El Monasterio de Cusin’s white buttressed walls, towers, parapet, cobblestone patios, terracotta‐tiled roofs and several acres of perennial gardens are at 8,500’ (2,590m), 90 minutes from Quito’s airport and spectacular Spanish‐colonial quarter.

El Monasterio is an unexpected, powerful architectural statement in a dramatic Andean setting. The bustle of Otavalo’s famous markets are 20 minutes away from this tranquility, overlooking the sometimes snowcapped, sacred Imbabura and Cotacachi mountains (15,000’ ‐ 4,572m.). Nearby Lago San Pablo reflects the scene.

In three garden and fountain patios are 18-guest rooms furnished with fine Andean crafts, beamed ceilings and log‐burning fireplaces to warm the sierra nights. Large stone fireplaces crackle in the breakfast room, dining room (refectory), bar and sala de Cotacachi, a spacious antique living room.

There are stables with 8‐horses, llamas and peacocks, a secret door, a cinéma, a sala with satellite television, an Internet Café, complimentary wi‐fi and a conference room with four break‐out rooms. Year‐round flowering gardens surround a maze of cobble‐stone paths attracting over 50 species of birds. Valley and mountain walks and climbs, market and craft villages and fine restaurants are nearby.