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ISSN 1108-8931

International Ecotourism Monthly

Year 4, Issue 45, Feb. 2003

Ecolodge News

Black Sheep Inn, Ecuador:
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The March issue of Outside Magazine has listed Black Sheep Inn, as one of the Top Ten Ecolodges in the World! Full text follows:

Black Sheep Inn Article in Outside Magazine"Black Sheep Inn, A gateway to Andean adventure
When guests arrive at this lodge, tucked in the Cordillera mountain range five hours down the road from Quito, they marvel at the rustic chalet-style lodge and the view over the Rio Toachi Canyon. But they break out the cameras for the facility's dry composting toilets. These thrones are stand-alone shacks that include little indoor vegetable and flower gardens and picture windows for enjoying canyon views. "Guests always compliment us on the toilets" says Andres Hammerman, a 36-year- old Chicago native who co-owns Black Sheep with his wife, Michele Kirby. "But they're also a really good example of sustainable agriculture, because the compost is used later for planting trees." The rest of the lodge may not be quite as eccentric, but it's equally sustainable. The four outbuildings (which have a total of nine bedrooms, each with each own fireplace) and the dining lodge are build from homemade adobe bricks and roofed with straw and Spanish tile. Hammerman and Kirby travel to Quito to recycle grass, paper and plastics. Besides donating phone lines to the village school and police station, the couple encourages visitors to get involved in local projects; one recent guest bought books for local schoolchildren. The seven-mile hike from 12,500 foot Quilotoa Crater Lagoon down to Black Sheep is considered one of the best day hikes in Ecuador (a lodge employee will drive you to the trailhead). Visitors can also climb, mountain-bike, and ride horses along the volcanic walls of Rio Toachi Canyon, trek to pre-Incan ruins, or wander up into the high altitude cloudforest. In the evening guests assemble for a family-style feasts of organic veggies from the garden. Afterward, they gather around the fireplace to drink beer, tell stories and woozily stroll back to their cabins to sink into crazy loft beds". Read more on Black Sheep Inn at http://ecoclub.com/BlackSheepInn

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Report by Ecotourist Member Ms Karen Jordan of Columbia, TN, USA, who made her reservations on-line at ECOCLUB.com:

"As to Sonrise Beach Retreat, let me say we loved every minute of our stay...The Retreat has a wonderful location directly on the coast so you hear the ocean non-stop and as the name implies there are beautiful sunrises. The Chase's who own Sonrise could not be any nicer. It was like staying with friends who took you on wonderful excursions. We got one of the package deals that include meals and tours and thought they were a good deal. In closing I would recommend the retreat to anyone wanting to get a taste of the real Jamaica. In fact we were there almost a week before we ran into any other tourists other than a few staying there also. There aren't any other resorts or hotels in the area, which was what we were looking for. This is the second Eco-Lodge we have visited from your site. We stayed at the Spring House Farm in NC back in Oct. That is also a wonderful spot. They don't offer any activities, but the cabins are very private and nestled into the woods. This it a great getaway if you are looking for peace and quiet."

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