Galápagos Islands Hotels

Other Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

guantanamera boat: old but ok

by boasnovas

I think it is one of the oldest boats sailing in Galapagos, but it was good enough and the crew and guide greats.

Hostal La Jungla (The Jungle), Puerto Villamil

by MalenaN

I liked my room at The Jungle Hostel. It was on the second floor with two windows from where I could see the sea. There were two beds, a table, a TV, a bedside table with a lamp, hangers and a bathroom with hot water. And it was very quiet. The price of the room for one person was $20 (July 2011). There are also cheaper rooms available at the hostel.

A good breakfast with bread, butter, jam, eggs, fruits, fresh juice and coffee was included in the price. The fruits were grown on their own land, and the last day I also got a passion fruit.

The Jungle Hostel is situated in the outskirts of Puerto Villamil, on the road to Centro Crianza de Tortugas and only 50 metres from the long white sandy beach.

When I arrived to Villamil and was waiting for my bags to arrive from the boat I heard someone call out my name. To my surprise it was a taxi driver and I got a free ride to The Jungle Hostel (there were also three paying customers in the taxi going to another hotel). Leaving the hostel very early another morning I paid $1 for the taxi ride to the harbour.

Bed and Breakfast La Peregrina, Puerto Ayora

by MalenaN

La Peregrina was the most expensive place I stayed in during my Ecuador trip, but I wanted to book in advance via email and I also wanted a good location, and I had difficulties finding a cheaper place. The location of La Peregrina is very good. It is located on Av Charles Darwin, near the fish market at Pelican Bay.

The breakfast, which is served between 7 - 9 is also good. There was fruits, fresh fruit juice, eggs, bread, butter, jam and coffee or tea

The room and bathroom was clean and had good space. What I didn’t like was that too much light was coming in to the room from the porch during the night and walls were also quite thin, so I woke up one night only by someone walking by on the porch. A single room was $32 (July 2011).

There is a nice garden with hammocks and there is laundry service.

GAP Tours: Very well organized

by ddbleu

We spent 4 nights and 5 days in the islands. The food was great, fantastic crew, we saw a huge variety of landscapes and animals and got to snorkel a lot. Every night our guide explained what we'd see the next day and gave us the schedule. The pace was perfect, really active but had a little down time too. We loved our guide! I think it was good value for the money as we did a lot of research before booking. They were really helpful when we emailed or called with questions as we were planning the trip.

The boat was very comfortable with a sun deck on the front where we liked to hang out. Plenty of bottled water. You could refill your canteen for free. Drinks were cheap, about US $2 for a beer. Check out the Comfort Class level, it was really nice. It's not the cheapest but there a many others that are about double this cost.

The Encantada Yacht: Tourist Superior option- amazing!

by Kindra

I paid $1600 for an 8 day stay on the Encantada which includes all meals, guide, facilities and tour of islands. It does not included alcoholic beverages or soda, the entrance park fee ($110 for foreigners) or the flight (depending on the season, $360-400 return on Aerogal, NOOO, or Tame, slightly better).

There are 6 double-share cabins with bunk beds and private bathrooms. There was no hot water when we were on board. AC is central.

Our guide Juan was really great and had an enthusiasm for the islands and its animals and landscape that is impressive for someone who has been guiding for over 30 years! The crew was also really great as well. The food was heart and filling and they were happy to accommodate vegetarians though the options weren't as various or delicious in those cases.

Its a bright red schooner! Only allows for 12 passengers plus 5 crew and guide so it is very intimate and you get more attention from your guide and staff and deal with less crowdy groups when exploring the islands. The passengers tended to be fairly young people (20s and 30s) and we had a great time together!

La Jungla: right on the beach, in a jungle

by richiecdisc

We had some ideas of where to stay on Isabella but we had run into a couple of Israeli guys we had done a boat trip with on the ferry and they were raving about a camp on the beach that was the cheapest in town. Rather than go through the ordeal of looking for a room again we decided to go with them as the owner offered a “free” ride to her place that was a bit far from the center of town. We were not enthralled with the idea of camping but she had a decent double room for $20 so since our “new friends” were camping there we stayed too. It was very close to the beach and as it turned out virtually right next to the walking path to the tortoise breeding center which went right by the flamingo salt pools. These were after all two of the bigger attractions of the island!

The room was certainly comfortable enough though it was a bit damp due to it not having a proper window (very typical in the Galapagos rooms we stayed) and it being on the beach. Still, it was pretty quiet and the private bath had good hot water and even free shampoo. Breakfast ($2.50) was extra but worth it especially the fresh white pineapple which had to be the best we've ever tasted along with an egg, some bread, butter, and assorted jelly. The coffee, however was typical lame South American fare. Stick with the assorted teas.

Hotel Sir Francis Drake: it pays to keep looking, home sweet home baby

by richiecdisc

After our nightmare night at Hostal Flaminog, I'd found a much better place for $15. It was on the road that we had taken via bus into town but on my way back to get my wife, I stopped in a nice looking place a bit closer to the water. It was called Sir Francis Drake. Again, the woman renting the rooms tried to steer me into a more expensive room but I pressed on and she was down to $30. After some haggling and telling her I would stay for three or four nights, she relented and said $25. Ah, the power of negotiating without your backpack!

The room was very nice with a clean private bath, nice covers, and a table and chairs at which we could have breakfast or enjoy an evening beer if we liked. There was even a TV to watch crazy Ecuadorian soap operas if we got bored! We made sure to set it up so that we could return to the same room on our return from Isabella a couple nights later.

Hostal Flamingo: desperate for a cheap room in Puerto Ayora

by richiecdisc

Finding a decent room at a fair price takes more in the Galapagos than any other part of Ecuador. The rooms as a rule are not as good value. From what guidebooks said it would be possible to find a double room for $15 but once on the island I found that to be not the case. All the places mentioned seemed to have doubled their prices since the then one year old guidebook had been published. But I persevered and kept looking. What I found was hotels would have two tiers of rooms to rent. Being gringos we were always offered the higher priced ones but if you pushed a bit you would be shown the rooms without air conditioning. For the record, the Galapagos Islands are not the hottest place on the planet and A/C is not necessary especially during the October cooler period that we were visiting. This was certainly the case with Hostal Flamingo. We had tried the very popular Hostal España only to find them offering us a room for $35 and decided to check this similar looking place across the street. At first, the owner offered us a room in the same price bracket but once we started walking she showed us a cheaper and admittedly decrepit room for $20. Tired of looking and carrying our packs we took it and figured we could find something else easier sans our luggage.

The room seemed okay in the daylight but once the sun went down the awful fluorescent lighting showed it to be a pretty dingy place. The shower in particular was pretty bad. Let's put it this way, it wasn't the kind of room you wanted to linger in! But we made it through the night and the next morning I went out to find better digs.

Cruise Ship: The Legend Cruise Ship

by karsten1964

This was our first cruise. My wife and I loved it. It was only 5 day 4 nights...and boy was it packed. Each day there were two excursions ashore, as well as wonderful meals. We were so busy we hardly had time to visit other aspects of the ship. One night we did lay out under the stars for awhile and tried to figure out what the heck we were seeing (being from the northern latitudes the stars are totally different!).

highly recommend the 110 passenger Legend Cruise Ship. It was expensive...no doubt...and you probably could get by with the 4 day 3 night trip also. I think it would be hard though (and expensive) to take a full week - personally whilst I loved the Iguanas, seven days of them would probably be too much. We definitely loved it...but we were also ready to go when we went.

La Casa de Marita: Marita

by brandosj

In addition to your cruise in Galapagos, get a flight to Isabela and stay at Marita's house. What an escape! The folks there speak mostly Spanish but someone will speak whatever you are speaking. We had dinner in 5 languages. They even helped me when my travel plans got twisted. You become a touristy local, which is fun. The food is fresh and delicious. I met terrific people here, making my Galapagos dream amazing even before my cruise. We saw tons of iguanas, swam with sharks and rays, and even saw groups of penguins.

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Q: Best Month To Travel "Hello all Travelers, I am planning on a trip to Galapagos Islands (Ecuador)from Dec 27 - Jan 5. It is not final yet, I am..."

A: "IMO there is no time that is not an incredible journey on any of the islands. Any of the islands you are allowed to venture upon will offer an experience. I was there..."

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Galápagos Islands Hotels

36 Hotels

Other Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

guantanamera boat: old but ok

Hostal La Jungla (The Jungle), Puerto Villamil

Bed and Breakfast La Peregrina, Puerto Ayora

GAP Tours: Very well organized

The Encantada Yacht: Tourist Superior option- amazing!

La Jungla: right on the beach, in a jungle

Hotel Sir Francis Drake: it pays to keep looking, home sweet home baby

Hostal Flamingo: desperate for a cheap room in Puerto Ayora

Cruise Ship: The Legend Cruise Ship

La Casa de Marita: Marita

Explore the World

Questions and Answers