One thing to keep in mind when you're going to Puerto Ayora, is that it is a small village, so people know basically everything that there is to know about what is going on and what there is to do. Even so, I was quite impressed by the helpful information we got from the hotel staff here. They gave us at least 3 great ideas on things we could do, including hiking to Turtle Bay, taking a taxi to the Tortoise reserve and biking back (fun!), and taking a kayak tour around the bay area.

On top of that, when we needed to meet our cruise at the puerto but weren't sure of the details, the owner's wife called up her sister who works at a travel agency and she coordinated everything and picked us up herself (!!!).

Even if it is outside of the main strip, it is so easy to walk there that it is not problem. The streets are a little dark at night, but there aren't any hoodlums walking around so we felt safe.

The staff at Hotel Fernandina are a family. When my girlfriend got the flu there with a very high fever everyone went far above and beyond to help. They told us about an english-speaking doctor less than 2 blocks away and when we started walking there the owner showed up in his pick up truck to offer to drive us the rest of the way. We had originally requested a quiet room and they gave us a family-sized room for the same price as the regular double. Everyone kept asking how she was feeling and how they could help, and just kept going above and beyond to help, and when we kept having to change our plans due to sickness, they were still so helpful.

A little more about the hotel-- it's in a very quiet part of town (which was exactly what we had wanted), a ten-minute walk to the downtown tourist area. But there's a laundromat next door, a pharmacy 2 blocks away, it's a few blocks to a bakery and market, etc. It's really quite accessible.

All in all, it's a comfortable hotel, amenities were great, staff were awesome, and I'd definitely stay there again.

We made a 3 night reservation at the Hotel Fernandina. We had to cancell our reservation and the hotel did not refund any of the $670. U.S. dollars we paid for 3 nights.

The rooms are spacious, the hot water in the morning is iffy (but this is standard for Galapagos as far as I can tell), and the breakfast is healthy & average. But dang -- the personnel here really stand out for helping! From knowing EVERYONE they might need to call, calling them, making you aware of things, and making sure that the taxi that mysteriously shows up is, in fact, the right one for you, they do everything to add a personal touch to the stay. That makes them a pleasure to stay at.