Izhcayluma – Virtual Community

Perhaps it’s because Izhcayluma is not on VRBO, Airbnb, or Booking.com, and that we found it through word of mouth, (Regina, our Swedish travel buddy).  It seems like most of the people we met here found it the same way.  In any event, it is a fantastic hotel/hostel, and we recommend it to all.

We liked that they send a van to Cuenca and for $15 each we could get a ride directly to the Izhcayluma parking lot.  This avoided a transfer in Loja, a taxi ride in Vilcabamba, and reduced the overall trip from 6-7 hours to 4 1/2.  The van held 13 passengers, we were 12, including a 19 year-old German kid, a French cinematographer, two Canadian couples (fire tower sitters and photographer/biologist/author – teacher), and three American couples (one couple traveling for 1 1/2 years so far).  We knew them all by the time we arrived, and became friends with all of them and more before we left.

Izhcayluma was build by a German guy who has been in Vilcabamba for about 20 years.  It is green, and a great deal of care has been put into making it beautiful and stressfree.

The rooms are designed with views in mind.

There is free yoga every morning (in which Ellen partook).  The dining room is open air, as the weather in Vilcabamba is pretty much always perfect with the exception of occasional rain.

There is a bar and pool.

And most of all, there are flowers –

Here is a link if you want to check it out further:  http://www.izhcayluma.com/es/