|
|
|
Mansion del Angel Hotel
|
Call
Today For Prices, Information, or Reservations!
TOLL FREE IN THE
USA & CANADA: 1-800-327-3573
LOCAL
/ INTERNATIONAL:
1-863-439-1486
FAX:
1-863-439-2118 |
|
|
March 21, 2007
I am happy to provide this report to you on our trip to Ecuador that was planned using the services of LARC. When we began planning our trip we knew that we wanted some advantages of a tour but also wanted an individualized travel plan. We worked with LARC tour agent, Judy Martin, who helpfully and pleasantly helped us to craft a travel plan that was perfect for us.
Essentially, we designed 4 mini-trips within our overall tour of
Ecuador using Quito as our base. Judy arranged lodging, guides and side trips for us, including transfers to and from airports and hotels, when necessary.
First, we arrived in Quito for a few days where my daughter, Leah, is working as a teacher at El Colegio San Francisco de Quito. We stayed at the
Mansion del Angel, which had a lovely rooftop cafe.
Next, we then headed to the Southern Highlands to the beautiful colonial city of Cuenca. We stayed in the Crespo Hotel, which we loved. From there we took three main side trips: Ingapirca (Inca ruins), Cajas National Park, and the lovely villages and markets of Gualaceo and Chordeleg.
After four fabulous days in Cuenca we flew back to Quito. We stayed at
La Rabida
Hotel, a quiet and clean place with a very helpful staff. While we loved
Mansion Del Angel and Crespo for their ambiance,
La Rabida felt "like home."
Next; when we headed to the Oriente very near the border of Peru for a trip to the Amazon Jungle and
Kapawi Eco-Lodge and
Reserve. This was an amazing trip! After 4 or 5 awesome days we headed back to Quito.
We took a day trip to Cotopaxi, the world's highest active volcano, and to the incredible hot springs of Papallacta. Back on Quito and
La Rabida, we did several things on our own such as visit Quito's Old Town, the Golden Church, Cafe Mosaica high above the city for a cocktail at dusk, the Guaysamin Museum, and visited the markets and street venders.
Lastly, we headed north, stopping at Calderon and other small villages arriving at our final destination of
La Mirage, a gorgeous place with gardens, birds, extraordinary cuisine, and an amazing spa. We also visited the leather town of
Cotacachi and the grand market town of Otavala.
It was definitely a whirlwind 3 weeks but the plan was perfect for us to be able to see most of the country, stay in a variety of great hotels, have expert guides and efficient transfers, and be able to "tour"
Ecuador just the way we wanted to. The tour guides were very professional and knowledgeable and fun to be with. Thank you Judy for your patience, humor, and perseverance in working with us to create the perfect South American vacation! You are the best - we felt like you truly took a personal interest in making our trip exactly how we wanted it to be. And it turned out BETTER than we expected as a result of all our planning together. Without a doubt, we will certainly use your services again. Thanks so much!
Gera [Last name withheld in compliance
with the LARC privacy
policy.]
|
|
July 15, 2005
Dear Donna,
What a great trip. All the arrangements you made came off with out a
hitch. Every time I arrived at the Quito Airport our car and driver were
there to greet us. Monica and Raphael were most gracious and brought two
vehicles to carry all the baggage. They also arranged dinner for us one
night at La Ronda. Raphael drove us over and picked us up. Was reasonable
in his charges and always prompt and on time. The hotels were clean
comfortable and offered very personal service.
Del Angel always had our rooms available and ready. Our luggage that we
did not take out to the Galapagos was left in our room and they stored it
and put it back in our room when we returned.
La Mirage was wonderful. We had the spa to ourselves and used it
extensively. I did a lavender soak and massage, a Swedish massage, and a
facial. All were wonderful. We thoroughly enjoyed La
Mirage. The meals
were a treat in themselves. The wine list was good and we have no
complaints.
The planning and reservations that LARC did for us were professional
and crisply carried out. We could not have ask anymore from you and Judy,
the hotels, or the drivers.
Thank you for making our trip such a success.
Mack [Last name withheld in compliance
with the LARC privacy
policy.]
|
|
July 07, 2005
Correspondence between LARC and a happy
customer:
------------------------------
June 27, 2005
Mr. F.,
I feel so ditzy.... think I neglected to inform you to look for the
Mirage transfer person just outside of the airport, they will be holding a sign that says Mansion del Angel or your name.
All of the staff is very nice.
Donna
------------------------------
June 30, 2005
To: LARC
You may feel ditzy but the recommendations you gave me are not. The plans have been running like a
Swiss watch. La Mirage is everything you said and more. It is beyond wonderful.
Mack [Last name withheld in compliance
with the LARC privacy policy.]
------------------------------
June 30, 2005
Mack,
We are thrilled, knew deep down that you were the special kind of people who would appreciate
La
Mirage. After all a fellow scotch drinker always has impeccable taste. I hope the rest of the trip is just as wonderful for all of you.
Donna / Judy
PS May we post this (we will of course omit your name and email address to protect the innocent) on our web site?
------------------------------
July 01, 2005
To: LARC
By all means please feel free to post. We are back at the [Mansion
del] Angel and everything continues to run right on schedule. I had a facial and a
Swedish massage yesterday afternoon and it was wonderful.
Tomorrow we are off to the [Galapagos] Islands and will let you know how that goes when I get back to the USA
Mack [Last name withheld in compliance
with the LARC privacy policy.]
|
|
January 10, 2005
Hi Judy
Thank you for helping me with Galapagos
trip.
I thought [Mansion
del Angel] was a gem and enjoyed the hotel, one I
will definitely recommend to clients.
I liked La
Mirage and thought it was an excellent location.
The room and food were excellent. The spa left something to be
desired and I expressed this to the person in charge. The staff
was excellent.
The Eclipse
was wonderful and the food was excellent. Better than I had on
the Isabella
II. The staff, the ship etc. were excellent.
So you can see I thoroughly enjoyed.
Thank you
Donna P. [Last name withheld in compliance
with the LARC privacy policy.]
|
|
April 16, 2004
Hi Matt - We are safely and happily back
from Ecuador (actually it's been a week of readjustment). I
wanted to let you know that it was an outstanding and very
successful trip. The logistical arrangements were excellent
and the stress level gratifyingly low. As you may know, the
Galapagos cruise is quite busy with early wake up calls and
twice daily expeditions, so it is more an active than restful
event. The Explorer [Galapagos
Explorer II] was a good choice. The cabins were
indeed very comfortable and the guides excellent. (I gather
the Metropolitan Touring boats may have a higher level of
attention to service than Conodros, although we found it
fine). In particular, the kids had a great time befriending
one of the younger guides and will probably stay in touch with
him.
One of Alec's classmates was on the boat for the second part
of the trip and we got to know her family, as well as a family
from Florida with a girl Annabel's age and a number of other
very nice people. The weather was great, the water warm for
snorkeling, even at Isabella. I think the snorkeling, which
literally included swimming with sea lions and turtles, was
the high point. Lots of breeding activity among the boobies,
frigate birds and iguanas made the shore visits very
interesting. On the whole, I think this may be a better time
to visit than the summer, when it's cooler and foggy.
The highland part of the visit was outstanding and we're very
pleased to have done that as well. Mansion
del Angel is a charming hotel in perhaps the
best location for touring in Quito. They gave us the best
rooms (as did La Mirage). The Metro Touring guide (Andrea) was
very pleasant, knowledgeable and accommodating to our
interests. The Old City has really been improved in the past
few years and gives none of the impression of danger that the
tour books suggest. We had plenty to see there on Sunday,
including a procession complete with iconic statue and
accompanying band. Two high school students introduced
themselves to us and invited the kids to address their English
class, which we did first thing Monday morning - 30 teenage
girls who were very impressed
with Alec. It was a great opportunity to go beyond the normal
tourist fare.
The Mitad del Mundo was definitely worthwhile despite our
doubts. It came with a very nice lunch overlooking a volcanic
crater and the ethnographic museum was worth seeing.
Papallacta was a bit disappointing because of poor weather (it
was of course the rainy season in the rain forest, but it was
cold as well as rainy). The cabin was
charming and we enjoyed swimming the hot springs and a short
hike. We left a few hours early given the weather and
attractiveness of Quito.
La
Mirage was outstanding. It really is one of the
best hotels we've been to anywhere; very glad we arranged for
three nights, which went very smoothly. We were the only
guests on first night; some of our shipboard friends arrived
the next two nights. The service was absolutely superb, the
rooms and grounds were great, the food probably the best we
had. Our shopping exploits were also a major success, topped
off by Alec having a long leather "Matrix" coat (if
you get the reference) custom made by an accommodating family
shop in half a day for
$95. The hotel supplied another excellent guide/driver team
and we all agreed this was the perfect end to the trip.
So thank you for all your efforts to pull it together for us
on such short notice. I'm sure we'll continue to be in touch.
Everyone sends best regards.
D. [name withheld in compliance with the
LARC privacy policy]
|
|
June 23, 2003
The trip was great. The only problem
is that it rained every day. La Mirage is
beautiful although I do not think there were too many other
guests. Mansion Del Angel was equally beautiful.
We never went to the restaurants you suggested but rather
walked to an Italian restaurant near the hotel recommended by
the concierge. I do not remember the name but it was an
intimate quaint place and the cook was very bubbly. I had the
best pasta with the most perfect sauce. Again we were
the only diners there. I would recommend it and it is close to
the hotel.
LanChile was great but i have to say the minute I walked into
the terminal at JFK I felt as if I left American soil. Very
weird feeling.
Thanks for everything.
F. (name withheld)
|
|
April 19, 2003
Hello...
I am at an internet cafe in Ecuador and looking to make
arrangements for a trip to Cuenca (hotel, flights, etc) from
Quito. But don't know if you are open today, Saturday April
19. If you get this message today, please reply to [email
address withheld]...
Thanks...by the way, the arrangements at Mansion del Angel
were perfect! Great place!
A. D. (name withheld)
[Note from LARC's Webmaster: LARC's office is
open:
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM Monday through
Friday.
However, there is usually a LARC professional in the
office for at least part of the day on Saturdays and
Sundays to check email, phone messages, and to deal with any
time-sensitive issues that might arise.]
|
|
November 18, 2002
Dear Judy,
We are finally back home in Israel after nearly six months
away from home.
I must thank you for sending us to La Mirage. It was
absolutely perfect. We were the only ones there and George and
Michelle treated us like royalty. They upgraded to a luxury
suite and made us feel as if we were personal guest. The
accommodation and food was exquisite. We also totally enjoyed
[Mansion del Angel] where we were also upgraded to a
suite. We stayed an extra two days in Quito. In
both places the service was impeccable and we have only you to
thank for this. Kevin and the other driver were
wonderful. Everything went as smoothly as we could
want. It was truly a dream vacation. Unfortunately
we then had to stay in a three star hotel that the University
arranged and paid for us in Guayaquil where my husband was
working. Talk about making an adjustment.
So please accept our thanks for all your effort and know how
much we appreciate it. It was a truly memorable
experience.
Regards,
S. S. (Name withheld)
|
|
June 6, 2002
Just wanted to drop you a note to let you
know the honeymoon was wonderful. Mansion del Angel was
great, as were La Mirage and [a
rainforest resort whose name we aren't allowed to post for
legal reasons]. At most of the places we
were just about the only guests there, so we got more than our
fair share of attention. Also, Kevin from [Turisvision] was a
great guide and we were always glad to see him on our several
arrivals to Quito.
Thanks for all your recommendations!
D. (name withheld)
|
|
January 12, 2002
Hi Judy-
You may wish to pass along these compliments to the owners:
"However, Mansion [del Angel] was an exception. In fact,
I am not sure I have ever received a better level of attention
and service at any place I have ever stayed anywhere. And the
way it was furnished, it was fit for a queen!"
-- [name withheld]
|
|
January 12, 2002
"The Mansion del Angel was lovely "
-- [name withheld]
|
Call
Today For Prices, Information, or Reservations!
TOLL FREE IN THE
USA & CANADA: 1-800-327-3573
LOCAL
/ INTERNATIONAL:
1-863-439-1486
FAX:
1-863-439-2118 |
|
|
Copyright©
2002-2008 Latin America Reservation Center,
Inc. All rights reserved. |
|
 |
