Saturday, March 19, 2011

Hosteria Uzhupud

Entrance to the hosteria

We had the opportunity to visit one of the hosterias that we've been wanting to visit because of what we've seen and heard from our friends who have been fortunate enough to see this beautiful resort.

History
Uzhupud means “Hot Chili Pepper Valley”.  This name combines two native languages  (Quichua and Cañari).  "Uzhu" in Quichua means hot chili pepper and "Pud" in Cañari means plain, flat, and ample place.

The current majority owners of Hostería Uzhupud are the descendants of don Cornelio Vintimilla Muñoz, his wife doña Esther Muñoz Dávila, and their grandchildren Crespo-Vintimilla and Vintimilla-Vinueza.

The Hostería is situated on the lands of the old hacienda.  The current buildings have been adapted to the old, large family houses in which the Muñoz and the Vintimilla families lived.  Today they produce the French liquor Marie Brizard, the Italian vermouth Gancia, and many other similar products.



Information
There are 36 private rooms in the main plaza and two communal rooms in the main building.

They have an indoor and an outdoor restaurant, and both are open Monday through Sunday, from 7:00am to 10:00pm.  They also have a convention center, a chapel, swimming pool, tennis courts, and horseback riding.


We ate lunch outside on the patio

Location
Hostería Uzhupud is located 40 minutes away from Cuenca in the Chicán parish.  It is near the town of Paute in the Province of Azuay in the Ecuadorian Andes, at an altitude of 2180 meters above sea level in one of the most sacred places of the ancient Cañaris:  the Totemic Valley of the Paute River.  The Paute River forms five minutes away from Hosteria Uzhupud as the result of the merging of the Gualaceo River and the Cuenca River.  From this point it starts its long journey towards the magnificent Amazon River.


Indoor dining






 
We will be taking a trip to the Amazon next month.  It will be a four-day cruise on the Amazon Manatee Explorer.  Looking forward to our trip --  will share our stories and photos when we return.

2 comments:

  1. Pat, I just love your blog.
    Leeann

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  2. Hi Leeann - good to hear from you. How are things in Arizona? Hope your hands are healing up OK and that John is well.

    Take care, Patty

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