One of the highlights of our recent trip to Ecuador was our two-night stay at Molino San Juan, in the shadow of Cayambe Volcano and on the outskirts of the city of Cayambe, Pichincha province. The history of Molino San Juan, part of Hacienda La Copañia, along with the hospitality extended to us by its manager, Jaime Pallares, and his staff was nothing short of remarkable.
During our off-season stay, we were the only guests at Molino San Juan, considered the “hotel” of Hacienda La Copañia, and we were treated like royalty. Jaime told us that he was there to ensure that we enjoyed our stay, and he proved his commitment to that goal time and again. Let me explain that he is one of the family members who own this remarkable hacienda, an entrepreneur with grand plans and a earlier career with Hilton Hotels. During the first night of our stay, in order to be absolutely certain that everything would be perfect, he actually stayed in an upstairs guestroom rather than going home for the night!
Heated living spaces are not the norm in Ecuador, and our desire for greater warmth in our room was met with additional blankets, a space heater in our room, and hot water bottles in our bed. Simply remarkable!
Molino San Juan, part of the family-owned Hacienda, is a former cattle barn that was built in the 1960s and used through the 1970s. The floors bear the original imprint of cheese molds, and the rooms are uniquely built around stanchions and cattle feeding troughs. The walls are decorated with artwork that has been created by Jaime’s wife and mother-in-law. Our stay included half board, and our breakfasts and dinners were carefully prepared and delicious – always of course including bizcochos, the tasty signature pastries of Cayambe. We were also provided with box lunches to take along during our travels away from Molina San Juan.
Let me explain more about the Hacienda and its remarkable history. As is the case with other Haciendas in Ecuador, Molina San Juan consists of 500 hectares that was originally founded by Jesuits half a millennium ago. Remarkably, the grand hacienda, chapel, and original buildings still stand, with Sunday Mass still celebrated once monthly in the old chapel. After the Jesuit period, the property was purchased by Roberto Jarrin back in 1860, with the most fascinating period of the Hacienda’s history commencing when Aquiles Jarrin built the Molino San Juan hydraulic grist mill late in the 19th century.
Much of that hydraulic mill greats diners the Hacienda’s fine restaurant and museum, where we were invited to view the inner workings of the mill in the space below the main floor. The mill, which processed grains from surrounding farms for many decades, was built in France, disassembled, and shipped across the Atlantic, around the horn of South America, up the Pacific Coast to Guayaquil, then over the Andes Mountains for a six month trek to Cayambe where it was reassembled. This remarkable feat brought to mind the 1982 Werner Herzog film, Fitzcarraldo.
Today, the main source of revenue for the Hacienda is the cultivation of roses. Ecuador is the world’s third largest producer of cut flowers, most of which are roses, and most of which are grown in Pichincha province. Roses are one of the country’s leading exports, after crude oil and bananas – which we also found growing in abundance. Most of the roses grown at the Hacienda are shipped to markets in Russia, the United States, and Holland (where they are re-marketed as local products.)
As part of our visit to Molino San Juan, Jaime gave us a personal tour of the Hacienda’s rose showroom. Displaying dozens of artistic arrangements, the roses are replaced every three days, ensuring that the blossoms are at all times nothing less than perfect.
In addition to our personal tour of the hacienda grounds, museum, chapel and rose showroom, Jaime arranged for guide service to Cayambe Volcano – another outstanding part of our visit that will be covered in another post. If you should be fortunate enough to visit Ecuador, be sure to include a visit to Cayambe and a stay at Molino San Juan!