Mountain retreat

Does anyone out there know of a pleasant town in the mountains within a few hours of Quito where my girlfriend and I can spend some time. Preferrably, on a lake or river, few tourists, and modestly priced cabanas?

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I'm not sure if it's what you're looking for, but Pululahua Crater (next to Mitad del Mundo) is nice. Alternatively, you could head up to the hot springs at Papallacta

Or, if you're going to go all the way to Riobamba, head east to Salinas de Guaranda. Amazing small town.

Thanks to all, I'll check them out.

There's always Mindo, although it's barely tourist-free! I had a lovely stay there though, very relaxing with world-class birdwatching if that's your thing. As recommended by fluffy_bunny Papallacta has lovely hot springs (it's often shrouded in cloud though) and is on the way to the Oriente if you're planning to go to Cuyabeno. You also have some pretty little villages on the Quilotoa loop out of Latacunga. All of these places are very different in character. Mindo is possibly the closest to a verdant wildlife-rich mountain village I can think of among these suggestions.

I'd hardly call Riobamba a 'pleasant town in the mountains'. It's a large-ish city surrounded by pretty volcanos, but I don't think it's what you have in mind.

Agreed, Riobamba and Latacunga are cities near the mountains, not pleasant towns in the mountains. There are really nice places to spend time near Otovalo in the north, but mostly in nearby smaller towns like San Pablo del Lago or Cotocachi. Not the sort of places you go to unless you have a specific hostel/hotel in mind.

Peguche is a lovely little town near Otavalo but you might find tourists there but it has a lovely waterfall which people like to go and sit by and it is close enough to Otavalo should you want to do something more but not stay in Otavalo itself. Then there are Las Lagunas in the same Imbabura Province which has accommodation on its shores and which might be nice to chill out for a few days and is still near Otavalo.

Then of course there are the towns on the Quilitoa Loop and the Lake itself all which have accommodation of varying comforts and prices.

All are well worth investigating and good places to unwind.

It also depends on how many "a few hours" is. We loved Chugchilan, near Quilotoa, but it takes more like 3-4 hours to get there. Also, there's no real river in Chugchilan. Nice town, nice people though. We stayed at Black Sheep Inn, but there are less expensive places to stay. Not sure I saw any cabanas though--mostly hostels and small hotels. Beautiful mountain spot.

I second three of the recommendations above:
Papallacta (gorgeous high altitude vegetation, close (an hour?) to Quito
Chugchilan and the Black Sheep Inn, (4 hours?)also gorgeous and high altitude, plus indigenous culture and the volcano hike
Peguche (near Otavalo, maybe 2 hours away from Quito?) great because you can visit Otavalo and then leave most of the tourists and have a more relaxing experience

Few comments over excellent suggestions above:

1. We were at Quilotoa two weeks ago. The trail from Q to Chugchilan was washed out so locals did not recommend walking there even with a guide (I did same hike last year) and the dirt road for cars also looked very bad. So condition may not be ideal to travel to Chugchilan. Otherwise, I really like the area. In Chugchilan, I prefer Mama Hilda, excellent and friendly place at the fraction of the coast of Black Sheep, which tag I simply cannot stomach. In Q. itself, hikes along an down the rim are great as well as a boat ride over the lake. Accommodations and food are cheap, if basic.

2. Termas de Papallacta is a great place to relax but expensive to most backpackers. But we could manage by going there with whole family and renting a family cabin (2 floors, sleeps up to 6) and you get semi-private pools. There are less expensive places there, of course. It is often misty or rainy but you still can enjoy great hikes and guided at Explora-something outfit are knowledgeable and inexpensive.

3. Laguna Cuicocha. There is a cheap hotel with a restaurant, I believe it is called Mirrador, but I may be mistaken. It was listed in my old Rough Guide (I just checked e-version of LP and it does not have it.) When we stayed there in 2010, they had rooms in the building where restaurant was: it had heat but not ht water or rooms in a 1-story barn-type wodden structure with hot water and stoves (but make sure to get plenty of wood before they are gone for the night.) We loved the experience, the sunset was majestic, though it got very cold at night.

Enjoy your travel!
/alter

I thank everyone for their suggestions, great response. I will look into all of these.

If you are looking for a place to rest, enjoy stunning mountain views, eat good food and have the opportunity to meet locals, then the Hostal Llullu Llama in Isinlivi is a really good choice. We went there just a week ago for 3 nights and it was just lovely! We stayed at one of their Garden Cottages which have a private bathroom, great hot water shower, a chimney and we enjoyed sitting on our private balcony looking over the really stunning landscape. The hostel has a sauna as well for ultimate relaxing! Great place!

In the Otavalo area, there is a new retreat center built on the side of the hill with stunning views of San Pablo Lake and the surrounding volcanic peaks. The sunsets from the deck here are unbeatable. The eco-retreat is called Sacha Ji. It may be more of a splurge than you're looking for but certainly fits all of the other requirements. Otavalo is just 2 hours north of Quito

Mindo (as recommended above) is also a wonderful choice if you're looking for a more tropical environment. About 2.5 hours NW of Quito