Christmas (and birthday!) in Ecuador

Our first ever Christmas together was spent in a beautiful country house hotel just outside Quito.  It was actually someone's huge family home which they'd turned in to a guesthouse.  It seems to be a common thing to do here as they actually have a name for it - a hacienda.

The place was gorgeous - they have so much land that they've set up trails, and there are archaeological tunnels beneath the property which you can explore (we never found out what they were for though).  They also have the cutest dog - an 8-month old Fench bulldog called Francis.

We had a relaxing two days there, enjoying sleeping in a king size bed and not having to drive anywhere. 

(Our room was the one with the balcony upstairs)

(Not quite the suite that was advertised - just one room and no sofa - but nice all the same)

The weather was sunny, but because we were at around 2,800m it was cool as well.  And at night it got cold enough to warrant a log fire, which made it feel very Christmassy!

We spent Christmas Day eating panettone and Skyping friends and family, including our new niece, Audrey.

We didn't really get a proper Christmas dinner though (Paul had asked before we booked if they were doing a Christmas meal and they said yes, but perhaps he should've asked about a 'special' Christmas meal because we just got their standard menu which we also had on Christmas Eve). Still the food was delicious and the breakfasts were some of the best we've had in South America.

As a bonus, after dinner I got a cake with candles, as well as the cake and candles that Paul had bought!