8 years ago, I decided to leave the city. It was the middle of the summer and I was sailing from Stockholm to Helsinki. It was very late when the sun finally went down, and even when it was mostly dark, there was still a line of light on the northern horizon. I sat at the stern of the boat watching this amazing display of nature when the realisation that I had to leave the city hit with the force of a storm.

 

It was a mind-blowing, life-changing moment; I wanted to leave the noise, the pollution, the traffic. I wanted to grow my own food, breathe fresh air, erase my carbon footprint. I spent the next two years researching how to make this dream a reality, finally deciding to build a sustainable, hippie-chic hotel-farm. The search for the perfect location began, and I spent weekend after weekend driving along remote mountain roads.

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One day - I don’t remember exactly how - I came by an ad in a newspaper; a beautiful wooden house by a river, two acres of land near the Cloud Forest of Ecuador. The next morning, I got into my car and drove through the spines and peaks of the Andes to discover one of the most amazing landscapes I had ever seen. As I descended the slopes of Cotacachi into the Valley of the Intag, the vegetation just got greener and greener, and lusher and lusher until I thought it was impossible for it to get any greener or lusher, and yet it did. Even before I arrived at the house, I knew I had found a very special place. I pulled up, and the moment I got out of the car, the roar of the Intag River had me hooked. I knew it. This was IT. 

 

I poured time, all my ideas and plenty of love into Pacheco. The stone-built house has been fully renovated with locally-sourced wood and bamboo. The original furniture that was inside the house has been re-purposed and re-used.

 

Pacheco is the perfect haven to curl up with a good book while also enjoying our healthy and nutritious food from the kitchen. It is also a perfect base for getting out into the spectacular natural surroundings of the Intag Valley and beyond. The Intag River flows along the boundary of our land - we have around 300 m of beautiful riverbank for you to explore.

The cloud forest - one of the most beautiful and best-kept secrets in Ecuador - is right on our doorstep with incomparable plant and wildlife. This is one of the most biodiverse areas on the planet. We are surrounded by lakes, volcanoes and hiking trails. Go just a little further afield and you can swim in hot springs, enjoy hiking, rafting, birding, fishing and canopying. 

We look forward to welcoming you at 'Pacheco', your home away from home.