Rumi Wilco Ecolodge & Nature Reserve-Cabañas & Camping

It is a very beautiful nature reserve with a river on one side and mountains on the other. I had five days of peace and tranquility and the best sleep I have had in a long while, hearing only crickets at night and birds in the morning. My cabin had two beds and a kitchen with a full stove/oven and a large fridge and there is nice hot water in the shower. The property has many nice walking trails and some that go up the bordering hillsides that offer beautiful views of Vilcabamba and the surrounding mountains. I had a very nice and peaceful five days staying in this forest reserve.

The location was fantastic. Cool and beautiful. The lodges were comfortable and the grounds and paths full of beautiful native plants. The staff was as helpful and kind as possible.

Everything. The owners are amazing and very kind people who built these cabins themselves, their family maintains the grounds around the cabins, and they are dedicated, knowledgeable, and passionate nature conservationists. The grounds are so very peaceful, beautiful, and quiet, the cabins are tucked away in a nature preserve, 15-20 minutes walk to town, and there many lovely trails to hike right out of the door. You can hear the river from the cabin, and there are many places to go sit by it or bathe. The cabins themselves are very cozy and clean, with everything you need, a very well equipped kitchen, good wifi connection, and private bathroom with hot shower. The owners make their own marmalade for sale and offer ground coffee grown on the property as well. I was happy to stay here almost 2 weeks, but really wish I had stayed for longer. Im going to miss waking up to the bird songs and laying in the hammock(s)

The adobe walls create a good sense inside the room. The area is remote and quiet at night. The wifi signal remained strong all the time.

Rumi Wilco has two separate parts. The rooms are by the road at the entrance, while the cabins and camping area are inside the nature reserve. So the comments on booking.com mostly pertain to the cabins, which must be better than the rooms. The rooms themselves are okay although the mattresses measure 10 cm thick and are old. There is direct communication to the outdoors and no screens, so ask for a mosquito net (although it seemed as though the area mostly has daytime mosquitoes). The bathrooms are outhouses; you have walk outdoors to get to them. There is no soap and the hostess told me to get my own in town, a half mile away. You need a flashlight or headlamp at night. One outhouse has no sink, just a water spigot to wash your hands; the other has a water spigot with a crude concrete sink. The kitchen seemed fine. Guests keep to themselves. The view was unattractive: a van parked next to an unfinished concrete building with exposed rebar iron. The bathrooms had lots of spider webs with spiders. I'm not sure why the owners did not clean them away. The hot water heaters are the type that sit above the shower head. I'm not sure if they worked; I skipped the shower. My experience with that type of heater is that they don't heat the water much. I paid $25 a night on Friday and Saturday. I noticed weekdays go for $13. For $25 a night, you can find better options.