Need to know
Rooms
15, including 10 villas.
Check–Out
11am, but late check-out is available until 6pm, subject to availability and a fee (50 per cent of the full rate). Earliest check-in, 2pm.
More details
Rates include breakfast and a welcome drink.
Also
Manager Pacheco hires staff from the surrounding villages, and he’s embarked on a ‘green’ school project, to raise awareness about rainforest conservation and ethical harvests.
At the hotel
Private beach, 39-hectare forest with walking trails, lounge (with decor inspired by the colourful city of Montecristi), parking, bikes and surfboards to borrow, sauna, free WiFi throughout. In rooms: air-conditioning, ocean views, organic eco-friendly bath products.
Our favourite rooms
Set a short stroll from the main house, and shielded from prying eyes by palms and cacti, the Honeymoon Villa is the most secluded. Spend lazy lie-ins gazing at panoramic views of sprawling greenery from your bed. Hand-thatched fixtures add an authentic air, and a pair of ocean-view sunloungers accentuates the petite private pool’s deck.
Poolside
Outside the main house, by the bar, there’s an ocean-facing heated pool and a large bamboo-shaded terrace. Stretch out on the sunshine-yellow sunloungers that surround them.
Spa
The spa offers essential-oil massages that’ll leave you as headily scented as the grounds. There’s also a sauna and jacuzzi to round off the pampering options. Be sure to book in advance.
Packing tips
A pocket-sized Spanish phrasebook if your Español isn’t up to scratch.. Don’t pack that Panama hat: handsome, locally made toquilla hats are sold on-site. A cache of GoPros ensures some action-packed holiday snaps too.
Also
Pacheco’s wife owns a fitness studio in Quito and gives pilates and yoga lessons. Please note visitors to Ecuador are required to show proof of public or private health insurance upon entering the country. Without this, you could be denied entrance.
Pet‐friendly
Well-behaved pups are welcome for an extra fee (under-5kg are free; 6–15kg are $15; 16–25kg are $25 and over-26kg are $45). Prices are charged once every three nights. See more pet-friendly hotels in Puerto Cayo.
Children
Baby cots (US$20) or an extra bed (US$40) for five-to-12 year olds can be added to rooms, kids' meals are offered, and babysitters can be hired for an extra fee with one day advance notice. The Two-Bedroom Villas are spacious enough for families.
Sustainability efforts
Absolutely –Tanusas Hotel & Villas is set on a small section of the world’s last five per cent of dry forest land, so sustainability and conservation take centre stage. There are solar panels throughout and waste is filtered. Furnishings in-rooms and around the hotel are hand-crafted by local artisans, ingredients come from local farms, and the hotel owners have started community programmes focused on responsible food production, nutrition, education and protecting the environment. You’re also encouraged to take part in cultural activities, including lessons on the making of toquilla-straw hats, to ensure Columbian traditions are kept alive.