Banos de Ambato

After leaving Riobamba, Mick, Jim, Angie, Nikolas, and I proceeded to Banos de Ambato. About 1 1/2 hours from Riobamba, it is a bit warmer than Riobamba and Cuenca and is known for it's thermal water. We had reservations at Samari Resort and Spa. You are able to negotiate a bit on the price; however, whatever the price, it is worth it. The junior suite has a large bathroom with both jacuzzi and large shower.

There is a sitting area with a bay window and a flat screen TV. For those cool nights, which we did not experience, there is a fireplace. An extremely comfortable kingsize bed. (Hotel Zeus only had singles or doubles.) Our rooms were in a hacienda-style building with a courtyard and fountain.

In the town of Banos, most of the restaurants are ordinary, comida tipica; however, there was a coffee shop, Ali Cumba, that is not comida tipica. The food was different; but the proprietor was even more different. She should truly find another profession. Her English was great, but she was non-Ecuadorian. She had a very abrupt, rudeness about her. We noticed it on our first visit and brushed it off; however, the next day, we found her to be even more so. She obviously doesn't care for repeat business. We were also informed that it is a bother for someone to come in and purchase only coffee....well, it's a coffee shop. On our second visit, we ordered tuna sandwiches for lunch and each couple was going to divide. That did not suit either; she told Angie that we could get four and what we didn't eat, we could just wrap up and put in our bags. What a great idea to carry around leftover tuna sandwiches in your purse while on vacation.

Here's Angie chatting with a Canadian couple in front of Ali Cumba. Unless you want to be insulted, by-pass this spot.

The park in Banos

The church

With Banos being a tourist town, there are a number of adventure businesses. You can rent ATV's for going to the volcano or you can rent go carts for riding around town. Mick and Jim were waiting on our carts.

We're all packed in ready to go. There was a quick trip around the block and Mick decided that he was going to be unable to continue. Mick had slipped previously while getting out of the hot tub and bruised his lower back; one of the bars was positioned right across the sore spot.

Back at the resort, here are a few more pictures. In addition to our building, there are several guest houses.

A number of peacocks have the run of the grounds, as did Nikolas. In addition to the adults, there are four babies.

The gardens are splendid, so well manicured. The entire setting whispered "serenity".

The building in the foreground houses the pool and spa services. In the background is the building with the reception area, bar, and restaurant.

The lobby of the spa building.

Mick having coffee on the terrace.

Samari is definitely one of those places that we will visit again. It was relaxing and tranquil. Breakfast was included and was delicious. Although all inclusive packages are available, we did not have that. However, we did have our dinners in the restaurant and it was a wise choice. The food was superb and presentation outstanding. The wine list is a bit lacking. If you're going to be in Banos, this should be a point of interest. You need a minimum of three nights to just get a taste of Samari and compensate for the drive.

On our way back we stopped at the first Catholic church in Ecuador. Built in 1534, it is worth a stop just outside Colta. This is the interior of the church. The Virgen de Balbanera is housed here.

The Church.

The sign announcing the Virgin.

What a great trip! The scenery was spectacular. The event in Colta was indescribable. The Samari was beautiful and relaxing. Jim and Angie, as always, were great company. The driving was long. We had traveled to Banos a number of years ago, but this time we saw it through different eyes, perhaps because we're residents, perhaps because we're older. What a great trip!

Until next time,

Mick and Kathy