Paute’s Uzhupud resort gets an impressive makeover with the help of a Cuenca restauranteur
By Stephen Vargha
It’s part of the business… Restaurants come and go.
The ceilings of the original hacienda are very welcoming and enticing.
In Cuenca, it seems to be at a faster pace. And without notice.
That is why many people wondered what happened to Jose Ibañez and his restaurant, Calvo & Co. Ibañez was the owner of Calvo & Co., a restaurant that started on the west side of the city and was famous for its gourmet hamburgers.
The restaurant moved to El Vergel in April 2023. Fifteen months later, the popular restaurant closed without any fanfare or notice.
Boats of various types are available to rent for the small lakes at Uzhupud Jardín.
“I had no time. I had no life,” said Ibañez. “I am happy now to have time with my wife. And people say I look great after I closed the restaurant.”
But that is only a partial reason for Ibañez to close his restaurant. The biggest reason started seven months before with a historic institution in the Paute cantón.
“Just before Christmas, the owner of Uzhupud Jardín (Uzhupud Garden) called me and invited me to look at the place,” said Ibañez. “I went to Uzhupud Jardín and met the owner and he told me he needed my help.”
A small farm with horses, donkeys, rabbits, and ducks was added for all to enjoy.
The owner explained to Ibañez that in 2021 he rebuilt Uzhupud Jardín and hired a manager two years later, who did not complete the plans.
Uzhupud Jardín has a storied history. The name, Uzhupud, is a probable combination of two languages: “Uchu” is Ají in Quechua, and the word “Pud” was used by the Cañaris to name a place, ranch, or fertile grasslands.
One of the full-time gardeners taking care of the plants at Uzhupud Jardín.
The hacienda originally belonged to the Muñoz Cárdenas family, maternal grandparents of Saint Hermano Miguel. It was sold to the Vintimilla family in the 1870s. They are the great-great-grandparents of the current owner of the Uzhupud Jardín.
During the late-19th century, the hacienda was an important center for political meetings of the Conservatives of Azuay.
Cornelio Vintimilla Muñoz bought the hacienda from his brothers in 1949 and began to modernize it and developed agro-industrial companies. Muñoz pioneered the bottling, filtering, and purification of sugar cane liquor in Ecuador.
The original hacienda glows at dusk.
With the Uzhupud Distillery, he launched the Pauteñito brand, producing very high-quality liquors. Muñoz became the first in Ecuador of the production of aged rums. That included five-year-old rum that became Ron San Miguel. Quickly, it became the number one rum brand in Ecuador.
The first Ecuadorian company producing catsup was started with Uzhupud’s brand, Los Andes. It was produced in what is now the convention center.
Muñoz transferred his business to a new group of shareholders who currently owns Ron San Miguel and Los Andes catsup, among other brands that continue to be produced in Cuenca.
Jose Ibañez founded the popular restaurant, Calvo & Co. He closed it earlier this year to pay full attention of running Uzhupud Jardín.
“I came here in 2016,” said Ibañez. “It was a lot different than it is now.”
Those memories helped with the discussions of the owner of Uzhupud Jardín. He told Ibañez that he owned the biggest open botanical garden in South America and that his goal was to have the largest in the world.
“My first impression was that this is a huge place; it is a big job,” said Ibañez.
Jose Ibañez walking through the lush gardens of Uzhupud Jardín.
The discussions did not last long as Ibañez fell in love with Uzhupud Jardín.
“It was not the salary, but the love of the place. It was a feeling I was at the right place at the right time,” said Ibañez. “I told myself I need to be here. I was never thinking of a new job, especially since I had just moved my restaurant to El Vergel.”
Ibañez did not close down Calvo & Co. after accepting the new job. In January, his day began at Uzhupud Jardín. As soon as he was done, he would drive straight to his restaurant. He would be there until midnight before finally heading home.
That lasted until July.
Uzhupud Jardín is restoring the original area for making rum. It is the birthplace of San Miguel Rum.
“Things started to change at Uzhupud Jardín as I was totally focused,” said Ibañez. “It has taken months to change the way things were operating, but we changed the chef. We changed the buyer of the food.”
With his background, Ibañez changed the recipes for the restaurant. He is happy that the French Fries are now crispy like they were at Calvo & Co.
The restaurant is open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Sunday through Thursday, and 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. On Sunday morning, a buffet is offered that is different every week.
A warm pool and hot tub are ready for anyone who wants to get into the water.
Ibañez feels that Uzhupud Jardín is at a perfect location in Azuay province. Though basically at the same elevation as Cuenca, the weather is more suitable for a getaway.
“We are blessed. It is a nice place with special weather of 20°C to 25°C (68°F to 77°F),” said Ibañez. “When it is raining in Cuenca, we have a beautiful day. And it is not too hot.”
Uzhupud Jardín has expanded, with a total of 65 rooms.
“You can bring your whole family or your company,” said Ibañez. “You can live in your space without running into other people.”
The restaurant is open 12 hours Sunday through Thursday. On Friday and Saturday, it is open for 12 hours.
Family includes your dog. Uzhupud Jardín is a pet-friendly place. Perro is welcome everywhere, including the restaurant.
Since Ibañez became manager of Uzhupud Jardín, the choices of what to do have greatly increased.
“We have many activities including horseback riding, a warm swimming pool, a tiled hot tub, volleyball, tennis, fútbol (soccer), a small lake with boats, a small farm with horses, donkeys, rabbits, and ducks,” said Ibañez. “In our main building, we have an area set aside for cinema for children. We recently had a Disney movie, and it was packed.”
On weekends, one can get a massage that needs to be preordered. The massage therapist is highly respected as professional athletes in Cuenca seek him out during the week.
There are 65 rooms at Uzhupud Jardín.
Special amenities include renting a fireplace to grill. And there are bikes to rent to ride into the countryside.
“The chef will prepare smores for the children,” said Ibañez.
The original location for rum making is being preserved and renovated into a museum for guests to learn the history of sugar cane and rum. Much of the original machinery and equipment will be part of the exhibit.
All of this is on a map that is provided at check-in, where a small glass of warm Canelazo that is made from Ataco (Amaranthus) that is grown on the grounds, is offered to the guests. Prices are on the backside of the map.
QR codes hang from many plants and trees to provide you with more information on what you are enjoying.
One could say Uzhupud Jardín is a beautiful convention center or events center out in the country. There are rooms for 70 people, 100 people, and for 300 to 600 people. It may not look like it, but there are parking spaces for 2,000 vehicles.
Uzhupud Jardín has hosted the President of Ecuador and his wife. And numerous weddings and anniversary parties have been held at Uzhupud Jardín.
“Our chapel is the only authorized and consecrated chapel in Azuay province,” said Ibañez. Weddings are recognized at our chapel as the priest comes here from Paute.”
There are four full-time gardeners for the 35,000 plants. They are constantly planting, replanting, and manicuring the gardens that have 3,000 orchids and hundreds of bromeliads from Ecuagenera, the owner of Uzhupud Jardín. All of this is on 10 hectares (25 acres) of land.
The front desk is outside to take care of the guests. A welcoming drink of Canelazo is offered to all.
For plant aficionados, tags with QR codes hang from many plants and trees. All one has to do is scan the QR code to get more information on what they are looking at.
Fresh blooming orchids are constantly brought into the restaurant and main building. Every table always has blooms.
Uzhupud Jardín is about 45 minutes from El Centro and is a mere 15 minutes south of the city of Paute. They will arrange ground transportation for a couple up to a group of 40 people.
It is between $100 and $125 for a room that includes breakfast. All credit cards are accepted.
“We are no longer expensive. When I got here, it was $400 per night,” said Ibañez. “Before Uzhupud Jardín reopened, it was an exclusive club. The guard at the entrance would judge you by the car you came in. If you were in a Mercedes, you were let in. Come in a Suzuki and they would tell you they were full.”
To entice people, Uzhupud Jardín will have Christmas packages to enhance your stay. Electricity will be guaranteed as Uzhupud Jardín has a giant generator to power everything.
“I want to grow the options for our guests,” said Ibañez. “I want to offer our guests something special.”
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Uzhupud Jardín, Vía a la Higuera S/N, Uzhupud, Paute 010606, (07) 212-5017, gventas@uzhupudgarden.com, reservas@uzhupudgarden.com (Reservations), https://uzhupudgarden.com/
Photos by Stephen Vargha
Stephen Vargha’s second edition of his book about Cuenca, “Una Nueva Vida – A New Life” is available at Amazon in digital and hardback formats. His award-winning blog, “Becoming Cuenca,” supplements his book with the latest information and hundreds of professional photos by him.
