Today we have been to Banos, which is a suburb of Cuenca and you hardly know when you have left Cuenca and entered Banos. There are volcanic steam sources in this quaint little village. We had been told by numerous different people that the best destination in town was the Hosteria Duran. So that, of course, is where we headed. There were six of us, three couples. Valerie and Will our next door neighbors and Rocky and Misty some new friends of our who are going to move here permanently, also. The entrance to the bath complex was $5.00 each. It is a large pool with very warm water, 36 degrees centigrade, which is just a little over 110 degrees F. So a soak in the pool proved terribly relaxing, then we headed for the gender segregated steam baths that were pumping ecalyptus steam for our bodies to soak up and detox with. Very invigorating. Then we dressed in dry clothes and headed for the restaurant which has a outstanding reputation, apparently the chef is French. Well the dining experience did not disappoint. We truly sampled a variety of the menu. Will and Val opted for the daily special, a three course extravaganza that included: seafood quiche for the first course, trout done with an wonderful sauce for the entree and dessert was some wonderful cake with sauce that pleased, I could tell by the looks on their faces it was exceptional. Misty and Rocky opted for two variations of red meat, a milet mignon with portebollo mushroom sauce for Misty and a Chateau Briand with some kind of wonderful butter sauce made Rocky's look absolutely good enough to eat. And he did eat every bite and I was not sure he was not going to lick the plate, I think it was that good. Bill had Spagetthi Bolognese, which was excellent and I had Lasagna de Mariscos, which is seafood lasagna. It was to die for. However, it was rich and I could only manage about half of it. It came in a round, rather large casserole with cheese on top and the most wonderful sauce holding together all the goodies from the sea. Then Bill and I split a dessert and so did Rocky and Misty. We were speculating what a meal like this in the states tab would have been?? Very worthwhile and very beautifully served. So all the following pictures are from Banos and the Hosteria Duran. We recommend it highly.
Guess what the total bill was, including tax and gratuity? Then scroll to the end of the photos for answer. Remember this is a top notch restaurant. Don't peek!!
The pool at the Hosteria Duran
Steps to the second floor colonade.
A fountain treasure along a walk on the grounds.
The colonade outside of the rooms.
The grounds were treasures of native Ecuadorian plants.
View from the second floor to adjacent houses near the property.
This is the dining room where we had lunch. Gringo's exiting.
Just outside the dining room where we had lunch.
Staircase from lobby to dining room on second floor.
Front of resort where you go in. Lunch with tip and 12% tax was $69 and some change. We thought the quality of the food would have been at least twice that amount in the States.
CIAO, Dean and Bill
What a beautiful, exotic resort. What does it cost to spend the night there? And did you see any of the rooms?
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