Zutalu Lodge
An eco-encouraging space for relaxation and exploration that energizes and inspires, filling guests with optimism and joy.
Why Ecuador?
Ecuador is a country FULL of potential! #allyouneedisEcuador
- Untapped Tourism – With many European cities straining from over tourism and prices to the Caribbean climbing, Ecuador and nearby countries are experiencing increasing tourism. The diversity and variety of experiences in a compact country is unparalleled.
- Accessible – Ecuador is a 4 hour flight from Miami, USA. 14 airlines fly to Ecuador with over 120 flights per week.
- Affordable – Ecuador is one of the most affordable countries to visit in South America, and conveniently the official currency is the US dollar.
- Environmental – Ecuador is full of natural resources including the Galapagos Islands, the Amazon jungle, the Andes mountains, volcanos, rainforests, cloud forests. It is known for its biodiversity with over 300 species of mammals, 800 species of fish, 1600 species of birds, and 350 species of reptiles.
- Adventurous – To balance the cultural visits to cathedrals and relaxing days in the thermal baths,, there’s a multitude of action-packed activities to enjoy in your vacation. There’s activities for the young and old, from hiking, kayaking, and wildlife spotting to surfing, zip-lining, and canyoneering.
Awesome Facts about Ecuador
- Ecuador is more biodiverse per square kilometer than any other nation
- 15% of the world’s biodiversity. endemic species here, too; the Galapagos alone has 38, but there are also 106 reptiles and 138 amphibians endemic to Ecuador.
- Honored to have 5 UNESCO World Heritage sites (pretty impressive for a country smaller than Nevada, USA)
- In 2008, Ecuador was the first country to officially recognize the rights of nature. Rather than treating nature as property, Ecuador recognizes that nature has constitutional rights and has the “right to exist, persist, maintain and regenerate its vital cycles.”
- Due to a bulge around the equator, Ecuador’s Mount Chimborazo is, in fact, closer to the moon and outer space than Mount Everest.
- Charles Darwin developed his Theory of Evolution upon visiting Ecuador’s Galapagos Islands. He visited in 1835
Why Puerto Lopez?
Puerto Lopez is charming, safe, and affordable. This fishing village is famous for humpback whale watching, who breed and migrate from June to September. In addition, there is snorkeling, surfing, fishing, horseback riding, hiking, salsa dancing, discotheques, restaurants, tide pools, and beautiful beaches.
August 2021
Germinating the Idea
In 2021, our family vacationed in Ecuador. We marveled at volcano views in Quito, hiked and explored the Amazon jungle, rappelled down waterfalls in Banos, and gaped at humpback whales breaching and splashing near us. As we hung out in lovely hostels/lodges/hotels, our discussion kept returning to a theme of “We could do this.” It would challenge us, but could be very meaningful and leave our hearts full. Then fate nudged us along….for unrelated reasons, Vasara decided not to pursue a dental degree and has the flexibility and desire to pursue something entrepreneurial. Similarly, Lukas took a career break to hike the Rockies and also has flexibility at the moment. Voila! They can be our people on the ground, while other family members contribute from afar.
May 2022
The Right Realtor
(Ruta writing) As we toyed with the idea of purchasing an eco-friendly lodge, we searched the internet for locations in Belize and Nicaragua, then focusing in on the Pacific coast of Ecuador. The idea of actually purchasing a lodge seemed far-fetched to us, as We speak Lithuanian at home, not Spanish We’d need to move to Ecuador to run the lodge We currently don’t have business contacts in Ecuador While we’ve stayed in hundreds of hotels, we have not run any hospitality business ourselves However, we are world-savvy, problem-solvers, optimists and adventure-seekers. We treat others with respect, and earn other’s respect in return. We strive to live the days of our lives intentionally and fully. We’re smart, confident, and passionate in improving the world around us.
August 2022
The Scouting trip
(Ruta writing) While this is a family endeavor, only Vasara and I traveled to Ecuador to check out the listings to keep the trip light and simple. We purchased tickets from Chicago to Miami to Guayaquil. We spent the night in Guayaquil, taking a bus the next morning to Salinas. At Salinas, we were planning to meet Gerald and start viewing properties for sale.
We took an uber from the hostel to the bus terminal. The lady at the information desk directed us to the right ticket window, and we paid our $9 each for tickets to Santa Elena and walked through the shopping mall-like bus terminal, up the escalator to the buses. The bus coach was comfortable and not crowded. Outside the Santa Elena bus terminal, Vasara asked how much the ticket cost for the 30 min trip further to our final destination of Salinas. Vasara yells over to me, “It’s $3.50 each. I only have two singles,” as she holds up the dollars. The person she was talking to plucks the dollar out of her hand (!!) and hands Vasara some coins back. It was $0.35, not $3.50. 🙂
Salinas is a beautiful coastal town with a “Miami, Florida” type of vibe. There is a wide promenade along the ocean beachfront. The many stores and restaurants seem to be able to handle many tourists, although when we were there in August, we had plenty of room for ourselves.
Our realtor, Gerald, arranged for us to visit many properties for sale. Many of the properties were lovely with lots of potential for update and improvement. The properties were quite diverse, and we spent 5 full days traveling up the coast from Salinas through Ballenita, Ayampe, Montanita, Puerto Lopez, and Manta. Examples of properties we viewed were the following:
- standard hotel
- pleasant man’s disjointed house/restaurant
- small hotel well off the main roads
- a boutique wellness retreat center
- large family compounds
- vibrant in town small hotels
- oceanfront cabanas
- an elderly couple’s charming summer house
- in town house rehabbed to be a hostel
Visiting each property gave us a solid understanding of what is on the market, their strengths, weaknesses, and potential. Again, we felt fortunate to work with our Ecuador Properties to advise and guide us along this educational journey.
Offer and Negiotiation
Like a child poised at the tip of a diving board, we took a deep breath and made an offer for the property that matched our gut feel. We offered a substantial down payment, a few additional factors to explain our reasoning of the offer amount and kept our fingers crossed. After a some back and forth, we agreed on the price. Voila!
…yikes! What have we done?
Adding some humor here, Vasara was ecstatic with excitement, while I (Ruta) had a bit of feeling of “Uh, it sounded great, yet YIKES! Perhaps we should have x,y,z………….smiles. Any large commitment in life can feel scary, but as the saying goes, “If your dreams don’t scare you, they’re not big enough.” Overall, we’re happy, excited, and ready for the new experiences our Puerto Lopez cabanas will offer.
October 2022
Settling in
At the end of October, Lukas and Vasara made the trip to Puerto Lopez, closed on the property (formerly named Hosteria Playa Sur), and spent the next two months settling into their new home. There is much to adapt to – living abroad, a foreign language, working in a new industry, running a business, managing improvements and all of the other wonders that come with this life.
Stay tuned! We will be posting more updates in the days, weeks, months, and years to come.
