In the middle of the cloud forest sits a town called Mindo in Ecuador. Dirt roads connect restaurants, hotels, hostels, homes, and businesses while the town is bordered by tall trees, hills, and a green, sprawling forest in every direction. Practically every business has at least one hummingbird feeder to entice the local celebrities in for some nectar, and it is stunning to see all shades of these beautiful creatures flitting about. I loved Mindo, and I will definitely have a whole post about that in the future, but for now we're focused on the first place I stayed at here; La Bicok Ecolodge.
Here there is a gated entrance, courtyard-type work area, restaurant and bar, lounge area with books and games, a pool, and an open concept plan that allowed the nightly rain shower to fall all around in the open hallways. I loved my room and wish I had gotten to use more of the lodge's amenities like the pool and the courtyard work area. But I only really stayed here for two of the nights, the first of which I got in after dark and pretty much passed out right after I got to my room and took a shower. The place was decorated with plants everywhere, feeders beckoning to the hummingbirds, and wooden accents everywhere. It truly looked like it was part of the forest that surrounded it.
The room was cozy, and surprisingly modern and sleek looking. The bed was ridiculously comfortable and the way the room was situated, the breeze I got every night was just wonderful. The pillows were plush and supportive and the blanket was heavy without being hot...if that makes sense. I really wish I had looked to see if this place had any openings for the night after my stay ended, as I really did like it here, but I didn't for whatever reason and I wound up going somewhere else when I extended my stay. Oh well, I'm glad I was able to stay here for the time that I did and I would recommend it to others coming here as well.
The breakfast spread was as pretty as it was delicious- it kept me full until dinner with just a light snack here and there during my hikes to fuel me. Fresh fruits, granola, fresh fruit juice, an assortment of toast toppers (jam, marmalade, honey, and butter), yogurt, waffles, pancakes, English muffin, and eggs. To accompany that, the breakfast came with a big ass BOWL of coffee. Look at that container, it's literally a huge bowl. I was given sugar, but no cream, and it seemed like no amount of sugar I put in was enough to balance the bitterness oof the coffee. I don't know if it was because it was such a huge bowl and I needed way more than normal or if this type/brand of coffee was just more bitter. But, you bet your biscuits I drank it all. I was going to need as much caffeine as I could get for my busy days ahead.