Floreana Lava LodgeFloreana´s fascinating story and the desire of the local people to offer a more relaxed , more enjoyable and environmentally sensitive kind of tourism, is why Tropic has chosen to launch its new Galapagos adventure here. Together with the local community and the owners of ‘Floreana Lava Lodge’, and under the supervision of the Galapagos Authority, Tropic has created a new program designed for visitors who are looking for something out of the ordinary, who will understand the value of slow tourism.Located in Puerto Velasco Ibarra (named after a five times president of Ecuador) Lava Lodge is owned by members of the Cruz family, one of the Floreana´s oldest. The hotel is a comfortable lodge with top class service and the best of friendly local hospitality, built on black lava sands at the ocean´s edge: one of the best sites on the island. Situated only 5 minutes walk from the centre of the village, Lava Lodge is also only a few steps from the ‘lobería’ where visitors can watch the islands famous sea lions in their natural surroundings. ServicesThe 10 independent cabins are each equipped with 2 twin beds (bunk beds for up to 3 people are also available). Each ocean front cabin has its own bathroom, front porch, a reading and shady area to provide privacy and enjoyment of the outdoors.The lodge also has a common area where guests can relax together and savor a welcome drink while enjoying the striking Galapagos sunsets.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
The lodges look out over the sea and you fall asleep listening to the waves. No mosquitoes when we were here in March. Beds are comfortable, the shower is good & there is a flushing toilet. It's a short walk to the beach to go snorkelling or kayaking, and there is an on-site restaurant.
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Date of stay: March 2020
Rooms
Cleanliness
Service
Room Tip:All rooms are lovely
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The Lava Lodge - like Floreana Island itself - is a tiny and remote place of beauty with minimal amenities. The Lodge is a row of cabins a few feet from the ocean down the road from a beach on one end and the village on the other end. It’s a beautiful place to listen to the waves, watch a sunset and look at a night sky full of stars. But as you’d expect, the cabins are very basic. There’s a bed, a bathroom, some shelves and a nightstand and not much else. That’s not a big problem at a place that is nature/outdoors focused, but the cabin was just too small to be comfortable. They do provide a breakfast and a chair on the porch facing the ocean.
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Date of stay: December 2023Trip type: Travelled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The location is approx. 5-10 mins walk into the small town. It is beautifully situated right by the waters and is really peaceful. The room is clean and decent. There is drinkable water supplied. Really enjoyed my stay in this beautiful water front lodge. Great place for going for morning walks.
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Date of stay: September 2019Trip type: Travelled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I do have mixed feelings about staying here. The location is amazing, right on the beach in Floreana where you can watch the sea from the deck and see turtles, seals and birds or walk to the sandy area to snorkel in a deserted bay. The small cabins are tiny and really need some basic maintenance. Our door didn’t fit, the insect screens were broken, the air con and the safe didn’t work. The towels were frayed and we were told we had to keep the same ones during the stay. The whole place looked neglected with dilapidated and rusting deck furniture. The only staff we saw were two ladies who appeared to cook breakfast in the morning. There was no way of getting a drink.. no kettle available and the water dispenser was empty. We had to wait to get a toilet roll. I do appreciate that Floreana has only a small population and this is supposed to be a natural wildlife retreat but I still feel that basic standards should be met if you are selling this as overpriced accommodation.
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Date of stay: February 2020Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I have slept in cleaner tents so I guess all the positive reviews are going on location alone. Now don't get me wrong the view is incredible but this is not a lodge but something closer to camping- not glamping either. The room had not been deep cleaned in what looked like years, the hot water didn't work for the majority of our stay, and the a.c didn't work either. The biggest issue though is that no effort has been made to pest proof the cabins. I found a scorpion in my room, someone else said they found two spiders and yet another a cockroach. This is unacceptable. Rustic is one thing but dirt and insects is quite another.
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Date of stay: August 2024Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
There are very limited choices when you visit Floreana, home to 130 persons when we stayed for 2 nights. Floreana feels very safe. So we did not worry about our room which opened to the dining area but could not be locked. This was a great place compared to the other lodging where the rest of our G Adventures group stayed. Clean, spacious. Internet is "iffy to non-existent" as with many places on Floreana. Nice fan helped with night-time noises and temperatures. Friendly, helpful hosts. Breakfast one morning for our group of 16 was excellent. Would not hesitate to stay again 🐢
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Date of stay: December 2019
Location
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip:Note some rooms are on 2nd floor; Nice fan in room helped
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We didn't really know what to expect on Floreana, but were totally impressed. There are two families that essentially established this island and own the two primary lodging facilities - the Cruz family owns the Lava Lodge and the Wittmer family owns the Wittmer Hotel. These families are key to the experience and history of Floreana. So part of the charm of the Lava Lodge is the experience with the Cruz family and understanding their commitment to Floreana and sharing it with others through low impact tourism and also sharing how they live. Floreana only has 130 people living on it, so to really understand life here is part of the whole experience.
The Lava Lodge is based on the principal of low impact, sustainable tourism that incorporates the community into the experience. We liked that. So much of the tourism in the Galapagos is get on and off a boat, but because the excursions, the meals and the travel are all provide by the ships, the actual residents get little benefit. This is a departure from that approach.
The Lodges are basic, but sufficient and comfortable and they have taken feedback from previous posts and incorporated it. The lodges either have 2 or 3 twin beds (the 3 have bunks) in them and a small bathroom. Ours had plenty of windows with screens and a screened front door and solid door so we could enjoy the sea breeze. Each room has a oscillating fan to help move the air if that is needed as well as a small A/C unit. We didn't need the A/C and just left the windows open and used the fan and we slept deep and hard, like babies - probably our best sleep on the islands anywhere. We had no problem with mosquitoes inside our little hut as long as we got that screened door closed. Outside we had to wear insect repellant but that wasn't unique to Floreana.
We took showers at various times of the day/night depending on when we needed to clean off from our activities and had great hot water to our pleased surprise. A previous post complained about the small window in the shower - they all have simple curtains on them now - as I said - responsive to the posts.
Each lodge has a nice pitcher of water and two glasses for our use and a cooler for refills at the gazebo where they serve breakfast. The breakfast was outstanding - my favorite actually of the trip - eggs to order, wonderful homemade bread and guava jam, organic fruits, fantastic fresh squeezed juice - a different kind each morning and other plates of food served family style. The coffee was dynamite as well.
Part of the charm of this experience is the interaction with the family. The Cruz family has 12 children - 6 sons and 6 daughters. One of the sons owns the Lava Lodge and 3 of the sisters have their own restaurants that we rotated around to eat. They transported us in a chiva so we didn't have to walk in the dark and we on the porches of their homes that have been transitioned to restaurants. I kid you not, this was the best freshest food we had the whole trip. It is all raised and farmed by the family and organic and fresh, fresh, fresh. They were happy to accommodate for special requests and allergies and even threw together a birthday cake.
Sharing time with these people and having them guide us on the island on the hiking trails, and through the tortoise area, the natural water source, the farm lands in the highland and some of the historic places like where the pirates hid their herds and treasures was a unique experience and gave us much more appreciation for not only this island but the Galapagos, and more appreciation than the National Park guide we had instilled in us.
We also loved the kayaking and stand up paddle boarding we did from in front of the lodge - we launched on a rocky/sandy area and kayaked over to the beach where the sea lions hang out. We then snorkeled in the water for hours watching them, the sea turtles, eagle rays and other fish. They also had a SUP board which was quite relaxing.
This is a unique experience in the Galapagos not to be missed and could be easily overlooked but is a real treasure. The family commitment to the island and sharing its richness with us was amazing.
PS - in talking with other folks along the way who went to Floreana and stayed at the Wittmer Hotel the rooms were larger than the Lava Lodge but described as in need of updating and more notably they had no interaction with the family and no sharing of island stories, of guiding around the island, which for us was the greatest part of the experience. We also observed a cruise ship group who came up to see the turtles while we were observing them - they hiked up, walked right past - spending not more than 5 minutes - we spent over an hour watching them (it was mating season and there were 4 males and 1 poor female) which proved both educational and entertaining. So just some food for thought when considering different travel alternatives.
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Date of stay: May 2014Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
A complete highlight to our trip in Ecuador was the two nights we spent at Lava Lodge with host and owner Claudio Cruz. The accommodations are rustic - but it's really all you need because you spent most of your time outside exploring the delights of the sparsely populated Floreana island. Claudio was such an engaging host - but speaks little english. We were lucky to have our 20 year old daughter with us who is studying in Quito and she was able to have great conversations and share with us all the unique tidbits of Floreana's history. We had time to snorkel, kayak and SUP in the little bay just in front of the cabins. What a moment of shock and then awe as we literally swam right into a Sea Turtle. Talk about moment of a lifetime - that was it. Each night we were transported via the Chiva (open air truck) to one of Claudio's sister's homes/restaurants for the freshest (all local food from Claudio's farm) dinners. For lunch on the first day we were taken up to the highlands where Claudio's family first built their family home - and where Claudio was born. He was one of 12 brother's and sisters and the children (now adults) keep the farm in working condition today. We were then taken to see the home of the unique first inhabitants of the Island (The Wittmers) and to see the Land Turtles out traversing the land. I would definitely go back to Floreana and to Lava Lodge!
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Date of stay: March 2015
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip:They are all the same cabins - and all are right on the base of the water basically. There...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The Floreana lava lodge is a once-in-a-lifetime place to stay. Imagine waking up opening the door of your private cabin and seeing penguins, turtles, and sea lions swimming before you. Wow! We walked everywhere on the island. The breakfast was delicious. It was served to us family style. Each cabin had its own bathroom with a shower. We were walking distance from the beach.
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Date of stay: December 2016Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Wow! What an incredible experience! The cabins are a bit off the main road, and they are right on the water, facing the sunset! You can drink the water, and there is free wi-fi all over the island, and you can enjoy those benefits here! Each cabin looks out onto the water, and there is a black sand beach just a few minutes' walk one way, and a white sand beach over lava rocks the other direction. You can see sea lions, turtles, fish, and boobies up close and personal or right from the room! The people here are so kind and helpful, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to relax and enjoy the wildlife! Breakfast was fabulous, over looking the water. You should try it!
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Date of stay: August 2015Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
There are more places to choose from in the Floreana area.
LOCATION
EcuadorGalapagos IslandsFloreana
NUMBER OF ROOMS
10
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