THE NEW GALAPAGOS HABITAT ECO LUXURY HOTEL

Amazing hotel!! My daughter and I stayed 5 nights here and it was not enough!!

Room--Our room overlooked a deck where the... read moreMy daughter and I stayed 5 nights here and it was not enough!!

Room--Our room overlooked a deck where the sea lions love to hang out--we could have sat on our gorgeous patio and watched them all day! The waterfront view of the harbor was beautiful too. When we arrived our mini fridge was stocked with complimentary food and drinks (such a nice surprise).

Location--Easy walk to Charles Darwin center and the main street of restaurants/tour operators/shops/etc.

Tours-We booked two tours through the hotel's yacht (Windrose). The guides were so knowledgeable excited to teach us about the islands. On the Plazas/Santa Fe tour we were lucky enough to snorkel with sea lions and get up close to so many iguanas and birds. On the Bartolome tour we hiked to an amazing view and were able to snorkel with penguins and sharks! The yacht is roomy and comfortable even on a full tour (16 people), the crew on the yacht is wonderful and the food was delicious.

Staff-Andrea and Boris were both so helpful!! Anything we needed they were happy to help! They arranged our amazing tours and gave great suggestions for how to spend our non tour days on Santa Cruz.

Would love to visit here again!! More read less

Great location for visitors and sea lion spotting! A comfortable hotel on the waterfront but quieter than those on or near to the main drag of the town centre, w... read moreA comfortable hotel on the waterfront but quieter than those on or near to the main drag of the town centre, which is a 5 minute walk away. Helpful and friendly staff and a good bar and restaurant.

Bikes can be borrowed for free.

Sea lions and marine iguanas laze on the decking.

Definitely one of the best options in town read less

PURE RELAXATION Galapagos Habitat is an amazing hotel. The staff were friendly and very helpful. The food in the restaurant ... read moreGalapagos Habitat is an amazing hotel. The staff were friendly and very helpful. The food in the restaurant was delicious. We loved being right on the water where the sea lions, pelicans, and iguanas hung out. We would highly recommend this hotel and will stay there again. read less

amazing and special place to stay My family was here for a week and half in mid/late August. Amazing and wonderful place to stay. There are so m... read moreMy family was here for a week and half in mid/late August. Amazing and wonderful place to stay. There are so many great things to point out:

Location: Can't beat the location. 5-10 minutes walk from the main town, shops, and restaurants. Close enough to enjoy Puerto Ayora, far enough to get away from the crowds and noise. The hotel is also ~10 minutes walking to the Charles Darwin Research Center, Galapagos National Park Visitor Center, and two small beaches.

Hotel Grounds: Most unique hotel in Puerto Ayora. It's very tranquil, as it is nestled inside a mangrove forest, and it is right next to the ocean. Sea lions and marine iguanas love to lounge on the deck area of the hotel and you can get a much more up close experience with sea lions here than even on some of the tours. Our family loved saying hi to the pack of sea lions and watch them play every morning as we started our day.

Rooms: Very comfortable and spacious rooms. We had a room with a patio/deck overlooking the ocean and it was delightful to wake up to pelicans flying by the patio and watching sea lions lounge and swim on the decks and below. Beds were comfortable and showers/bathrooms were clean and functional. Only two small critiques of the room 1) floors tend to get dusty (which was expected, as this is the Galapagos) but slippers were provided so not a big deal, 2) wish there was more shelf/dresser space for organizing and storing away clothes so I didn't have to live out of my suitcase as much.

Staff: This is where I felt the hotel really shined. The staff and front desk folks were incredibly helpful and hospitable. House keeping ensured a clean and organized room waited for us after a long day of treks and adventures. I believe they actually come in twice a day to tend to the room. Once during the day time for the main cleaning, and then once in the evening (if you're not in the room) to turn down the bedding and drapes to get the room ready for the night. The Almar/dining staff was very attentive to our dining and breakfast needs. The young man (wish I can recall his name!) in charge of the breakfast wait staff remembered our breakfast preferences (three scrambled eggs, two with veggies, one coffee with sugar and milk, one hot coco, one orange juice, one pineapple tea, and a side of ketchup) by the third day and had everything ready for us to eat within a few minutes of sitting down at the table. And the front desk staff helped with beach towels, calling taxis, and even prepped sandwiches for us to take for lunch on days we decided to go to Garrapatero Beach.

Almar Restaurant: Our package included complimentary dinner for half our stay so we were able to eat at a few other options around town and enjoy the food from the Almar. Almar's food is definitely one of the more delicious and higher-end dining options. Can't go wrong with any of the seafood dishes. The fresh fruit juices and fruit smoothies are absolutely delicious and refreshing.

Tours: We also booked our tour services thru Haguan that owns Red Mangrove and they absolutely delivered a great experience without any issues. Jefferson (our tour host) was incredibly helpful in setting expectations on what we'll encounter, what clothing we should wear on what day, travel logistics, etc... and even offered plenty of suggestion for different activities for days when we were not on organized tours. He would meet us every morning before we set off to ensure everything was in place and ready for the day.

All in all, this was an incredible place to stay as a "home base" during our time on the islands. It is one of the more pricier options in Puerto Ayora, but I would definitely stay here again when it comes time for our next Galapagos adventure. read less

beautiful setting, very helpful staff The hotel is set on the water with great views, including pelicans and frigate birds. The deck that houses th... read moreThe hotel is set on the water with great views, including pelicans and frigate birds. The deck that houses the restaurant and lounge chairs has resident sea lions and marine iguanas. The restaurant was the best we tried in Puerto Ayora. The restaurant and hotel staff was helpful in every way possible, particularly in upgrading our room when there was a problem with our first one. The second room overlooked the sea lions and had a large balcony with wonderful views of the harbor. read less

Restaurant is high quality with superb service and view Excellent food (good variety and while it is more than other restaurants in the area it is worth it for the qu... read moreExcellent food (good variety and while it is more than other restaurants in the area it is worth it for the quality, view, and service) and a great view right on the water. Walter set up everything for our group (of 14) and we had a perfect evening - thank you! read less

Wonderful, but some issues This hotel is beautiful. We were lucky to have the Darwin Suite. All Windows, fabulous views. Staff are great,... read moreThis hotel is beautiful. We were lucky to have the Darwin Suite. All Windows, fabulous views. Staff are great, friendly and helpful. Wonderful to see all the animals and birds around the hotel. Great to have place for iguanas and sea lions to rest. Breakfast was a great show. Only a few problems which seem to me East to fix. One, the hotel is not as clean as it should be. Little things like the top of the garbage can in bathroom is dirty. They don't seem to change the little rugs used for wiping feet in the reception area. They were very dirty, never changed the 4 days we were there. Should be changed every day. Second, during the day, the reception desk was always empty unless they expected a. New guest. Always had to look for someone, also the people did not have much information about the town. These are small things that can be easily fixed. I would come back in a flash. read less

Great Stay The Red Mangrove is an exceptional hotel. Service was fantastic and the staff was attending to every need. ... read moreThe Red Mangrove is an exceptional hotel. Service was fantastic and the staff was attending to every need. We had the Darwin Suite and the room was large, comfortable with a very large and refreshing shower. Great views across the bay with Sea Lions and Pelicans always around. Restaurant was fantastic. Only negative is that the TV service did not have CNN International or any other english channels. Which is unusual as we did have it in Isabella which is more remote than Santa Cruz. Other than that a fantastic stay read less

Solo female traveler. Fantastic spot, even better customer service I was traveling solo to the Galapagos as a female from the US. Slightly nervous, I booked my stay initially fo... read moreI was traveling solo to the Galapagos as a female from the US. Slightly nervous, I booked my stay initially for 2 nights and then extended for 3 more.

I stayed longer because of the customer service, location and helpfulness (the sea lions easily made me stay) of the staff.

I had a ton of questions on where to Scuba, which islands to visit etc. Borris and Betzy were awesome w ideas on where to go. Andrea, the manager, was very on top of everything --you can tell she runs an efficient hotel. The restaurant was great, Jimmy (hope that is correct) in the morning at breakfast, and Yommy in the evening, were some of the best service I've had during my travels throughout South America.

The hotel is at the end of the strip, but in a 5 minute walk you're in the heart of downtown--I personally liked being a bit off the mainstreet. Every morning if either walk or borrow a bike (for free) from the hotel and ride to where I needed to meet for Scuba.

I don't often write reviews, but because this team was so wonderful, and made me feel very welcomed,I wanted to. The hotel was very clean, great amenities (q-tips, cottonballs, beach towels). I am actually surprised it was rated 3.5 stars, I'd give it a 4 star hotel. More read less