Six of us set out from Cuenca for Vilcabamba on a wet Saturday morning.

The monotony of the four-and-a-half-hour journey by minibus was broken by much storytelling, laughter and, of course, a stop for lunch at one of the many roadside restaurants along the way.

Franny, the leader of our group, had visited Monte Suenos two weeks prior and, at our weekly writers’ critique group, had raved about how inspirational the guest house had been.

On the outskirts of Loja, rainbows lit the distant hills, a good omen, we all decided. Forty minutes later, we pulled up outside Monte Suenos, a magical property developed from scratch by Brian and Meredith Miller. Each room is unique, with bleached tree branches crisscrossing the ceilings and marble, mosaic and crystals dotted throughout the property.

Meredith’s artistic influence is everywhere, in the decor and in the fabulous pieces of art that she has produced.

Sadly, Meredith passed on the 2nd of July, but her spirit lives on in the legacy she leaves behind.

As for us writers, we were inspired, each producing work that we’d struggled with back home in Cuenca.

Would we return?

Yes! Without a moment’s hesitation!