Hacienda Cusin

Our September 3rd wedding is on, and we hope you are planning to join us. If you have not already done so, please reply to this message with your mailing address, so we can mail you a proper invitation.

We recently changed the location of the wedding to Hacienda Cusin, http://www.haciendacusin.com/, at the foot of the volcano Imbabura near Otavalo, http://flickr.com/photos/tags/otavalo/. (Accommodations for the long weekend (September 1st through September 4th) will be available at Cusin and its nearby sister hotel, Las Palmeras Inn (www.laspalmerasinn.com) at discounted rates. Please see the where to stay section below for details about rates and reservations.

At long last, here are the details:
When to travel
We plan to be in Quito, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quito August 21st through September 1st, and we encourage you to arrive early to enjoy the city and Ecuador before heading to Cusin. Our home base will be La Posta, Andrea’s family’s house next to the airport, so we look forward to welcoming most of you right as you get off your long flights. We’ll be available to hang out and help you plan your time.

We’ve planned the following itinerary for the weekend of the wedding:
- Thursday, September 1st we will depart for the wedding site, Hacienda Cusin, a 400-year-old hacienda about 90 minutes away from Quito. We’ll arrange for transportation from Quito early Thursday morning and will likely swing by the hot springs at Papallacta on our way out of the city.
- Friday, September 2nd will be a day to enjoy the countryside near Cusin. We’ll arrange for a picnic lunch and opportunities for hiking and horseback riding.
- Saturday, September 3rd early risers have time to visit the market in Otavalo. Taxis and local public buses (for about 10 cents) will get you there and back in time for the late afternoon wedding.
- The wedding will be held in the garden at Hacienda Cusin at 4:30 PM, followed by a dinner reception and dancing until your legs give out.
- Sunday, September 4th we’ll host a celebratory breakfast at Cusin and will be happy to arrange for group transportation back to Quito.

How to get there
Friends and family have found airfare below $600 from both coasts. From the east coast, the best fares so far have been through Travelocity. From the west coast, good fares seem to be available through small travel agencies like Costamar Travel (Rosario at 310-349-0500 should give you a good price if you mention our wedding) or from Tijuana on Mexicana Airlines (www.mexicana.com ). We recommend you also check Kayak.com, http://kayak.com/index.jsp or Mobissimo.com, which can check several discount airfare sites simultaneously.

Where to stay
In Quito:
The following websites seem to capture a good range of hotels and hostels. For an eclectic and well-priced mix of privately-run places in and around Quito check out www.ecuadorexplorer.com/html/quito_hotels.html; for larger corporate hotels try http://www.onetime.com/. We also recommend consulting a guidebook like The Lonely Planet Guide to Ecuador for information about where to stay in Quito and all around the country. We’ve found them to be fairly accurate. We’ve recently heard great things about a hotel called Hotel Café Cultura (www.cafecultura.com).

At the wedding site near Otavalo:
We’ve reserved a block of rooms at Cusin and Las Palmeras for September 1-4th. The staff has been wonderfully accommodating of all our requests and has agreed to discount our guests’ rooms by 30% at Hacienda Cusin and by 10% at Las Palmeras. All room rates include breakfast.

Please check out each website (www.haciendacusin.com and www.laspalmerasinn.com) and select the hotel and the kind of room you want: single, double, triple, suite or quad. Please reserve your rooms, through the Hotel as soon as possible by emailing Paola Malfa at hacienda@cusin.com.ec .

Cusin's triple suites are room #’s 11, 14, 18, 20. Quads are room #s 11 and 20 (2 adults, 2 children's bunks). Las Palmeras triples are 1-6 and 1 in Main House and 1 quad dormitory. Rooms 7, 8, 9, Casa Olana, Casa Buena Vista are all doubles. Room descriptions are on the sites. Remember, you will pay a discounted rate from those listed on the Cusin and Las Palmeras websites.

What to do if you plan to attend:
1. Let us know that you’re coming by sending us an email. Please include the following information:
a. Names and number of people in your party
b. Special meal requests (vegetarian, food allergies, etc.)
c. Arrival date and time in Quito if you have it. Otherwise, send it later.
2. Reserve a room at Hacienda Cusin or Las Palmeras by sending an email to Paola Malfa at hacienda@cusin.com.ec re. Andrea Saenz Wedding, including arrival date, room type (single, double, triple quad) and bed type (twin, Queen, King).
3. Reserve a room in Quito at the hotel of your choice.
4. Please send us your travel itinerary as soon as you’ve booked tickets.

Feel free to get in touch anytime with questions or if you need help coordinating travel. You can reach us at johnyandrea@gmail.com , by phone at 215-917-6663 or by post at our new home in Chicago’s far north side 1243 W. Rosemont Avenue, Chicago, Ill. 60660.

We’ve created our wedding blog at www.ourboda.blogspot.com , which will have links to relevant sites and all details and updates from now through September. Please visit the site and feel free to share your own recommendations by posting comments.

We hope to hear from you soon!

With love,
Andrea and John