Learn more about us, the estate and location
The ten-hectare Hacienda is located on a 150m hill in the Santa Elena region (three hours on the motorway to Guayaquil) five minutes by car from the Pacific coast. You can expect a unique view of the Pacific Ocean. The coastal jungle begins right behind the resort.
… almost 3 hours by bus from Guayaquil
Bamboo artwork
The buildings have been constructed mainly from bamboo in laborious manual work and are supplemented with wood, stones, marble and clam shells.
The remarkable craftsmanship of the Ecuadorians shaped the estate and its custom crafted furniture. Have a closer look at it in our photo gallery further down on the site.
Did you know that bamboo buildings are much more earthquake-proof than buildings constructed from concrete and stone?
Infrastructure
In the roundhouse, you can find the living room, dining room, kitchen and bar – all combined in a single room. The six individually furnished guest rooms accommodate up to 14 people.
To cool off, you can use the swimming pool in the garden which is connected to the indoor pool via an underwater tunnel. The outdoor pool table stands on a roofed porch and beckons players to go outside. Volleyball and soccer enthusiasts can find a suitable grass field right next to the porch. You can even enjoy cosy evenings with a fireplace next to the wood stove.
The whole Hacienda offers its guests free WiFi throughout the property. A TV with DVD player and sound system can be found in a separate area with additional games and books.
Traditional food
The Ecuadorian cuisine pampers with menus from seafood to fried chicken. Wines from Chile and Argentina are the perfect companions for each meal. BBQ fans can use a wood stove and a large BBQ grill suitable for making pizza or even grilling a whole piglet.
You can also enjoy a large selection of our own fruit and freshly pressed juices.
Green oasis
Stroll through the estate and discover the lavish plant live and take in the scenery.
Ecuador’s diverse flora and fauna is hard to beat. It is a paradise for orchids and everything green and blooming. Even animals such as hummingbirds and iguanas are living at the Hacienda. If you are quiet for a moment, you can be sure to discover something. Sometimes you can even observe rare phenomena such as ants on a journey.
The pets
Peacocks, geese and ducks enrich the scenery. In the past, we raised hundreds of chickens to sell to the surrounding villages. Today, we only keep a few for our own use.
The Hacienda is well protected by our dogs who quickly befriend our guests. Aside from a few cats, the village’s parrot sometimes spends a few days on the estate.
The capuchin monkey Santiago lives on the Hacienda the whole year round. He was rescued from miserable conditions and due to his past, he has been very shy for a long time. Maybe you can win his trust and he will feed from your hand? When we do not have any guests, he can move freely and follows his caretaker all day long.
Riding horses
The twelve horses with their foals live on the “wild” meadows of the Hacienda for the whole year. The mild-tempered animals are very suitable for riding and some even know the pass gait. Experienced rides may of course use the horses for small trips on their own – either to the village, the beach or the surrounding areas. Multi-hour trips into the outback are only possible with a guide as it is easy to get lost.
In-house chapel
Anyone who would like some quiet time can find a suitable retreat in our small in-house chapel. It was consecrated in honour of St. Narcisa and Bernarda.
The Team
Our long-term friends from the village, the family Lainez, already helped us a lot building the Hacienda. We are glad that they are taking care of the estate even after the construction. Aside from our fantastic cook Rosita, the Hacienda is mainly managed by Cruz Maria. She has been here since the construction started, knows every nook and cranny around the estate and finds a solution for every problem.
Impressions criss-cross
The location of Hacienda El Dorado
(Ecuador, Pacific-Coast, Coordinates -1.873009, -80.709788)
Airport transfer
The transfer from and to the airport of Guayaquil can be arranged free of charge for guests with half board bookings or fixed arrangements.
For all other guests, we charge USD 45.00 per person and per transfer.
Arrival by car
At the end of the village Simón Bolívar, you will find a road leading to Sitio Nuevo at an intersection.
Follow this road for about two kilometres and you will find a large gate on the left-hand side – it is the entrance to the Hacienda.
Arrival by bus
Take the express bus “Peninsula” to Montanita leaving from Guayaquil. Tell the driver that you want to exit at the intersection to Sitio Nuevo in Simón Bolívar.
Please call us (telephone number will follow shortly) once you have arrived. We will come to pick you up from there.
About us
Since we got to know each other in the missionary Sta. Maria del Fiat in Manglaralto (three villages north of here) in April 1979, we have been connected to the people and the region.
For about two years, we helped Padre Othmar and his team with various tasks at the station and in the surrounding villages. When Padre Othmar was sent here in 1972, all he found was extreme poverty (read more about the basic supply near the mission of Padre Othmar Stähel).
Claudius & Pia Kupschina-Mössner
After working with Padre Othmar, we travelled through South America and explored Peru, Chile, Argentina, Brasil and Bolivia via bus, ship, plane, horse, on foot or hitchhiking. Even though we knew South America, all too often Swiss punctuality clashed with the South American indifference. Often, we observed careless behaviour of tourists towards the locals, which made us think.
It became our goal to better understand the culture and the locals.
Back in Switzerland, we got married and had a family but Ecuador never let go of our hearts. A longing desire always pulled us back to the Pacific coast. Over the years and with the help of locals and our own passion, the Hacienda was built as it stands today.