2 Best Hotels in The Central Highlands, Ecuador

This place has been inhabited for more than five centuries—it began as an Inca fortress and was transformed into an Augustinian monastery after the Spanish conquest. It now belongs to an Ecuadoran family. Two original Inca structures are used as a chapel and a dining room. The hotel is a few miles from Parque Nacional Cotopaxi, where you have access to horseback riding, trout fishing, mountain biking, and trekking.

Perched high over Baños on the slopes of Volcán Tungurahua, Swiss-run Luna Runtún combines colonial-style architecture with the attention to detail you would expect from a European resort. On your pillow will be fresh flowers carefully selected from the gardens outside. Hike along a route used by rum smugglers in the 1920s, ride horses through the nearby countryside, or join a trip to the hot springs.