Relaxing in the Andes

The magical citadel built by the Incas in the 15th century

Photo: Maura McEvoy

The Pan-American Highway heading north from Quito cuts a swath through the mountains. Sparse desert vegetation gradually gives way to more greenery as small plots of land appear on which farmers grow corn, potatoes and legumes. Below, a tributary of the Amazon continues carving out the deep bed it began a million years ago. Buses loaded with Andean people and tourists, and trucks spewing exhaust, make the steady climb slowly. The Cotacachi volcano looms in the distance.

Ecuador's Andean region has the perfect dry, sunny climate for growing roses, and as my seventeen-year-old daughter, Kate, and I made the drive from Quito to Otavalo (which can be done in an hour), we passed through the rose center of the world. Plantations in shades of crimson and pale yellow dotted the hillsides. More colors were added to the palette by women in native dress dyeing wool and hanging the bright strands of red, green and blue from balconies.

After a week of trekking and diving in the Galápagos, where we loved the wildlife, we were nonetheless ready for different terrain. Ecuador is too often viewed as a pit stop en route to the Galápagos, but in fact its Andean highlands and Amazon regions should be considered destinations in their own right. I have traveled extensively through Bolivia and Peru. Now I was excited about the prospect of sharing the indigenous culture of the Andes and its rich, complex history with my daughter.

I planned this four-night segment of our trip as a shopping expedition, focusing on the tourist-oriented artisans' market in Otavalo and the lesser-known animal market near Cotopaxi, where locals buy and sell livestock. As a treat, I booked the top hotels in both towns, which are about three hours apart.

We drove along the dusty streets of Cotacachi, about ten miles from Otavalo, turned down an even dustier street and arrived late in the day at the gates of La Mirage Garden Hotel & Spa, a privately owned twenty-three-room hotel renovated sixteen years ago in a blend of Greek and Andean styles. It's the only hotel in Ecuador, and one of the few in South America, that is a member of the prestigious Relais & Châteaux group. After we'd announced ourselves, the gates opened, and we were greeted by huge peacocks in full feather and the screeching of parrots. Calla lilies, fuchsia and bougainvillea abounded.