Reviews of The Temple I, Mindo 3 stars

We were staying in the first room that you come across when you enter. Our first impression was that it was a nice room - there are huge windows to take in the beautiful surroundings. Even the shower had a view. The room was spacious, there was a huge (unnecessarily so) closet, and two sinks with ample counter space. There were some spider webs and numerous bugs, but that is understandable in this kind of setting.  The breakfast was decent. There was eggs and toast with margarine, fresh fruit, fresh juice, cacao tea, and coffee. The location itself is very quiet as you're a bit out of town, but there isn't much you can really walk to easily.

Arriving at the property was a bit of a struggle since there are a few "Temple" locations in Mindo, and our GPS took us to the wrong one at first. Once we found the right location, there was no one there. We looked back through our messages on Booking, and they had asked us to message in advance of our arrival, but we had neglected to do this. We messaged that we were there, and someone responded that they would be there shortly.  Unfortunately, what we learned this night was that it was extraordinarily noisy. Our room was directly outside the kitchen area, so we could hear everything going on in there.  So much noise transferred from the unit upstairs, literally rattling the windows when people walked, as well as when people went up and down the stairs. We asked to switch rooms, and the next day we moved to the unit that was directly above us. The entire building literally shakes when you walk.  The upstairs unit was similar to the downstairs unit but a little less nice  - the bathroom shower was actually really awful, and there wasn't enough water pressure to shower. The sink area was smaller with only a single sink and more limited counter space. It still had the large but unnecessary closet. Both rooms had direct access to the wrap-around patio outside. It should be noted that you could see directly into the bathroom from the outside patio - anyone who happened to walk by could see in.  Our last morning there, a toucan landed right outside of our bedroom and we rushed outside to get photos of it. We walked down to the end of the deck and there was some definite movement underfoot. I'm not sure how close the balcony came to collapsing. We reported it to to the manager before we left. We booked on Booking which is supposed to show the price you will pay at the property, but we were charged an extra $10 to pay with credit card.

Truly a magical experience out here at Temple 1. It’s a good 20 minutes walk into town but it’s a beautiful walk amongst the trees and some other ‘retreats’. We were just 4 of us, left there in the beautiful big timber building, verandas, views, binoculars, kitchen and plenty of space - truly magical. The lady only comes for breakfast, and she has no English, but we all survived and she is lovely.

The location was absolutely breathtaking! It’s located in the forest and you’re surrounded by beautiful plants and various animals like hummingbirds, toucans and if you’re lucky even Capybara! The place was very beautiful designed and the balconies are amazing. The staff was super helpful and friendly, they helped me organize a tour to see butterflies and birds. The breakfast was the best one I have had in Ecuador so far, I had a smoothie, fruit and an omelette. Thank you so much for the amazing stay!

Amazing location and lovely big building. View was great too.. Ample space on balconies and inside to relax and socialise

Struggle to think of anything

See below...

We are SO sorry we chose this place. There are many other beautiful places to stay in Mindo, go to them, this one is to be avoided. Both the ceiling and the windows vibrate everytime someone walks on the floor above, making it TOTALLY impossible to sleep. We were so tired the next day we could not go on the walks we had planned When I raised this with owners they sent me a " copy and paste story about it being an old house etc" Guess they get this and perhaps other complaints quite often.....see pics of others that had the same experience Sendero de las Avis is the place we recommend, insane birding, lovely host

Nicely build house with hammocks and kitchen. The beds were comfy and the shower very hot. Waking up to the sound of birds is just magical.

Nothing:)

The room was large a beautiful. The birds and wildlife around the lodge were amusing.

The bed was uncomfortable and the flower attangement in the bathroom was dying and made a mess. The breakfast was very nice, but there was no milk or cream for the coffee.

Beautiful surroundings and the room was really lovely

A bit far from the city center. Just with a car. but very nice location , surrounded by nature, great view. The staff attitude could be better

Temple house 1 is in a beautiful location only about 12 mins walk from town which is definitely doable and something we did daily. The location is quiet and allows you to fully feel like you’re in the jungle with the sounds of all the birds and animals. During our stay we were one of only two couples at this hostel so it’s very quiet at the moment not sure if it’s out of busy season but there’s currently no atmosphere there

Our rooms light didn’t work at all, and we couldn’t tell reception about it as there was no one at reception the entire stay. Unfortunately we couldn’t email them about the light either as the wifi was not working when we arrived. Although the wifi did connect later in our stay we were leaving the following morning so didn’t bother changing rooms. The hot water also is either completely boiling hot and scalding or ice cold with no in between. Also the PowerPoint in our room had a piece of metal stuck in it from a previous person and it smelt hot and in my opinion dangerous as there’s no off switch

Lying in a hammock watching the birds, and then the rain. Feeling very smug because we'd brought dinner back with us to reheat in the kitchen, as there was a lot of rain!

We were the only people there, though this may have been a plus as it was so quiet, it felt a little isolated. There was only one bedside light, but we asked and got a second one

Truly lovely place, with nice staff. The rooms are spacious and the beds are good. It's a treat to be able to chill out in the hammocks in the morning and see the cloud forest slowly wake up around you. Can recommend!

The building is kind of creaky. You can hear and feel the wooden structure move when people walk around. It has its charm, but is also a tad noisy

Good stuff, clean and good location

All was perfect

Temple 1 is a wonderful quiet retreat out of town, still walking distance to town, the staff are amazing, so helpful with arranging guides to visit local attractions. Breakfast is delicious with fresh juice, fruit and eggs. Also arranged our dinners which were also delicious. Hot showers and large room with patio. Host is very accomodating and helped out when we found no international atm in town. Highly recommend

Room we booked was huge and bright. Everything was clean and well prepared for us. Staying there with the nature all around was an amazing experience. You can relax on the big balcony and observe birds and other animals running around. Staff is very friendly and helpful with organising tours and adventures around Mindo.

Great place to stay in Mindo. We felt really looked after during are stay. The breakfast was fantastic & you can sort all your trips from the hostel.

N/A

I had a great and peaceful stay at The Temple 1. Paola went above and beyond to make my time in Mindo very special. The property is beautiful, comfortable, and the perfect place to relax between the many adventurous activities Ecuador offers. The room also has incredible views and I loved waking up in the mornings to the sunrise and birds. Highly recommend for anyone, but especially for female solo travelers.

Everything! The host is lovely and was very helpful! She ensured we had everything we needed - the ATM was not working in town and we ran out of cash and she helped us out which was so nice and let us be able to eat haha! She also helped us book activities in the area and plan our time out! The room was very comfortable and each room had an area on the balcony/porch with a hammock and sitting area overlooking the gardens They offer laundry at an affordable price She even let us check out a little later while we waited for our bus time so we didn't have to rush! it was only a short walk (15-20 mins) to town, or she gave us whattsapp numbers for local taxi drivers who were super reliable and charged USD2-3 each way

Friendly, responsive staff. The experience was more like a bed and breakfast.

When I arrived there were toucans all over the property. It was amazing! It was like staying in a friends home. Very open and welcoming but the rooms were private and very clean.

Nothing! It was great! I would def go back!

It’s a very peaceful environment. And the staff were amazing! All 4 activities I did were perfect. And the taxi arrangements were awesome!!