Hacienda La Alegría : A Wonderful Experience

Gabriel Espinosa greets us at the entrance of Hacienda La Alegría. Podocarpus, cedar and araucarias fill the forests surrounding the property. The beauty of the road sheltered by these ancient witnesses leads to a gorgeous house painted yellow with windows framed in green, which enchanted us from the first moment. Its owner immediately makes us feel at home.

The history of Hacienda La Alegría begins over a century ago when the grandparents of our host, Gabriel Espinosa, decided to buy some land in Alóag, a rural parish in the Pichincha province. Finding themselves benefitted by the weather and with such generous land that allowed them to sow and feed their animals, in 1910 they decided to build a house with the help of an italian architect.

Hacienda La Alegría was named several decades ago after the area where it is located. Nevertheless, its owner tells us that the property is between the Pasochoa volcano, which means “widower”, and La Viudita (the widow) mountain, and that therefore the Hacienda brings happiness to both.

Hacienda la Alegría, cared for and enjoyed by the Espinosa family throughout three generations, 12 years ago opened its doors to national and foreign tourists so that others would have the privilege of experiencing the meaning of life in the countryside – or “hacienda life”- as Gabriel calls it. Thus, visitors can enjoy the cattle, milking, the birth of a calf, the ripening of cheese, and going horseback riding while enjoying the sight of the nine volcanos around Mejia County: Pasochoa, Sincholagua,Cotopaxi, The Ilinizas, Corazon, Ninahuilca, Las Tres Marías and Atacazo.

Highlights

From Hacienda La Alegría you can see the passing of the Cruise Train from a small viewpoint which originally was one of the train stop

Gabriel talks about his clients as guests, and points out that both he and his wife, Paty Dassum, and the hacienda workers, give everything of themselves to provide an exquisite experience to those who choose to try one of the most enriching adventures of the Ecuadorian highlands.The house is 104 years old and has been maintained intact all these years. Next to the impressive old house a new area was built in order to provide additional comfort to tourists. The place has 10 rooms between 9 and 40 square feet, some of them with a fireplace. This area was built five years ago and it respects the original style of the house, but with the benefits of a modern construction.

Gabriel declares his passion for horses, for which reason one of the biggest attractions of La Alegría are the horseback rides they offer their guests. The plan includes a ride through nearby areas, among others the cloud forest, on top any of the horses they have. There are creole-Andaluz crossbreeds, Arabs, English, Percherons and Argentinian creoles. A total of 70, trained under the concept of natural dressage; according to this, it takes at least one year of training for the horse to be ready for a guest rider.

Due to the extreme attention and care given to every detail Hacienda La Alegría is ranked in Trip Advisor, a major travel website worldwide, and for four consecutive years has been awarded the first place in excellence among 130 establishments located in Quito and its surrounding area. La Alegría also holds the Smart Voyager and the Q for quality of Quito Tourism certifications, which acknowledge the work performed in respect of environmental laws; among them water treatment, environmental preservation and the excellent relations they keep with people of the community to whom they also frequently support.

Every time Gabriel and Paty place the house completely at the disposal of their guests during their stay, which allows them to make friends with them and generate a family environment. Witnessing their fabulous hospitality we leave this magic spot of the Ecuadorian Sierra, with a firm intention to come back.

Hacienda La Alegría is ranked in Trip Advisor, for four consecutive years has been awarded the first place in excellence among 130 establishments located in Quito and its surrounding area.

It holds the Smart Voyager and the Q for quality of Quito Tourism certifications, which acknowledge the work performed in respect of