Hacienda Jimenita Wildlife Reserve

“What a great way to start a vacation!”

This is hospitality at its finest! Upon arrival at Quito airport, our drivers awaited us and whisked us off to the Hacienda Jimenita for our 2 night stay prior to leaving for the Galapagos. As we were due to arrive after their restaurant closure, we had preordered snacks which awaited us in our… more

This is hospitality at its finest! Upon arrival at Quito airport, our drivers awaited us and whisked us off to the Hacienda Jimenita for our 2 night stay prior to leaving for the Galapagos. As we were due to arrive after their restaurant closure, we had preordered snacks which awaited us in our rooms. The rooms were beautiful as were the grounds and hiking trails. We were guided down to the archeological pre-inca trail by Karina which was so interesting before enjoying the llamas, trails and multitude of birds! So relaxing. The food was delicious from breakfast to our group dinner that evening. Highly recommend! Beautiful property and wonderful staff!

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“Nice birding Hotel near the airport in Quito with a restaurant on site.”

This is a great place to start and end your trip from Quito Ecuador especially if you are a birder. The grounds are beautiful and set up to attract all types of birds including hummingbirds. We saw so many species just birding the grounds here. It is a lovely atmosphere just to hang out and enjoy… more

This is a great place to start and end your trip from Quito Ecuador especially if you are a birder. The grounds are beautiful and set up to attract all types of birds including hummingbirds. We saw so many species just birding the grounds here. It is a lovely atmosphere just to hang out and enjoy the outdoors. The rooms are very comfortable but there is no electric heat. They will start a wood stove for you and it heats up the room quickly. The mornings may be a little chilly but a birder starts early anyways. The beds have electric blankets so you will get a warm cozy rest. The rooms overlook a valley and have big windows. There is a couch and table and chairs so plenty of space. You wake up hearing the birds. The one drawback is there are some airplanes that fly over in the night since it is somewhat close to the airport but ear plugs solved that problem. The bathroom is spacious and nice. The shower is tricky to find the right temperature but minor inconveniences to be in a birding garden. The restaurant on site is good and the staff very friendly. I would stay here again when flying in and out of Quito.

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“Solid choice”

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… more

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 imperfections.

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“Beautiful property quite close to the airport”

We recently stayed at Hacienda Jimenita on the front and back ends of our trip. It was a lovely place to start and end, quite convenient to the airport (15-20 minutes). It's also in the flight path, so airplanes fly directly overhead, which is quite loud when it happens (even during the middle of t… more

We recently stayed at Hacienda Jimenita on the front and back ends of our trip. It was a lovely place to start and end, quite convenient to the airport (15-20 minutes). It's also in the flight path, so airplanes fly directly overhead, which is quite loud when it happens (even during the middle of the night). So you may want to pack earplugs. The property itself sits on the edge of a canyon, with lovely views and walking trails. We stayed in a balcony room, which gives you views into the canyon and further into Quito in the far distance. The balcony rooms have lots of windows and a deck to sit and read or just appreciate the nature. The downside ... no heat. There are wood stoves, and you can get the room warm while you're awake to keep feeding it; but it was CHILLY when the stove burned out by midnight or you get up at 2 AM to use the WC. Brrrrr! Also, we had an issue with the hot water ... no hot water the first day, then after we got hot water, it that might go from nicely hot to scalding without warning. Notably, we did not have that issue when we stayed in the Hacienda main building. Walking around the grounds, there are nice places to sit and enjoy the birds, which are plentiful. We also took a quick tour through the archaeological tunnel, which was historically interesting.

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