Ikala Galapagos Hotel

A well run, clean and welcoming hotel situated close to the ferry terminal. Excellent breakfasts and general good attention to detail, e.g. each tree has a sign giving its species. Pool area is nice and relaxing although poll is a little shallow - fine for some perhaps? Our room had a gigantic bed and although a little dark had all necessary features including towels which can taken on loan outside the hotel. The room was on the ground floor close to the cleaning cupboard used by the outside staff which did mean a little disturbance when they required access to and use of their equipment.

The good parts. The restaurant was great for breakfast, also the pool was a nice touch. My advice if you stay here would be to ask for a room overlooking the pool. The less good parts. Our room was ground floor at the front. It was gloomy and depressing without a full window. Abutting the back of the room was the cleaners' room. The cleaners did a great job, but all day long the cleaners would come and go, banging the wall (unintentionally presumably) and appearing directly ouside the window. The rooms facing the pool looked bright and airy. Not sure if the bathroom was designed as a wetroom, but that's what it became after a shower. Avoid this room if you can.

The only five star stay we had in Ecuador. Rooms are newly renovated, clean with gorgeous balconies, bathrooms had normal water pressure, always had hot water, robes, safes and filtered water in the room. Bikes are readily available and so is filtered water, useful advice, ability to help with day trips and reservations. Clean beach towels that actually smell clean. The staff was helpful and attentive, well trained, and fluent in English. Pricing was transparent. We had two rooms on the second floor, the hotel kept their promise to keep us close to each other with the children next to us. Air- conditioning worked very well and cooled the room in 10-15 minutes. The pool was cool and clean. Breakfast - superb with strong coffee and custom ordered eggs available. If you have dietary restrictions and allergies, the hotel will make a custom dish for you for the buffet. Again, top notch hotel in great location. Cannot recommend more. We stayed in Indigo in San Cristobal and also traveled on Bonita Yacht for four nights. Indigo accommodations were similar BUT the staff could not be compared as they barely spoke English and were consistently untruthful. Bonita Yacht was vastly inferior with all activities cut short to 30 minutes and we were stuck with barely educated guide. If we were to take the trip again, we would stay longer at Ikala and take day trips. Again, cannot recommend more!

We stayed 7 nights at Ikala resort. We opted for a deluxe suite and were well rewarded with a beautiful suite. The room was very spacious and beautifully appointed. The king bed was plenty comfy, the bathroom was huge and the living area was very comfortable to lounge in. We used our balcony most evening as well and loved happy hour around the pool after a day of diving. I couldn’t recommend this hotel enough it was so comfortable, and such great access to all the great restaurants and shops around town.

It is a lovely boutique hotel with great staff and a super quiet location a stone's throw from everything in the port. We stayed for two nights after a 10-day dive boat and enjoyed being on terra firma! All staff members were delightful and they even made me a birthday cake for breakfast - my husband hadn't even told them. Such attention to detail is rare. We only had breakfast there and a quick cocktail upstairs one evening but everything was great. The room overlooked the pool and the only thing we weren't too keen on was the piped music all day...the facilities in the room were great, a lovely walk-in shower, a massive bed, fans to keep us cool (a/c if required). We would go back again any time!

Our stay at Hotel Ikala was a wonderful experience. Clean spacious rooms with beautiful common areas. Breakfast was fresh and delicious. Would recommend 10/10!

We spent four nights here in December 2023 & January 2024, over New Year. We arrived at lunch time before our room was ready, and reception checked us in and took our bags with a quick tour of the hotel. Our room was a suite, with a very large bed and a good sized bed for our son. We had a balcony and a safe in the room, and fresh drinking water was provided each day. The room was very comfortable, bright and very clean. The pool in the hotel was very pleasant and never busy, there were never more than one or two other groups there when we were by the pool and most of the time it was just us, probably because there was is so much to do on the island. There is a nice covered seating area near the pool and a series of options to sit near the pool from sunbeds to shaded areas. There is a bar near the pool, where the staff were always very friendly in our experience. The restaurant is on the top floor of the hotel and has a lovely view of the harbour, complete with a large telescope. It's a lovely place to spend the morning, and the breakfast buffet was similar most days but with enough variation to create some surprise each day. All of the food was of an excellent quality and with wonderful service. The hotel has some bicycles that guests can use. Puerto Ayora has surprisingly good cycle lane provision, and the bikes are a great way to get around, and at no extra charge. We really appreciated having them, including cycle helmets. All of the service that we experienced was excellent, very friendly and helpful. We felt like regular guests even though we'd only been there a few days. Being in the centre of Puero Ayora, there were plenty of cafes, restaurants, pubs, and tour operators within a few minutes walk, and a couple of ATMs nearby. This would be my first choice of places to stay on Santa Cruz if we make it back there, and I hope we do.

We highly recommend this beautiful hotel. Rooms are nice, very clean. The restaurant has good food. The pool area is a good place to relax after a busy day. But the most important is the excellent attention of the hotel by the staff. They are ready to attend you with smile and excellence. The location is one of its strengths. Close to everything.