You cannot fly into Cuenca, Ecuador non-stop from another country. With that in mind, imagine you have spent many hours reaching Cuenca, plus a long taxi ride from the airport. At this point you may wonder if this will be worth the effort.
For us, it was far more than merely worth the effort.
My wife and I have lived in several apartments in at least four different countries during the past 10 years, and this is the best we have found.
The host met us at the door and showed us a spotlessly clean apartment, fully furnished with all we needed for the next two months. They provided a book with maps and suggestions of places to go and things to do.
The hosts (Rex and Cheryl) made themselves always available to us.
The beds were very comfortable, exceeding our expectations, and we always slept well. Outside the kitchen door was a covered patio where we often had breakfast or dinner. The patio opened on a beautiful back yard with flowering plants on the walls, many different flowers, and a tree with a hummingbird feeder and filled with avocados. (Janet rates the avocados as “absolutely delicious.”)
A block away is a walking trail along a beautiful river. The water is almost always perfectly clear and produces a soothing sound as it flows over the rocks. (There are three rivers in Cuenca and they join into one and flow to the Amazon). Park land was created on both sides of the river, and the park and trails extend for several miles. Eucalyptus trees (100 to 150 feet high) line the banks of the river and provide shade. Almost every day, we walked along the river. Several times, as we neared the end of our walk, we would stop and eat breakfast or lunch at La Yunta, a restaurant across the river from the apartment.
The hosts were happy to provide information regarding the city including things to do, places to see, and wonderful restaurants.
There is one more resident that must be mentioned. Her name is Pip. She is one of the most intelligent canines I have ever known. If you don’t like animals she will almost certainly leave you alone. But if you like dogs, as we do, she is absolutely delightful. She even seemed to learn our schedule. We usually sat on the patio with a glass of wine at 4 o’clock. Once when we were delayed, we found her at the back door looking very concerned that something might have happened to us.
Lee and Janet