Alandaluz Resort

By Penny E. Schwartz

Awakening to the sounds of peaceful crashing surf is just one of the special moments to be savored at Alándaluz Resort. Near Puerto López along Ecuador’s El Ruta del Sol, Alándaluz was built some 16 years ago.

What began as an ecological project to utilize the local bamboo, ended as a lovely and lush resort where time seems to stand still. About 100 families helped construct the resort using native bamboo and stone, giving the local economy a boost, as well as a way to recycle local materials.

The eco-resort’s logo is “A Passionate Embrace for Life,” and everywhere at Alándaluz the visitor sees evidence of this philosophy. Beds of organically grown vegetables and small groves of bamboo dot the grounds, along with bromeliads, orchids and indigenous flowers of many hues. Most of the fruits and vegetables served in the indoor-outdoor dining room are grown on the grounds, with a percentage of the crop given to the resort’s employees, so that nothing is wasted.

Dinner one night included one of the resort’s specialties, a local fish prepared in peanut sauce and tucked into a thick bamboo stalk with a door cut into it for ease of eating. The name of the dish, “El Viudo,” comes from the tale of a sad widower who regained his happiness and passion for living when he tasted this preparation. Another dish served in a natural container is “Encocado,” which blends coconut milk with seafood and other locally grown ingredients and arrives at the table in a coconut harvested on the resort grounds. Locally grown pumpkins are also utilized for both flavoring and food service. The kitchen has revitalized the use of a number of endemic fruits and vegetables that were once important to local residents but have fallen out of favor.

Public areas are large and inviting, shielded from the sun by leafy overhangs or bamboo trellises. Inviting hammocks hang everywhere, even inside the hotel rooms, encouraging guests to relax and enjoy the gardens and beach front with its pure white sand.

The resort owners believe strongly in replenishing the earth and promoting responsible tourism, but not at the expense of either luxury or pleasure. Accommodations are first-rate, whether in rustic wooden cabins or charming turreted stone cottages that resemble fairytale castles. Fireplaces, windows with inviting views, colorful bedspreads, and rugs add to the charm.

Expeditions in the area include visits to Isla de la Plata, part of Machalilla National Park, where many species similar to those on the Galapagos reside. Also nearby is Cantalapiedra Wildlife Sanctuary. Close to the resort itself is also a magnificent and unusual church built of bamboo in a lacy pattern that lets in light and air while enclosing its parishioners in the embrace of nature, just as Alándaluz Resort folds its guests in the embrace of nature.