Tuesday

Darwin Suite = Impressive Formerly known (?) as Red Mangrove, this wonderful little hotel sits at the end of town over the water in a ma... read moreFormerly known (?) as Red Mangrove, this wonderful little hotel sits at the end of town over the water in a mangrove swamp. The Darwin Suite, was enormous and had really incredible views from two private balconies. Water pressure was good and the bathroom was large and modern. The staff at the hotel was very helpful, and bike rentals were free. The breakfast, also included, was very good.

This hotel is well managed, clean, and everything you would want in a tropical waterfront locale. read less

Wonderful hotel in Puerto Ayora We loved our stay at the Galapagos Habitat. We named our suite the treehouse because we were perchec above the... read moreWe loved our stay at the Galapagos Habitat. We named our suite the treehouse because we were perchec above the trees with 180 degree views. The room was very nice and clean and a highlight was the bathtub and shower with a view of the ocean while still being private. The food in the restaurant was excellent. There were some guests that hogged the lounge chairs but since they were bunches of napping sea lions we did not complain! The hotel is in a good location with a short walk to the main town and pier and very close to the Charles Darwin center. We also booked 2 excellent boat tours on a small yacht for day trips. Those are highly recommended as well. read less

Nicest Hotel on Santa Cruz island This is for sure the nicest hotel on Santa Cruz island. Food for breakfast and dinner was great. The accommoda... read moreThis is for sure the nicest hotel on Santa Cruz island. Food for breakfast and dinner was great. The accommodations are beautiful with comfortable beds. The location is great--easy walking distance to anywhere in town and also to the Charles Darwin Breeding Center. read less

Ecological luxury hotel in the middle of the beautiful archipelago islands of Galapagos Oceanview, private port, spacious rooms, luxury amenities, great location in front of Charles darwin center an... read moreOceanview, private port, spacious rooms, luxury amenities, great location in front of Charles darwin center and delicious high-quality cousin.
Enjoy the ocean view surrounded by sea lions and iguanas was a lifetime experience.
The hotel was built inside of forest of mangrove with great conservation concept.
To sit in the room and hearing the wild animals a few steps outside of our balcony was outstanding.
Recommended! 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

Seals as neighbors We recently stayed at the Galapagos Habitat formerly the Red Mangrove Inn. Perfect location near the Darwin C... read moreWe recently stayed at the Galapagos Habitat formerly the Red Mangrove Inn. Perfect location near the Darwin Center and close to shops and towns. Look out your suites at diving boobys and marine iguanas as Galapagos seals fight for the best bench on the deck near your room. Wonderful experience and a great place to start a land based trip of the Islands. read less

Sea Lions Live Here! This hotel is beautiful. We were in the Santa Fe suite which felt like we were in a tree house (no ocean view)... read moreThis hotel is beautiful. We were in the Santa Fe suite which felt like we were in a tree house (no ocean view). Indeed, the hotel is located within a mangrove forest and is very beautiful. The sea lions have their special place on the patio where they play and rest in the sun, and guests can swim in the waters off the patio. We had one dinner here which was amazing, and the breakfast buffet is perfect, with yogurt and granola, breads, meat and cheese, and made to order eggs and french toast. The service is super friendly and helpful. While this hotel is quite luxurious, it is a bit rustic, and as one would expect in a mangrove forest, there were some bugs but nothing alarming or bothersome. The lovely birds do wake up early though, about 5 am they are chirping.

Leaving the hotel, to the right, is the Charles Darwin Science Center, an easy walk and a must see. To the left is the downtown area with many shops and places to eat. There is also a waterfront park and marina which was a fun after dinner activity. This hotel offers bicycles, which was a great way to get to the marina quickly. I would love to stay here again if I am fortunate enough to travel to the Galapagos 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

Ocean front, tree-house honeymoon suite We loved it.

We had just finished an active sailing adventure trip so we spent a lot of time enjoying our... read moreWe loved it.

We had just finished an active sailing adventure trip so we spent a lot of time enjoying our room and found the hotel to be wonderful. Our room was an ocean front suite (Darwin); large, light filled, lots of natural wood, a sky light and with a balcony and a patio. The room was beautiful and the view was amazing. We had open views south, west and east. There was a 3rd night free deal, be sure to look for that.

The resort was very pretty, the people were polite and the food was great. Breakfast was easy and included plenty of variety. No one minded when we spent two hours with coffee, a book and the sea lions. It’s a popular spot for dinner so a reservation won’t hurt. Almar's reputation was earned on their dinner which has a varied menu of fine dining.

It’s a short walk to town including Avenida Kiosko or to water taxis for your own adventures (go to las Grietas). The Darwin Research Center is next door and the nicest beach in Puerto Arroyo is a short walk.

You’ll find sea lions, iguanas, pelicans and herons right at the resort or in the water nearby.

If this was helpful, click on the helpful so others can easily find it! read less