The location and atmosphere don't get much better than this. I didn't even have to post my pictures. The sea lions are already posted, along with the iguanas. We got to stay here because our hotel over booked and that was so lucky. The staff are excellent and speak near perfect English in addition to understanding you. The breakfast buffet is plentiful with eggs cooked to your liking. The rooms are a bit plain but good beds and bedding. We had a small balcony looking right at the water.

We were scheduled for a cruise on the Galapagos Legend, but we wanted to spend some time on the island looking around before going out on the cruise. We are glad that we made this decision Puerto Ayora is a really nice town with many shops and very good restaurants. There is also a very nice custom jewelry store (Maldonado) right across the street from the Solymar with really nice designs, not your typical tourist stuff.

We stayed at this property in January 2012, after a trip to the Galapagos. We were the only ones on our ship who decided to stay on the islands, and I must say that I am so glad we did. Puerto Ayora is a perfectly charming little town with nice shops, restaraunts, and an island feel. Our stay at the Sol y Mar was bundled into a package so I cannot comment on price, but we did enjoy our brief one night stay here. We checked in in the afternoon, and to cool off in the afternoon heat before visiting the Charles Darwin Center, we hopped into the small pool. The first thing that strikes you are the Lizards that share the pool with you. We had a nice swim and cooled off and spent the afternoon shopping and at the Darwin center. When we got back, my husband and two children went back in the pool while I had a cocktail in the lovely hammocks overlooking the sea. Lo and behold, a sea lion jumped into the pool and swam with them, and after he tired, jumped out and lay in a lounge chair! Unbelievable! Picture opportunities galore!

We had a room that was fine and clean, on the second floor, overlooking the pool and water. There is a newer Solymar across the street that looks beautiful and I half wished we were there, but I did enjoy my view. Amenities were basic, and room was a little on the small side, but again, very good.

We loved having breakfast on the water in the morning. All in all, we enjoyed our stay, and I would recommend this hotel.

Our stay was very good - the hotel room is clean, quiet and the food excellent. The only problem we experienced was confusion with the Reception/Front Desk. We were booked at the Solymar via a packaged tour of the Galapagos Islands through a reputable tour company. All of our meals were pre-purchased and included as part of our 'package.' This arrangement caused some confusion with the Reception/Front Desk because they informed us that we had to pay for all of our meals - which we refused to do. We had to call our tour company to sort the matter out - then, all was good. The problem appears to have been that the hotel books its own separate day tours which do not include meals and, the staff are not fully informed as to which hotel guest has a 'packaged tour' versus a 'hotel tour'.