Mashpi Lodge
Haute greenhouse
Cloud-shrouded rainforest
Eco-friendly hotel Mashpi Lodge is a modern monolith of recycled steel, tropical wood and glass hidden in cloud forest in Ecuador’s Andean foothills. It was built in sustainable style by former Quito mayor Roque Sevilla, on land wrested from loggers. Its minimalist decor draws the eye to The-Land-Before-Time-esque views, and while you’re trekking, sampling local delicacies or butterfly- and hummingbird-spotting, bio-boffins in the hotel’s research centre safeguard the rainforests’ residents. It’s world saving, in true Smith style.
Facilities
Rooms
Twenty-two, including three Yaku suites.
Checkout
10am, but flexible. The hotel’s transfer departs at 1.30pm: if you miss it, you must arrange your own transport for an extra charge. Earliest check-in, 4pm.
More Details
Rates include all meals and soft drinks, guided activities (walks, birdwatching, nature encounters, Sky Bike, Life Center, waterfalls and Hummingbird Garden) within the reserve, use of rain ponchos and boots, and transfer to and from four hotels in Quito.
Also
Public areas and the ground-floor Wayra Rooms are wheelchair accessible.
Free Internet Access
Laundry
On-Site Restaurant
Spa
At the Hotel
Spa and wellness centre, open-air viewing platform and terrace, garden, lounge, library, boutique, research centre, free WiFi throughout. In rooms: air-conditioning, free bottled water.
Our Favourite Rooms
To overlook the rainforest from a Philippe Starck-designed tub with your date, book into one of the sprawling Yaku suites. Wayra Rooms 21 and 23 sit on the second floor, enjoying the same verdant sights as the suites and are just a short stroll from the terrace.
Poolside
There is no pool: soak in the spa’s soothing Jacuzzi, or splash about by the forest’s hidden waterfalls.
Spa
The spa’s Jacuzzi allows glimpses of the rainforest through slatted wooden panels. Therapists practice traditional massages in a small adjoining treatment room, using nutrient-packed forest finds – mud, stones, herbs and leaves – to revive guests.
Packing Tips
It may not be sexy, but non-slip socks will aid forest treks. Natural insect repellent is vital too. If you forget anything, the hotel’s boutique sells zippered khakis, multi-pocketed vests, waterproofs, torches, straw hats and local handicrafts and goodies.
Also
Visitors to Ecuador are required to show proof of either public or private health insurance upon entering the country. Without this, you could be denied entrance.
Children
Rainforest rambling is suited to juniors, tweens and upwards. Some Wayra Rooms (on the ground and second floor) interconnect. Restaurant staff can set up high chairs and heat milk, there are baby-changing facilities, and chefs can prepare kids’ meals.
Gallery
Food & Drink
Top Table
Sit with your nose pressed to the glass (well, almost), at a table near the towering windows, or nab the garden’s sole table for alfresco feasting.
Dress Code
Hiking gear at lunch, lightweight dresses and shirts come evening. A swish up-do will fix humidity-frazzled, post-trekking tresses.
Hotel Restaurant
Meals in the two-storey, glass-walled restaurant – with views of rainforest-clad peaks – are wholesome, inventive and staunchly local. Forest-plucked herbs, spices and chilies enliven chicken, beef and seafood dishes, while exotic fruits, rich chocolate and super-strong coffee round out the harvest, and Argentinean and Chilean wines are expertly paired. Light lunches include soups, sandwiches, ceviche and an ice-cream buffet, and breakfast is a heartier affair (with eggs any way, breads, home-made jams and honey, cheeses, meats, cereal and muesli, and fruits and juices). The chef can tailor meals for vegans or allergy sufferers on request.
Hotel Bar
The bar is in the restaurant, but drinks can be taken in the lounge, the hotel garden, or on the open-air terrace. Natural energy juices or chilled glasses of sweet cane juice will keep you going on days out. Tropical-fruit-laced cocktails and full-bodied wines from Argentina and Chile go well with tales of the day’s trekking…
Last Orders
Breakfast starts early for excursion-bound guests, from 7.30am to 9.30am. Lunch runs from 12.30pm to 2.30pm, dinner from 7.30pm to 9.30pm. The bar stays open till 11pm.
Room Service
None. If you get peckish, order snacks and drinks at the bar and bring them back to your boudoir.
Planes
Mariscal Sucre International Airport (www.aeropuertoquito.aero) is the closest, a 90-minute drive away. There are frequent American Airlines, Delta, AeroMexico and United Continental Airlines flights.
Automobiles
Plan your A to B well: there will be dirt roads, and mountain-passes on the way. Transfers are included in room rates, but if driving yourself, there’s free parking and car-hire booths at the airport.
Worth Getting Out of Bed For
You could lounge in the lodge’s spa and Jacuzzi, salute the sun (or more likely, cloud mist) in a yoga class on the terrace, or peer at wildlife through a pair of binoculars, but stays here are about donning rubber boots and Goretex, and getting grubby on rainforest rambles (with the help of the hotel’s guides). Gawp at ferns and rare orchids, exotically plumed birds, monkeys, peccaries (small boar-like creatures) and possibly a shy puma, before de-robing and drifting through cellophane-clear lagoons by hidden waterfalls. There are two main trails: the Howler Monkey (2km) and Cucharillo (700m). Both are a vertiginous but rewarding meander through dense, wildlife-roamed foliage and climax in jaw-dropping views. Or experience the after-dark delights – luminous fungi and hand-sized moths – of a night walk. Take a tandem pedal through the treetops on a Sky Bike safari, or hang with fluttery friends at the Hummingbird Station or the kaleidoscopic residents of the Mariposario (butterfly house). The Life Centre, where conservation projects are carried out, is in a leaf-shaped building, a half-hour walk from the hotel. Its deck is a pretty spot surrounded by kitchen gardens and often visited by curious critters. Enlightening talks about Mashpi’s biodiversity are held frequently. Twitchers should scale the 26m observation tower – a 10-minute walk away – from where toucans, parrots and other intriguing birds can be seen.
Earn or Redeem Points with World of Hyatt
This Mr & Mrs Smith hotel participates in the World of Hyatt loyalty program. As a member, you can earn and redeem points and enjoy exclusive benefits for qualifying nights. .
