The Finca Hotel

A house shaped by the mountain

The essence

From a childhood idea to Rumipamba

At 16, Sebastián imagined a small inn facing a snow-capped volcano. Decades later, after guiding travellers across Ecuador and building Hotel Sebastián in Quito, he and Martha found the right land in Rumipamba, Valle de los Chillos. Sebastián drew the rooms around one idea: the mountain should remain part of the stay.

CotopaxiPungo is a purpose-built Finca Hotel. Its adobe walls, timber beams and fireplaces take inspiration from the Spanish Baroque used for monasteries and hacienda houses in the colonial period, forming part of the Avenue of the Volcanoes landscape.

Landscape

On clear days, Cotopaxi, Antisana and Sincholagua rise beyond the dining room, rooms and pool. Across the wider horizon, up to 22 volcanoes can come into view, alongside Quito and the valleys of Los Chillos, Cumbayá, Tumbaco and Puembo, within the landscape of the Avenue of the Volcanoes.

Refuge

Adobe walls, timber beams and fireplaces provide a counterpoint to the open landscape. Outside: páramo wind and changing cloud. Inside: a fire lit before nightfall.

Hospitality

The team welcomes guests, shares practical advice and helps plan each day without rushing the landscape.

History

A dream built over a lifetime

16 years old
Sebastián lives in a house from which he can see Cayambe, one of the country's snow-capped volcanoes, and imagines that one day he will have a small lodge facing one of Ecuador's volcanoes.
1972
Sebastián begins working as a tour guide. Over decades, he develops experiences in Cuyabeno, the Galápagos Islands, the Quijos River and other destinations. He also builds and runs Hotel Sebastián in Quito.
The search
Together with his wife Martha, Sebastián returns to the dream. It takes roughly two years to find the right land, and much longer to acquire the complete property.
The plans
Sebastián spends years drawing the hotel and defining the orientation of rooms and bathrooms so they maintain a direct relationship with the landscape.
Today
CotopaxiPungo is open, with Sebastián, Martha and their daughter María Gabriela — trained in Hospitality Business Administration and Marketing, with a master's in Tourism Management — alongside the Finca Hotel team.

The family

The people behind the Finca Hotel

Founder · Tourism entrepreneur

Sebastián

A tourism entrepreneur and guild leader in national tourism bodies, Sebastián began as a guide. He founded a travel agency, pioneered tourism in Cuyabeno, built a boat for Galápagos visitors, brought Ecuador's first rafting group and opened the Quijos River to the sport. He also built Cuyabeno cabins, organised mid- and high-mountain routes around Chimborazo and the main Sierra peaks, created Hotel Sebastián in Quito, and finally built CotopaxiPungo Finca Hotel with the family company.

Co-founder

Martha

Martha decorated the hotel and holds a degree in interior decoration. Her influence is present in the Finca Hotel's welcoming, family character.

Second generation

María Gabriela

With training in Hospitality Business Administration and Marketing and a master's in Tourism Management, María Gabriela carries the project into its second generation.

Shared spaces

The house beyond the room

Warm places to rest, read, talk or spend a quieter hour while the Andean landscape remains close.

Heated indoor pool

A heated relaxation pool beside the fireplace, with the landscape still visible through the windows.

Fireside lounge

A shared room with a fireplace and bar for reading, conversation and quiet hours after returning from the páramo.

Billiards room

A timber-beamed room for an unhurried game when the weather draws life indoors.

Gallery

Life at the finca

Reserve

Stay in the house that faces the Andes

Choose the room that suits your stay and make time for the landscape that shaped CotopaxiPungo.