Hostería Hacienda Pinsaquí by Dominic Hamilton

Hostería Hacienda Pinsaquí lies to the north of Otavalo, and of Ecuador's northern haciendas perhaps feels the most lived in. The house has been in the hands of the Freile family for five generations. It only opened its doors to paying guests in 1994. At the weekends, Pedro Freile drives up from Quito to spend a day riding his horse with friends.

There are in fact three Pedro Freiles. The elder, now in his sixties, is renowned for his love of horses. He is famous for greeting his guests in the bar for an aperitif - on horseback. There are photos of him with a magnificent chestnut Arab - in a master bedroom.

One approaches the main house through imposing gates, the front garden rolling down to a fountain at the hacienda's main entrance, which then divides into two wings. The furniture, including an exquisite chandelier and a behemoth writing desk, comes mainly from France and Europe, brought back by the free-wheeling and free-spending Freile of the early 20th century, who was rumoured to have been a lover of Frida Kahlo while ambassador to Mexico.

Pinsaquí's cobbled paths and walls are thick with history. On his troubled travels to and from Bogotá and Quito, Simón Bolívar would stay at the hacienda, and though unproven, no doubt met his lover Manuela Sáenz here for furtive fumblings before he returned to matters of state.

In the late 19th century, the hacienda hosted the peace treaty drawn up between Colombia and Ecuador after the Ecuadorian president had backed the wrong horse (the conservatives) in one of Colombia's endless civil wars. Soon after, Pinsaquí was severely damaged by the earthquake which shook the province in the late 19th century, but was thankfully faithfully rebuilt.

Adjoining the main house, passing by the family chapel, are what were once the store rooms where the produce of the hacienda's vast lands were brought. They've now been converted into vast dining and living rooms with huge hearths and echoing ceilings.

The garden at the back of the house is crowded by clusters of huge royal palms, with paths leading round a small man-made lake, a 20th century addition. Around the lake graze three or four timid lamas, and beyond them some of the majestic steeds of the Freiles.

It's worth taking a tour of the rooms, to find one that best suits your tastes. They very quite a bit. Service is excellent, and high by Ecuadorian standards. Food at the restaurant can have its bad days, but is generally more than acceptable.