Hacienda San Agustin De Callo

The dining room occupies one half of the surviving Inca palace and its volcanic stone walls provide a moody, intimate atmosphere for meals at the large table. Tuck into Ecuadorian and Mediterranean cuisine, all prepared with ingredients from the Hacienda farm and local markets. Next door, there is a more casual breakfast room, which offers a bevy of English-style dishes. Mosy down to the courtyard to visit the resident alpacas in the courtyard and enjoy strolls across the working farm.

Each room is bespoke with colourful, painted walls, large fireplaces (some even feature in the bathroom) and rugged wooden furnishings. In the Inca House, there are five rooms (two suites have adjoining living rooms) with warm hues, beams across the ceilings and clawfoot bathtubs. Set apart from the main house, Callo Lodge is decorated in green and comes with a sitting room and kitchen. The private suites in Cotopaxi House enjoy incredible views of the surrounding mountains and a jacuzzi. Should you fancy it, in-room massages are also available.

There is endless adventure to be had at the Hacienda, ranging from horseback rides below Cotopaxi volcano and hikes into the birding and floral heaven of its surrounding reserves, to soaks in the bubbling Ilinizas hot springs. And for the ultimate view, make the trek to Cotopaxi's Refuge, which sits at 4,800 metres high. You could even travel there by car and make the hair-raising cycle downhill. For a more relaxed exploration, wander a nearby rose plantation and peruse the wares at a local indigenous market.