La Mirage

Location:
Otavalo, Ecuador

Hotel

By Christopher Minster

Ecuador’s most elegant and upscale resort is located at the end of a nondescript dirt road leaving the northern town of Cotacachi, known for its leather goods. La Mirage was once an elegant colonial hacienda, but since its purchase and renovation by the prestigious French hotel chain Relais & Chateaux, it has become Ecuador’s most exclusive spa and retreat.

The first thing you notice is the security: you need to be buzzed in at the gate and an armed guard gives you a close look as you enter. But once that’s out of the way, the pampering begins: you’re greeted by a young woman in local Otavalan Indian clothes who offers you a steaming washcloth for your face and hands before you check in.

There are 23 suites, each of which features a fireplace, original paintings on the walls, elegant four-poster beds and tasteful decorations. Terrycloth robes are spread out on the bed for your use while at the hotel, sprinkled with rose petals. The bathrooms are sparkling clean and roomy. All rooms also have cable TV.

The spa is one of the main attractions. The treatments are expertly done: you can choose from options from a simple massage or reflexology (basically a foot massage) to decadent choices such as “Cleopatra’s bath,” a two-hour treatment which includes massage, rose-petal bath and more in the “Cleopatra Room,” tastefully decorated and painted in an Egyptian style (the real Cleopatra probably never had it this good). You may also want to consider the “Purification treatment” in which a massage is combined with a real fire-breathing local shaman who conducts a traditional spiritual cleansing.

Remote, yes. Expensive, yes. But life is short and if you’re the sort of person who only has time for the best – the very best – it is tough to argue with those who say that La Mirage is the most elegant spa and hotel in all of Ecuador.

This Hotel is: Expensive

Hotel Amenities, Services and Facilities All Credit Cards Accepted, Restaurant, Bar, Breakfast Included, Laundry Service, 24-Hour Reception, Safe in Reception or Rooms, Lounge, Luggage Storage, Parking - Free, Linens Included, 24-Hour Hot Water, Gift Shop, Wheelchair Accessible, Child-Friendly Facilities, Fitness Facility, Indoor Swimming Pool, Sauna, Spa, Room Service, Wake-Up Call

Getting There:
Cotacachi is located about twenty minutes away from Otavalo: La Mirage is at the edge of town.

Room Prices:
Lower:$250
Price Description:Most suites cost about $250/night: this includes breakfast and dinner but not taxes and service fees.

Contact Information:
Phone: 593 6 291 -5237/-5561
Fax: 593 6 291 5065
E-mail: mirage1(at)remove-this.mirage.com.ec
URL: www.mirage.com.ec

Traveler Reviews of La Mirage

The Best

Rating: 100%

I liked everything...the people, the food was d-e-l-i-c-i-o-u-s, the rooms, the decoration are amazing.

By Lorena Sanchez from USA, Sep 12, 2007