Puerto Ayora Hotels
Posted September 21st, 2008 by Bob the Sea LionBudget
Hotel Salinas (%252 6107; fax 252 6072; Av Bolívar
Naveda; s/d from $10/15) Some of the 2nd-floor
rooms at Salinas have high ceilings and
are much nicer than the dark and small
ground-floor rooms. All have hot water, TV
and tile floors. Look for the white building
with blue trim.
per person incl breakfast $13) This small place,
only four simple rooms in total, is popular
because of its central location and warm,
family-like atmosphere.
Hotel Sir Francis Drake (%252 6221; Av Padre
Julio Herrera; s/d $8/15) Just up the street from
the harbor, this grandiosely named hotel
won’t disappoint if you only expect bare
bones simplicity. While the dull grey colors
and concrete won’t delight the eye, the tile
rooms are well maintained.
Hotel Lirio del Mar (%252 6212; Av Bolívar Naveda;
r per person $8) Across the street from Hotel
Salinas, the Lirio del Mar is a slight step
down in quality though the basic concrete
rooms here are kept clean. A terrace on the
2nd floor catches a bit of a breeze.
Midrange
Gran Hotel Fiesta (%252 6348; s/d incl breakfast
$33/56; as) The Fiesta is both quiet and
almost directly in front of the Laguna Las
Ninfas, perfect for a quick dip. Rooms in
this orange and yellow concrete building
are well kept and have hot water. There’s
a pool table and modern restaurant on the
grounds.
Hotel Castro (%252 6173; Av Padre Julio Herrera; s/d
$20/30) The most affordable option in this category,
the Castro has clean, well-maintained
rooms with tile floors and hot water; air-conditioning
is available if needed and it’s only a
block from the harbor.
Hotel Ninfa (%252 6127; galaven@pa.ga.pro.ec;
Moisés Brito; s/d from $50/65; as) While the
rooms at the Ninfa aren’t twice as nice as
the Castro across the street, this hotel does
boast a sunny courtyard and nice restaurant.
Rooms here do have cable TV and
little decorative touches.
Estrella del Mar (%252 6427; estrellademar@ayora
.ecua.net.ec; s/d from $28/40) Though the rooms at
this friendly, family-run hotel are basic and
the furniture is old, those with windows
and ocean views make up for the shortcomings;
others are less expensive. It’s on the
waterfront behind the school playground
and near the police station.
Hotel Fernandina (%252 6499; cnr 18 de Febrero
& Los Piqueros; s/d $50/80; as) Only a short
walk from Avenida Charles Darwin, this
friendly, family-run hotel nevertheless feels
pleasantly secluded. Rooms are surrounded
by a nicely landscaped garden, and there’s a
pool and Jacuzzi on the premises.
Grand Hotel Lobo del Mar (%252 6188; 12 de Febrero;
s/d from incl breakfast $50/65; ais) From
the outside this hotel does look somewhat
grand, however inside it’s fairly spare and
the spacious rooms are basic. The central
courtyard has a little pool. It also has a bar,
restaurant and a 4th-floor terrace.
Hotel Sol y Mar (%252 6281; Av Charles Darwin;
r $30-60) The Sol y Mar’s saving grace is its
waterfront location where you can share the
patio with sea lions and iguanas. The rooms
are decidedly unattractive, the furniture old
and mismatched and the tile floor reminiscent
of a school cafeteria.
Top End
Red Mangrove Inn (%252 7011; www.redmangrove
.com; Av Charles Darwin; s/d $115/145; ai) This
charmingly decorated inn at the northern
end of Avenida Charles Darwin has the most
character of any top-end hotel in Puerto
Ayora. Each of the rooms are bright and
sunny with white adobe walls and colorful
tiled bathrooms. There are good views of the
water from the attached Japanese restaurant
and the common areas are outfitted with
hammocks and a Jacuzzi. Sea-kayaking,
windsurfing, horseback riding, mountain
biking, fishing and camping trips can be
arranged.
Finch Bay Hotel (%252 6297; www.finchbayhotel
.com; r from $200; ais) This boutiquelike
hotel across the bay from Puerto Ayora
would not look out of place in Santa Fe,
New Mexico, that is if it weren’t situated on
an exceptionally pretty little beach (open to
the public). The rooms themselves, a mix of
tasteful wood and modern appliances, aren’t
especially large or luxurious but the grounds
which include a pool, Jacuzzi and barbecue
area, justify the splurge. Water taxis ($0.50)
can zip you back and forth to the harbor.
Metropolitan Touring (see p89 ) based in
the hotel, can arrange kayaking, snorkeling,
scuba diving, boat trips and any outdoor
activity imaginable in the Galápagos.
Hotel Silberstein (%252 6277; www.hotelsilber
stein.com; Av Charles Darwin; s/d $79/105; ais)
Previously known as the Hotel Angermeyer,
the Silberstein looks like a whitewashed
Mexican villa from the outside, however
once through the opening archway, an attractive
pool and garden area reveals itself.
While the surrounding rooms are simple,
modern and clean, but not exceptional, the
hotel is near the Charles Darwin Research
Station at the quieter end of town. An inhouse
agency offers island tours with overnights
here.
Tags: Galapagos Hotels, Hotels
Leave a Reply