Erika planned an amazing trip for us. Every l...
Galapagos Islands | Jun 14 - Jun 23, 2023

Suzie
Suzie L.
San Francisco, CA | Reviewed on Jun 24, 2023

Erika planned an amazing trip for us. Every little detail was thought of. From the Birthday cake waiting in my room to the welcome I received at each and every place we stayed and activity that we took part in.

The guides were incredible. Very knowledgeable and able to answer all of our questions and take care of us really well. Christian is a walking encyclopedia of plants, birds, geography, you name it! He knows it! We also adored Francisco!

The highlights, are too many to name, but in Ecuador: Hamadryade Lodge in Tena was magical and their food was five star!! River rafting on the Jatunyaku River was incredible. I wish I had stayed 2-3 nights in the Hamadryade Lodge. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. But alas, we did not have the time.

Highlights in the Galapagos: The snorkeling at Kicker Rock was outstanding!! This is not something you can do with any cruise ship. Only if you stay on land. I highly recommend it. We went to a private beach later where we were the only ones with turquoise waters, sea lions, and Boobies!! My husband won't stop talking about the Hammerhead shark he saw on that trip as well as the 30 to 40 sea turtles.

There is just so much we did and I can't thank Erika enough for all of the work she did in planning this trip.
All of the places that were booked were incredible except one. Avoid Hotel Blue Marlin in San Cristobal. The Acacia Hotel in Santa Cruz was Really great and we had a balcony overlooking the town and sea. Just perfect. Our guide, Sophia, took us to see the Tortoises in the highlands and she was pure joy. We absolutely adored her. She also took us on a lot of side trips that were extra special and not on the itinerary.

Things to avoid or beware of: Always bring plenty of water and 100 sunscreen. No matter where you go. A couple of times we were caught off guard and not quite prepared as we should have been. Even a short walk can be difficult in the heat. And we had a few long ones. Pack extremely light! only a carryon. It really helped to get us from place to place and all the travel on taxis, boat taxies, etc. Beware of altitude sickness in Ecuador. HIGH elevation even in Quito.

Again, Erika's knowledge of Ecuador and the Galapogos is beyond anything we could have hoped for. She and Andrea planned the best trip. Made us feel welcome, and cared for. I hope to plan another trip with her soon.

Hotel Reviews
Hotel Blue Marlin
Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, Galapagos

Moldy room, lacking in basic necessities. Just terrible. Staff didn't provide breakfast for us which was paid for. Noisy. Run down. Everything about it is bad.

Authenticity & Character
everything
Location
four blocks from the main street and no views of the island
Staff
Didn't make us feel welcome or provide breakfast we were promised
Cleanliness & Comfort
Moldy room, to get the lamp to work you have to find a decent outlet and then screw the lightbulb in to turn it on. OMG. Janky. Beds were hard as rock. Bathrooms were modly. Awful.
Acacia Galápagos Boutique Hotel
Puerto Ayora

We got in at 9:00 am and they had already finished serving breakfast, but they reopened the kitchen just for us and quickly made our rooms available. The staff were warm and friendly and did everything possible to make us feel taken care of. Caroline was fantastic as well as the night manager. Our room was clean, fabulous, and in perfect working order. The view from the balcony overlooking the sea was exceptional. I can't recommend this place highly enough.

Authenticity & Character
It was a villa apparently that they turned into a hotel. Quite fantastic!
Location
It is nice that it is two blocks off the hustle and bustle of Main st. Quiet and fantastic.
Staff
Caroline was amazing. Sweet, patient, joyful, and took care of us so greatly. The night desk clerk was also fantastic.
Cleanliness & Comfort
perfect.
Hotel Sangay
Baños de Agua Santa

Pleasant enough.

Authenticity & Character
The chandlier in the bedroom is hysterical. Very pleasant. Nothing outstanding.
Location
Right next to a beautiful waterfall. Just on outskirts of very noisy town. So perfect.
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
JW Marriott Hotel Quito
Quito

Pretty nice!!! Great spa, great restaurants. Outstanding customer service everywhere.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Hamadryade Lodge
Tena

This is one of those Once-in-a-lifetime places that is not to believed. The pictures don't do it justice. Because it is even more amazing in person. The staff are incredible. The owners wonderful. Clean, exotic, fabulous. Plan for at least three days. No less. You won't want to leave. The food should be Michelin rated it was so outstanding! Incredible dining that is not to be believed. All locally grown and fresh ingredients. What a magical place.

Authenticity & Character
Something out of a magazine. Just incredible.
Location
It is in the middle of the Amazon, yet no mosiquitos were encountered. Just amazing.
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Activity Reviews
Morning at Teleferico
Morning at Teleferico
Quito

The most difficult part was doing this the first day. You need aclimating to the climate first. But that said, I was still able to do the short hike at the top and REALLY< REALLY enjoyed the swings at the top! So fun and incredible view. Best swings in the world.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Francisco was so great!! Loved him so much. He was very helpful, friendly and entertaining. Helped with the altitude as well.
Transport
Jatunyaku River Rafting - Misahualli
Jatunyaku River Rafting - Misahualli
Ecuador

We really enjoyed seeing the Amazon from the perspective of the river. Outstanding. Ronnie, our guide, was fantastic! So much fun.

Quality of Experience
Food
In the middle of the rafting trip they served a delicious meal! Just yummy!!
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Ronnie knows this river inside and out! Felt safe and he made sure to have surprises for us at every turn. Tricks up his sleeve that were quite entertaining. We had a blast!
Transport
Snorkeling at Kicker Rock
Snorkeling at Kicker Rock
Isla San Cristóbal

The rock formation itself is stunning! Hammerhead sharks, white fin sharks, sooooo many sea turtles and So Much More! Amazing. I believe this is only available on land tours, not cruises, so I would opt for the land stay. It really is something spectacular. And they took us to a private beach with turquoise waters and sea lions afterwards. We had the place all to ourselves. So wonderful.

Quality of Experience
Food
Food was pretty good for a sea tour on a small boat. :)
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Quito - Cotopaxi National Park - Baños
Quito - Cotopaxi National Park - Baños
Ecuador

Couldn't summit as it was too windy. We are talking REALLY windy. But it was fun to get up there.

Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Christian was full of knowledge about the place.
Transport
Visit Highlands Tortoise Reserve & Charles Darwin Research Station
Visit Highlands Tortoise Reserve & Charles Darwin Research Station
Puerto Ayora

So many giant tortoises! Beautiful place. Even the lunch was fantastic. Not to be missed!! our guide Sophia was fantastic. Took us to many places that were off the beaten track and felt very exclusive. Lucky us! Delicious lunch on the preserve as well. Highly recommend.

Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Sophia was fantastic. Really lucked out with her. She was so great!!
Transport
Kayaking Adventure in Tortuga Bay & Afternoon Bay Tour of Santa Cruz Island
Kayaking Adventure in Tortuga Bay & Afternoon Bay Tour of Santa Cruz Island
Puerto Ayora

This was not one of our better trips. The guide got double booked. So we had to walk to the trail head from our hotel. Really hot day, trail is about 3 or 4 km to the bay. HOWEVER, it was a really lovely walk and the beach is unbelievable. Sand like flour. SOOO many igunas. Eventually , we got to the bay for kayaking and had to wait two hours for the kayak person to show up. The bay is perfect for swimming and the water was warm. It is difficult to see much in the water. We had to then walk back and it was very hot. And find our way back to hotel as guide left us. Also no guide with kayak either. Not my favorite trip, but still worth going out there.

Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Transfer to Airport on Baltra Island - Flight back to Mainland
Transfer to Airport on Baltra Island - Flight back to Mainland
Galapagos Islands

It is quite tricky getting from town to the airport. Car taxi, to boat taxi, to bus. It really helped to have a guide take us. Especially as it was at 6;45 for a 9 am flight. It went really well. In great hands.

Quality of Experience
everyone was very nice and helpful in handling our three carry on suitcases.
Food
Food was provided by our hotel. They got up extra early to help us out. so nice. Hotel Acacia.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
 Afternoon Visit to Mitad del Mundo (Middle of the World)
Afternoon Visit to Mitad del Mundo (Middle of the World)
Quito

We really liked this strange little museum. It was quite fun and extremely interesting. We didn't get to the acutal monument as we just loved the museum so much and after our long day decided to head back and relax.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Francisco was so wonderful!
Transport
Reconnecting with Nature at Baños de Agua Santa
Reconnecting with Nature at Baños de Agua Santa
Baños
Welcome to San Cristóbal Island! Visit the Interpretation Center, Tijeretas Hill, or La Lobería
Welcome to San Cristóbal Island! Visit the Interpretation Center, Tijeretas Hill, or La Lobería
Galapagos Islands

Interesting museum. Tijeretas Hill was just ok. The swim at the beach with all of the Sea lions everywhere was fun!

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Local specialist:
Erika
Erika B.
Ecuador | Replied on Jun 29, 2023

Hi Suzie, I hope you are doing very well, as well as Daniel and Enya. Thank you very much for the comment you left us on KimKim; we are so happy you enjoyed your trip to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands. It was a pleasure for me to organize this incredible experience for you. I hope that your memories in this beautiful country will remain in your memory forever. Do not hesitate to contact us again if you decide to return to Ecuador; we will be glad to help you with everything you need. I hope to hear from all three of you soon.

Greetings from Ecuador.