Hotels In Galapagos - Puerto Ayora

[TrishNJ]

We are heading to Galapagos in November 2016 & will be staying in Puerto Ayora for 3 nights before getting on a live aboard. We are checking out hotels & would like to be close to the waterfront. We are currently looking at Solymar, Hotel Fiesta & Red Mangrove. Any hotel recommendations?

 

[anenomefishman]

we stayed at the solymar hotel for 3 nights about a week ago. very nice. right on the water. decent bar and small restaurant at the hotel. lots of restaurants, shops, bars close by. we dove from the galapagos aggressor III for a week before we stayed here (excellent). we did land tours from here and also stayed on isabela island (puerto villamil) at the iguana crossing for 4 nights.

view from near the pool looking back at the hotel.

view from our room.

 

[TrishNJ]

Thanks Anenomefishman. I actually just made reservations at Hotel Solymar last week. We're actually doing the opposite of you (sort of - no Isabella). We are spending 3 nights in Puerto Ayora & then getting on the Aggressor for a week. I've been on the Galapagos Aggressor before, but this will be our first time staying on land. Thanks again for the info.

 

[anenomefishman]

Thanks Anenomefishman. I actually just made reservations at Hotel Solymar last week. We're actually doing the opposite of you (sort of - no Isabella). We are spending 3 nights in Puerto Ayora & then getting on the Aggressor for a week. I've been on the Galapagos Aggressor before, but this will be our first time staying on land. Thanks again for the info.

cool. we had never been to the galapagos before and we had never been on a liveaboard before. there is a great restaurant close to the solymar that we ate at a couple of times you should check out. just walk toward the main boat passenger harbor from the solymar. it is called "La Garrapata Restaurante". we had our last dinner on the boat there with all the divers and the head divemaster/spokesman (walter).

 

[DiveTheGalapagos]

Trish...It's about 50 km from Puerto Ayora to the Baltra airport as you will see upon arrival. Best to leave Puerto Ayora, morning of departure, by 11:15 AM. You can either take a taxi to Itabaca Canal and do it yourself from there ($18) or have the driver accompany you all the way to the airport for assistance ($35).

A) Take a taxi to Itabaca Canal ($18 and 40 minutes) and then load your luggage on top of the ferry. Sometimes you do have to wait for a ferry. The ferry is $1 pp.

On the other side of the Canal, you retrieve your luggage from atop the ferry and put it on an airline bus, which you might also have to wait on. From there, it's 10 minutes or less to the airport. Find the Aggressor guides at Arrivals in Aggressor shirts outside baggage claim. Most of your fellow divers will arrive on Avianca at 12:50 PM. Seeing a group of passengers with dive gear is always a dead giveaway.

I second La Garrapata (tuna always great, especially with pepper sauce) and will add Isla Grille! SolyMar and Red Mangrove more upscale than La Fiesta. Waterfront hotels are limited. Angermeyer is nice, but you have to get a water taxi anytime you want to go to town....and back.