Looking for the best place to stay on Santa Cruz island in the Galapagos? We've just returned from the lovely Hotel Ikala in Puerto Ayora, which was our home base before embarking on a 5-night expedition cruise. Here's the full scoop on this boutique hotel.
We recently took a bucket list trip to the Galapagos, where we did a 5 night expedition cruise to the western islands on the Ecogalaxy. We opted to arrive on Santa Cruz Island the day prior to our cruise departure and stayed at Hotel Ikala for just one night before heading out!
We are a family of three: two adults and an eleven year old. Perhaps a bit younger than many of the typical Galapagos guests. So please keep that in mind as your read all of our reviews from this amazing trip!
If you're looking to book a stay at this lovely little property, here's everything you need to know.
Location & Property
Hotel Ikala is a small, boutique property with just 16 rooms, located in downtown Puerto Ayora on the island of Santa Cruz in the Galapagos.
As you may already know, there are only three main inhabited islands in the Galapagos, each with just a single significant town. So if you are staying on the island of Santa Cruz, Puerto Ayora is where you will want to be.
There are, of course, some other areas of the islands where locals live, but this is the main drag where you will find hotels catering to tourists, restaurants, and shopping. It's also home to the main pier, where you can catch the cruise ships or ferries to San Cristobal or Isabela islands.
Getting There
You can ask the hotel to prearrange a taxi, but there isn't really much point to this, as all the difficult parts of navigating Baltra airport happen before you get to the taxi anyway.
When you arrive at Baltra airport from the mainland you will take a short bus ride to a ferry terminal, then a short ferry ride across the channel, and there you will find a taxi stand where you can get a ride into town. While it sounds complicated, it's simple to follow along once you get there.
Our Room - Triple Suite
We booked a triple suite to accommodate our family of three, and found it to be very spacious. There were actually three separate beds - two double beds and a twin size cot set up for us. So everyone got their own bed here! We didn't really need three beds, but they had already set up the cot, so why not?
The room was a generous size, with a small sitting area. We were on the first floor, with a balcony that overlooked the pool. I don't typically like being on the first floor, but it was actually very convenient for going back and forth to the pool.
The bathroom was a generous size, but with a bit of an odd layout. You first walk in to this space with just the sink and closet. And then you continue walking through a glass doorway to find the toilet and walk-in shower in their own combined space.
A bit unusual. Not a big deal, but perhaps a little awkward to have the toilet and shower in one large water closet.
Then there was a large closet space as well. There is a small safe - but we found the key to be firmly stuck in there and skipped using it, as we didn't want to break anything.
They also provided three "anything towels" which seem to have been intended for dirtier tasks. Kind of clever. And makes sense since guests will be out doing adventurous things like hiking and snorkeling. Keeps people from wiping off their sandy hiking boots with your good towels!
There was a mini fridge for keeping drinks and snacks cold out in the main room. And they also provided a a pitcher of filtered water and clean drinking glasses in the bathroom, which was intended for brushing teeth. The water in the Galapagos is not safe for drinking, and it's recommended to use bottled or filtered water for both drinking and brushing.
There was no coffee machine in the room, which was a bit inconvenient. But there were coffee drinks available at the pool bar and the rooftop restaurant.
Pool towels were provided in the room, separate from bath towels, which I also found more convenient than needing to exchange them at the pool. And they put three in the room without me having to ask, which is always bonus points in my book.
The Pool
There is a charming pool area, which we found to be very quiet and relaxing. Despite being on the smaller side, it was plenty big enough for the size of the hotel. The pool chairs were never completely full and very few people were actually swimming in the pool. We swam, of course!
Overall, this was a very nice spot to simply chill after our long journey getting to the Galapagos. There is also a cute little pool bar and cafe for drinks and snacks - more on that below.
Food & Drinks
Pool Bar & Cafe
Beside the pool, is a bar and outdoor cafe. This was great for ordering poolside drinks, and they also had a food menu for lunch. There were pizzas, sandwiches, and a few other snack items. We ordered pizza for lunch here while we waited for our room to be ready!
There was also this cute little book exchange shelf, where you could swap an old book for a new one. Perfect for reading by the pool.
Cute. Convenient. What else do you really need next to the pool?
Rooftop Restaurant
The hotel features a lovely rooftop restaurant, La Terraza, with a nice view over the town to the water. You can see the ships in the harbor and watch the frigate birds soar around from up there.
The menu was very interesting, and they had some good kid-friendly choices as well. But with only one night, we didn't get a chance to dine here for dinner. We did eat breakfast here in the morning though!
Here's a peek at the menu that was being served during our visit:
Breakfast Included!
Breakfast was included with our stay, and it was served at the rooftop restaurant. On the buffet, they were serving French toast, fruit, meats and cheeses, yogurt, and cereal. And to drink there was juice, ice water, and whatever version of coffee you prefer. There were also eggs available made-to-order, such as omelets!
The Service
Everyone was very friendly and helpful here. They even got us into our room a bit early upon arrival. And when I asked about holding our bags in the morning until our 12pm cruise departure, they offered us a late checkout instead. This was really helpful and made our pre-cruise morning much more relaxing!
The bartender at the pool very sweet and willing to try making whatever we asked for, even when it was clear he hadn't heard of it. We watched him look up instructions to make a strawberry margarita, and he did a pretty good job. But if in doubt, the beer and wine is good. ;)
Would we stay here again?
Yes, I found the room to be quite comfortable and the location was excellent within walking distance of all the shops, restaurants, and the marina. If I found myself in Puerto Ayora again, I would definitely be happy to return to Hotel Ikala.
Although, if you are making your way to the Galapagos, I do highly recommend you consider a live aboard cruise as part of your itinerary as well. If you have the time - combine a cruise with some land-based nights for the best of both worlds!
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