Last post I put up a slideshow of photos from Mashpi, a special cloudforest reserve I had the pleasure of exploring last week. But what does the resort itself look like?

It’s not some bamboo bungalow place in rustic jungle style, that’s for sure. Magazine photographers have gone gaga over Mashpi because it’s a hip, contemporary showpiece that looks like it could have been plucked out of Berlin or Miami. Walls of glass (better to see the forest), sharp lines (in contrast to the wild vines and swirling clouds), and hip furniture for lounging in style after a hike. But see for yourself.

Need some more convincing to take two minutes and change out of your day to check this out? You get to see what it’s like to ride a sky bike through the canopy. One person pedals—probably not you—and the other just kicks back and takes in the view, with birds providing the soundscape.

I’ve done a lot of cool things in 20 years of exploring the globe as a travel writing and editor. But this was a first.

Update December 2012 – We now have a detailed review up of Mashpi posted, but see more and make a booking at MashpiLodge.com.

I just spent two blissful days at the new Mashpi Reserve Lodge in Ecuador, on a huge private nature reserve about three hours northwest of Quito. Part of the area still has original first-growth forest, while other parts are a mad jungle of plants that have sprung up since logging ended a few decades ago.

The animals are coming back as logging and poaching have both slowed and motion-sensor cameras have spotted ocelots and pumas. You’re not likely to see those when you’re out for a walk in the woods. but there’s plenty of wildlife in the form of birds, lizards, butterflies, and interesting insects. Here’s a slideshow of a few scenes and critters I managed to capture with the camera.

(Note that if you’re on an Apple mobile device you may not be able to see it. View it on a device that doesn’t restrict your access to Flash.)

We’ll be posting a video tour of the resort itself and the skybike ride through the canopy next week. Meanwhile, learn more about Mashpi at their website. There you’ll see some better nature shots from photographers with giant lenses and more patience than me.

Update 12/7: you can now see the full Luxury Latin America review of Mashpi Lodge.

One big reason Quito, Ecuador gets photographers so excited is that you have a constantly shifting play of light around you. Quito is often sunny during the day, with clouds drifting by occasionally, then part of the year predictably rainy in the afternoon. This means a shot of one scene can vary quite a bit depending on when you’re there.

Sometimes you want to visit a place where the weather is sunny and predictable most of the time. Or at least while you’re there. But the shifting light and shadows are what make other places so intriguing. In the first UNESCO World Heritage site ever designated–the historic center of Quito–the view from one hotel room is a great illustration.

The photos here are from a 20-hour period in Casa Gangotena, the city’s newest luxury hotel. All were shot from room 206.

The one at the top was upon arrival, when all traces of the sun were gone and artificial light took over. The second is just after dawn the next morning.

Above is a photo from later on, when the sun was more intense. Then below is just as the day’s light is starting to fade completely, with the surfaces all wet and rain clouds overhead.

I can’t wait to see what the next six days in Ecuador will bring.

For more information on the city, see the Quito Tourism site. To book a tour of Ecuador, Quito, or the surroundings, get in touch with Metropolitan Touring, part of the same holding company of Casa Gangotena.

I’ve run some blog posts before on the most popular luxury hotel reviews on our site and which tour stories are getting the most action. It varies a lot from month to month depending on what’s getting press elsewhere and when it’s vacation time in a specific place.

February’s a month when a lot of people have getaways on their mind though, so I thought it would be fun to see which articles got the most action last month. It’s a mixed bag for sure – though quite a few of you have Ambergris Caye, Belize on your mind!

11) Luxury real estate in Cancun, Cozumel, and the Riviera Maya

10) Cliffs Preserve review – Chile

9) Getting pampered in the spas of Argentina

8) Trekking lodge to lodge to Machu Picchu in Peru

7) Playa Vik hotel review – Uruguay

6) Azul Resort review – Belize

5) Cayo Espanto review – Belize

4) Exploring the Coffee Triangle of Colombia

3) Mata Chica Beach Resort review – Belize

2) Hotel El Garzon – Uruguay

1) Luxury real estate in Cuenca, Ecuador

Although luxury real estate is by nature expensive in any country, there can be a huge variance from place to place. I had a bizarre juxtaposition illustration of this a couple weeks ago when I watched two House Hunters International shows back to back. In the first, a couple was looking for a beachfront home in Ecuador. All three choices were fabulous and all were under $200,000. The next show I watched had a couple looking for a French home in Provence. Their budget was $1.2 million and every place was a fixer-upper dump. Once didn’t even have a bathroom!

Most of Latin America falls somewhere near the bargain end of that scale. Apart from a few exceptions like Rio de Janeiro and maybe Santiago, what you get for your money is going to be a better value than what you could find in the U.S. or Canada when it comes time to buy a luxury vacation home or a retirement home. Sometimes a much better value.

Apart from real estate though, what’s it really cost to live in these places? Answering that question is not as simple, but International Living is doing its best to help. They have just released a series of detailed budgets which give a break-down of all the major outgoings on a monthly basis in some of the world’s favorite overseas retirement hotspots.

All of them are places we cover here in Luxury Latin America: Mexico, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Belize, Panama, Ecuador and Roatan in Honduras.

They include information on things like rent, utilities, entertainment, health care and groceries, as well as tips and pointers on how to make retirees’ money stretch further.

“Most of us think about living the good life abroad but things rarely develop beyond a daydream,” said International Living magazine editor Eoin Bassett. “Resources like this can help equip readers with the information they need to bring those dreams to reality.”

The figures were put together by International Living contributors on the ground in each of the seven retirement hotspots, so this info is much more reliable than what you’ll find in a Mercer cost of living study, for instance.

“This 4,000-plus word article is a massively useful tool for anyone considering retirement overseas,” added Eoin. “But it’s really just one among many must-read resources we provide on everything from budgeting for a life abroad and buying a beachside bargain property, to getting the best deal on dental treatment or setting up a small business.”

I’m a subscriber to International Living and think it’s well worth the money. This report is free though. You can see the entire article here: Seven Easy, Affordable Retirement Spots.