Old-world hotel on a nature preserve, offering archaeological tours, hiking & cooking classes.
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We chose Hotel Jimenita as the final stop of our trip to Ecuador, after two and a half weeks of traveling. We wanted to end on a high note in a charming hotel, so we booked the best suite in the establishment, attracted especially by the promise of a large swimming pool and various services.
Unfortunately, it was a major disappointment.
From the moment we arrived, we noticed that several advertised features did not match reality: • The large bottle of purified water that was supposed to be in the room was missing. • Instead, there was a small filter device attached to the kitchen faucet, which didn’t work properly. • Several pieces of furniture in the suite were broken. • There was no way to light the fireplace, and the hot water didn’t work. We had to call reception so they could manually activate the hot water system, which took a long time.
👉 And all of this while we had paid a high price for this suite, expecting a level of comfort and service to match.
The swimming pool, which was one of the main reasons we chose this hotel, was completely unusable: the water was black, the pumps were broken, and there was no sign of maintenance, even though it was July — a peak season for tourism in Ecuador.
Overall, the hotel seems neglected: • Many facilities are damaged or out of order. • There is a clear and serious lack of staff.
➡️ That said, we want to highlight the kindness of the staff on site: the receptionist, the servers, and even the drivers were all very friendly, helpful, and responsive. The receptionist in particular went far beyond his duties, doing everything he could on his own to make up for the lack of organization.
The meals were expensive for average quality — nothing bad, but nothing exceptional either, especially given the prices.
When we ordered breakfast in the room, two staff members brought part of the meal, but without any tray or cart — just what they could carry in their hands. We had to go get more bread and jam ourselves because there really wasn’t enough to eat.
There were a few positive points: • The suite is nicely decorated, and the garden is pleasant. • We were able to spot a few birds early in the morning. However, there were no water sources or fruit laid out to attract them, even though this is one of the experiences the hotel advertises.
In summary: • This hotel does not live up to its reputation, and we cannot recommend it. • We will report our experience to our French-speaking guide, who had recommended it to us, so that he can stop including it in his suggestions.
A hotel with so much potential deserves better management and greater respect...
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La Hacienda Jimenita is a place of beauty! I can’t think of a better place to start our month of travels in Ecuador! Every room is unique, and lets you enjoy the raw beauty of Pifo. We stayed in the Cotopaxi suite, mostly private (with the right curtains closed) with a spectacular view of Volcán Pichincha! The prices seemed a little steep for Ecuador, but once you are here you realize the value you are getting. You can go for walks and see all sorts of different plants and birds unique to the beautiful Andes mountains. You are 500feet lower elevation then Quito itself, which may help with the any altitude sickness one may experience.
The gardens are all kept in fantastic shape. There are picturesque places to lounge and relax all over the property. The food is out of this world, definitely recommend the Locro de Papas (Locro quiteño). But every dish we have had had been exploding with flavours. Fresh fruit juices, some of which are from right here on the property. And the breakfast with the fresh fruit sampler patter will blow your mind (if you are not used to fresh fruits, we are from Canada and are fruits are dry and flavourless)
The staff are all warm and welcoming. You are paying to hang out and relax on this beautiful property, don’t expect to come and just sleep here, come and spend the day enjoying the wildlife preserve. Llamas, horses, dogs, birds, hummingbirds, and so much more!
Oh and how can I forget the rich history of the property. Only discovered on the property 25 years ago, a tunnel with pottery in the walls was found, estimated to be 5000 years old!!! On the other side of the ravine you can see the possible entrance to the rest of the tunnel system. With various artifacts including obsidian found inside the tunnel!
Having lived on the old HCJB property next door for a few years as a child this place feels like home! Couldn’t have picked a better place to start our Ecuador vacation.
Also they are only 15 minutes from the airport making it an ideal first or last stop...
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It's not perfect, but the lovely grounds and beautiful rooms made my three-night stay here very pleasant.||Room: Our room was beautiful; spacious with high ceilings, a sofa and a wood burning stove. The bed was large and very comfortable. The shower's water temperature and pressure were good. There was no heat in the room, and we failed miserably in our attempts to build a fire, so mornings were a bit chilly. ||Location/grounds: Smack in the middle of a nature conservancy, the setting is idyllic, with a great variety of birds (including hummingbirds), a riot of flowers and other vegetation, a couple of miles of nature trails and two llamas who eagerly eat carrots the staff will provide you on request. The common area is inviting, with two fireplaces, comfortable chairs and couches, and a pool table. The hotel is conveniently located only 20 minutes from the airport, but is also directly in its flight path, so that attempts to become one with nature are regularly derailed by the thunderous sound of jets overhead. ||Staff: We were greeted with a delicious drink and staff were quick to bring our luggage to our room. In general they were polite and helpful when approached, but not that forthcoming. Since we stayed here immediately before and after our Galapagos excursion, it was a real bonus that the staff let us leave behind anything we didn't want to bring with us.||Food: The restaurant is pricey, and with the exception of the onion rings, which were unaccountably the best I've ever had, the food was undistinguished. The service was unacceptably slow. Breakfast was included and was quite good. ||Value: Our stay was included as part of a tour, so I can't speak to the value. ||Overall, a very nice stay on beautiful grounds if you can overlook a few...
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