Time for a little travel warning for those headed towards Vilcabamba: do not stay at the hostel Las Ruinas de Quinara, also known as La Casa de Mauricio. The place gets nothing but bad reports from those who stay there, and currently a petition has been made to LibertadLatina.org to do something about the situation.
If you look up Las Ruinas de Quinara almost all the reviews (we’re talking 99.9%) are 
bad. I have never stayed there personally, but around town no one speaks kindly of the owner (except maybe the hostel staff) and many travelers avoid the place because of his reputation of making unwanted advances on female guests.
Because of the hype Vilcabamba receives as being a modern day Garden of Eden of sorts, many who have invested there feel that this is not the kind of bad press that Vilcabamba needs. However, something has to be done. In Ecuador the police protection is minimal, at best, and there is little or no respect for harassment or rape charges. With no strong forensic science, a witness is required to even being to do anything against a sexual offender, and even then many of the police can be bought for the right price.
One person interviewed and quoted on LibertadLatina.org states:
This one guy that owns a hotel hostel and he is from a rich family who pays the cops off whenever he gets in trouble and though he has been in jail several times for rapes he pays his way out And the people fear him and let him do whatever he wants. He is known to be a sexual predator and a bully with a temper. He waits at the bus station and preys on young traveling girls and lies to them about other places being full and offers them very cheap rooms because he does not need the money. I have heard possibly because he is from a Colombian drug king family or some other country but I think Colombia. He is famous for getting the ladies into the hot tub and drugging their drinks and manipulating them into sex while under the influence of drugs and alcohol and offers them a rent free room for sex which locals view as not really rape and even the police say technically sexual manipulation is not rape so he pays the cops off and is out in a few days… plus most ladies flee embarrassed and do not report it… And even more ladies do not speak of it or admit it at all… those that do are on vacation and do not want to waste so much of their time to press charges and those that do report it to the corrupt cops the reports fall on deaf ears.
The reports go on from there, some talking about how because he comes from a rich family he is able to pay off the police, and how he has avoided sentences for various crimes (some even claim murder) by hopping from country to country, and staying in the US for several years.
These are the reports I have heard from locals and other travelers, and they are common on the internet. Although I have never stayed there, nor have I met Mauricio, the owner, I think it’s better to be safe than sorry, and I feel it is my responsibility to pass these warning along to you.
In the same regard, women should use extra caution when traveling though Ecuador, and traveling through the country as a solo female traveler is just asking for problems. Be smart, and you shouldn’t have any problems.
Ecuador, Vilcabamba in particular, is a beautiful place and it is sad to see such horrible crimes happening there, but the fact of the matter is, no matter where you go in the world you are going to find bad people doing bad things. The best way to avoid them is to stay informed and use common sense.
I don’t in any way wish to discourage travel to Ecuador, this beautiful country deserves to be visited; I just think it is important that those coming down here have a realistic image in their mind of what the country is like.
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Also, there is no soap in the shared bathrooms.
Important to know. Because of the bad reputation the owner changed the name of his hostel into: El agua de hierro
Even claiming under new management, but he is still the same. Looking for female volunteers.
Be carefull !!
I stayed at this hostel in August 2001 – as a solo female traveller…Mauricio tried hard, but to say “no” and “no” again worked..I left the hostel earlier, then planned.
The new name of the Hostel is:
EL DESCANSO DE RAMSES!
Thanks to everyone for all this important information!
Below is a link to Mauricio Vivanco’s newly named hotel, just like Svenja said the name went from Las Ruinas de Quinara to El agua de hierro. She said the hotel is looking for volunteers and according to their website, they are, so beware!
The latest information I received today, 07/16/2009 out of Vilcabamba, is that Mauricio’s family still owns the hotel, but Mauricio is purportedly on the run from the authorities. Personally, I would still stay away from this place.
http://www.hosteriaelaguadehierro.com/eng/index.php
Thank you for the candid warning Ecuador Gringo! It shows great integrity.
I’ve been in town for several weeks now and have spoken to many people about this issue.
The hotel is indeed under new management (although it is still owned by the family of the Monster, i.e. rapist). The rapist himself was arrested earlier this year, but jumped bail. He is currently in hiding, underground.
People who are currently staying there tell me it is a good place to stay and one of the best values in town. Although the history of the place creeps me out, I’m not sure it’s fair to avoid it because of that.
Check with http://wikitravel.org/en/Vilcabamba for the latest info.
I had a chat with some Ecuadorian friends in Vilcabamba in August of 2009 and they confirmed to me that the hostel is new name, same (wealthy) family. Common thought is that the rapist (who was jailed and later released) is out of the country. I’d avoid this place anyway. There are several hostels that are much nicer, such as Jardin Escondido, Madre Tierra, Izhcayluma and Rendez Vouz. I’m glad this information is now known. I shudder to think what this guy has done that never came out.
This hotel has changed it’s name to “Agua de Hierro” and while it claims new management it is still run by the same family.
I feel that as this report came up number 3 when I searched for Ruinas de Quinara and it is so out of date a refresh on the information is required.
It is now March 2011 and we are staying at the Hosteria Ruinas de Quinara for a couple of days. We have heard the stories about the previous owner from some of the guys that are volunteer workers here. The hosteria gets very little business these days because of the rumours that are circulating, however, the place is now under new management and our experience is that it is a very nice place to stay. The staff are friendly and helpful, there is a clean pool, jacuzzi, sauna, Turkish bath & spa. The rooms are clean and tidy with cable T.V. & wi-fi.
Going back to the first post in this thread, Michelle – does having “soap in the bathroom” dictate whether a hostel is good or not, if so don’t come back, there still isn’t any!!
I would highly recommend this hosteria to anyone and above all, it’s nt overly expensive, from US$8 pppn (Dbl room, shared B/Room) with 12% tax on top.
By the way, we have absolutely nothing to do with the hosteria, we are travelling the world by motorcycle and just felt that the reports needed updating as what was written previously is an unfair description today.
I am glad to hear Mauricio is no longer in charge of the hotel. I lived in Vilcabamba for a year a while back. As I was there long term I never stayed in his hotel, but I know people who did, and had several run-ins with the owner myself. If he is no longer associated, then I say give it a shot. Personally, I feel that place has bad juju and I’d stay at Izchayluma in a heartbeat.
I don’t know about all that went down at this hotel. This is before my time. So I can neither confirm or deny. I hope that it is all good there and it seems from the reports that it should be given another shot. I will talk with friends from Villcabamba to get their input and write a follow up.
This is my story of what happened to me when I stayed there:
http://womentravellingalone.blogspot.com/2009/07/vilcabamba-las-ruinas-de-quinara.html
Thanks for sharing your experience with us. I know it can be tough being a single woman on the road. I don’t think men sometimes appreciate what it is like to feel the threat that we can create, especially to a person who is vulnerable–out of the safety of her everyday world back home. I always find it inspirational meeting and hearing of women doing it on their own and there are women 10xs more intrepid than I.
Still though, women, take care and heed travel warnings. Take them with a grain of salt and don’t be turned off from forming your own opinion, but still take care
I am getting ready to visit vilcabamba, and possibly move there. I realy would like to chat with other expats and see what their views are. Any help would be appriciated.
Thank you,
Merilyn
Hey Merilyn,
Thank for your comment. Well, despite this travel warning, Vilcabamba is an incredible place. Very chilled out. Very scenic. Very agreeable climate. But check it out. The network of expats there are all very friendly. I had a nice night taking their money in a Texas hold-em game. Go to the Craig’s bookshop at the edge of town that doubles as a pretty good Italian restaurant(I suggest there pesto). There is an American who lives there and is a real great guy. While his name alludes me, he’s not actually Craig(Craig passed on years back) but you can’t mis this guy. He’s an old hippy with a grey pony tail and an expert on the many orchids that grow in the Podacarpus forest, so he’s got some interesting stories to tell. They have a rotating poker game that some of the expats and locals play in so a nice time to chat with folk and get the low down.
I also suggest staying out at Charlie’s. He’s got a guest house way out of town right at the entrance to the Natl. Park. He’s a canadian guy that’s lived there for almost 30 years and knows everything there is to know. It’s a bit isolated, but very tranquil and he serves coffee from a little organic farm across the river–truly the best brew I’ve had in my life. Just tell any cab driver to take you to Charlie’s, everybody knows him.
good luck, any more questions please drop a note.
gringo
As far as I’m concerned, if the same family owns it–the family that pays off the cops and keeps the pervert out of jail–then why the hell should anyone give it a second chance? Why give money to a rich family that uses their money to cover up crimes against women??
By doing that, you might as well be helping to pay off the cops, yourself. If these stories are true (and it’s beginning to sound like they are), then until that hotel is sold to someone who has no connection to the rapist OR his family or any other supporters, then no one should stay there. Unless they like supporting rapists. Besides, who says that guy won’t come back to hide out for a week, and jump some woman and rape her right before he leaves town? No thanks, think I’ll stay somewhere else.