value private room in a quiet period for tourism. I spent 5 nights altogether and besides relaxing and yoga, I visited the cheese factory (a 45 min uphill walk with stops to catch my breath) which was a different and interesting experience, I took shorter walks around, and I had a couple of long leisurely lunches at Taxoloma Saloon. You could easily visit some bigger markets in the area too depending on the days, take a horse ride, go and milk cows early in the morning or explore a traditional farm. I am an anomaly in terms of travelling slowly through the Quilotoa region. I’m really glad I made this decision and I hope others spend a bit longer here too - if you’re not under time pressure then slow down, sink into village life, chat to the locals and get a little...

We had been travelling for a while in South America and spending a few days at Llullu Llama was a wonderful exhale and opportunity to relax. The area is absolutely beautiful with rolling mountains of green, the lodges were great with comfortable beds and excellent bathrooms (always great when you can have a hot shower), and having extras like yoga and the jacuzzi/ sauna available was perfection. We booked out the spa area a couple nights so that we could enjoy the jacuzzi and saunas in private, which was an incredible option. The food was pretty good as well, and I appreciated the communal dining aspect as we had great conversations with fellow travellers. ||The staff is also excellent - Carlos and Geovanny were incredibly friendly, warm and helpful and made the stay that much better. We had the mountain package, and had a few hiccups with a couple activities: when we went for the morning hike, we were initially told that there would be a breakfast box and then, morning of, that breakfast would be held for us. The staff who took us was also a much slower hiker, and we wouldn't have gotten back until about 11am, which is a challenge for me in terms of needing to eat regularly for medical reasons. We had also ordered lunch boxes for the next day with the same staff member and that was forgotten, leaving us scrambling before leaving in the morning. Overall though, the staff were super great and I wish I could give a 9/10 - incredible with a few small bumps||I'd recommend staying two nights (many passing through said they wish they had an extra night). Most of the hiking is along mountain roads or scrambling through tall grass, but there are some other good activities in the area you can...