Insights

A lush, coastal, sophisticated city like Naples may seem to have little in common with a remote Andean village. Yet for years many Neapolitans have been trekking to the tiny Ecuadorian village of Cotacachi, which is at an elevation of nearly 8,000 feet, a few miles from the equator in the province of Imbabura.

The focus of their visits is a colonial hotel, El Meson de las Flores, owned by a foundation created to help the region’s poor. A decade ago, a group of Naples professionals started Land of the Sun Foundation (LOTS). They became enchanted with the beauty of this small South American country and fell in love with its charming people. Over the years, LOTS has raised funds to bring schools and water to three villages, a daily soup kitchen for the elderly, scholarships for university degrees and micro lending and coaching for 49 families. Today there are more than 300 Cotacachians receiving free English lessons at El Meson. Thanks to its Naples connection, the Municipal Palace next door, which was built in 1888, includes events and services such as musical performances, a library of English/Spanish books for children and weekly lunch visits from all the schools.

Ecuador, Cotacachi and El Meson can surprise most first-time visitors. As Neapolitans visit and return, they discover an intriguing change from life on the beach. They can immerse themselves in a multiethnic area made up of more than a dozen pueblos and communities radiating from a magnificent central cathedral and plaza.

The village appears quiet and peaceful. It has retained the flavor of its colonial past, blended with an ancient native history. The hotel reflects the Spanish history with many arches and an inner courtyard with hummingbirds darting through the orchids and geraniums. Visitors spend their evenings in the library, relaxing next to a fire while lounging in comfortable old leather chairs. Chocolates from the Amazon, homemade exotic juices, local organic wines and pure sparkling Ecuadorian waters make up part of this hacienda lifestyle.

Shoppers consider the area a paradise as well. The nearby town of Otavalo is world-renowned as one of the largest markets in the Americas. Throughout the week, an abundance of traditional weavings and handicrafts can be found. Cotacachi is famous as the leather village. The main street is lined with shops stocked with handmade jackets, bags, vests, suitcases, saddles and more—all at amazingly low prices.

Nearby there’s San Antonio de Ibarra, known for wood carvings and furniture, a local tradition in craftsmanship dating back to the 16th century that includes sought-after wooden religious art and altar pieces that are shipped worldwide. Peguche, a neighboring weaving village that’s not as well known as Otavalo, actually has better tapestries to offer.

Five minutes from El Meson, you’ll find its sister hotel, La Mirage, a Relais & Châteaux Spa. Here, in the heart of the Northern Andes, it is easy to spot hundreds of species of hummingbirds. Looking out from a beautiful glass tea room, people come from all over the world to spot the iridescent, metallic-like colors of the darting bodies.

The spa, only one of three Relais properties in South America, offers many treatments, including a private, hour-and-a-half Shamanic purification treatment. The female Shamana has inherited years of experience from her father, a recognized Shaman in this region. Her purification room has been designed on native healing principles to unify the body, mind and spirit. She blends relaxation techniques using the rose petal-filled float tank and completes your healing process with an aromatherapy massage.

An hour away, you’ll run into Chachimbiro Thermal Springs, where medicinal thermal waters have flowed since 1868. They come from a volcanic complex that has existed for 10,000 years and flow at temperatures from 92 to 132 degrees. The chemical composition (chlorides, sulfides of iron, copper, fluorine, bromine and iodine) makes them among the best healing waters in the Americas. They act as a digestive, purgative regulator; a stimulant of the cardiovascular system; a diuretic; and a central nervous system stimulant.

This entire region bursts with energy and seems inspired to bring a fresh new way of living to the Andes. Joyous, delightful people are often seen smiling and waving—reconfirming the Naples connection as a wonderful balance of helping and participating in another culture. This pairing of the Land of the Sun and Cotacachi allows entire pueblos to enjoy, learn, experience and prosper while the Neapolitans savor a simpler life in a paradise of unspoiled beauty.