Our family stayed at Royal Palm for 1 week. The hotel was in the forest in higher elevation about 30 minutes from the town Puerto Ayora - very close to the tortoise ranch. The villas were beautiful and spacious with huge windows. Each villa had its private yard. The environment was relaxing especially after a day of island hopping tour. We had no trouble getting to town and back with taxis. All taxi drivers know the hotel (just say Royal Pal :) ). Everyone at the hotel was super friendly and helpful. The food was quite good, but Puerto Ayora offers more variety.
This lovely hotel is equidistant from Baltra Airport and the main town, Puerto Ayora (about 25 mins). It is up in the highlands which means cooler breezes and fewer bugs. I was part of a UNC Travel group that stayed here for 4 nights last month. The staff could not be friendlier and more attentive. They aim to please! The grounds are lovely and the meals were very good! I highly recommend staying here. You can choose from the casitas or the villas (larger but a bit farther from the main buildings).
I stayed for 5 days in the presidential suite Very expensive, poor service, poor wifi, poor restaurant. On a hill, 30 minutes from Puerto Ayora village and no transport offered, very lonely place. No spa, no bikes, seems abandoned. On the hill the climate is different from the shore, very often rainy. They have umbrellas at least… Having travelled a lot, I warmly suggest to choose some place in town. The Royal Palm does not offer a level of service and accomodation worty the price.
The place is beautiful. Cabins extremely comfortable. Spotless clean. Details followed to perfection by the staff. All tours were perfectly on time. Exquisite food. I will return! Weather in the area is humid but the beach and the town are very close by.
From the moment I booked this Hotel to every excursion, meal, staff, management, room we will come back and stay Longer at this gem of a hotel. The lava cave inside the property is a must ! Thank you for a memorable stay
This was my first visit to Galápagos and we stayed at Royal Palm for a week. The staff was outstanding even before our trip helping us arrange everything we needed for our tours beforehand. They were friendly and helpful every time, always going the extra mile. Rooms were clean and comfortable, including fresh water, a french press and local, organic coffee. The whole complex is a beautiful, elegant group of buildings with lots of nature to explore. This includes the legendary volcanic caves (back in the day, expats would organize raves inside these caves and now they are building a restaurant). The hotel is located on the high ground of Santa Cruz which has a curious yet enjoyable weather. It has all the amenities you would expect: pool, restaurant and bar with a professional staff. I strongly recommend you get your meals from the hotel since it's good food (my favorite was breakfast) and it will be hard to eat anywhere else during your tours or trips inside Galápagos. Don't expect a good internet connection as Galápagos relies on satellites as of the time of this review (a fiber connection will be installed in 2022 so I'm looking forward to that).…
I had an amazing time at the Royal Palm Hotel. I can say the staff is very organized, attentive, friendly, and they treat you like family. I will be returning in the near future like in the next year because I really love the atmosphere that they gave. The food was amazing. Some of the staff remember what how do you like your food and they could get to your specific taste. Oh one other thing that I really enjoyed about this hotel was that your home when you go into the hotel they are already trying to plan your next adventure or trip. They don’t want you wasting your time so they help you organize your trip which I love because I did a lot of activities there and I had an amazing time. I would highly recommend this hotel over any other place on the island. They even can take it to another island if you desire.…
This hotel is so beautiful. We stayed in Villa 6 with an unobstructed view of the rain forest all the way to the sea. Each night we watched the sunset from our dinette area while drinking a glass of wine. The bathroom and bedroom were so luxurious and comfortable and there was a separate room with large windows that acted as a screened in porch complete with a jacuzzi tub. The restaurant staff were incredibly attentive as they served the set meal each nigh. We asked for a special meal to celebrate a birthday and they came through in spades! Isabela and Andriana were so helpful with every aspect of our stay while Tatiana went out of her way to make each evening special. Don’t miss the Lava tunnel! It’s so interesting. You are also located only a few kilometers from 2 of the tortoise ranches. This is a great place to be pampered.…
In January 2020, I booked a 3-day package for April 2020, including airport transfers, meals, and a boat tour. I only owed 50% of the cost at deposit, but because this was just an add-on to a larger trip, I paid 100%, trusting them. The second 50% was not due until 45 days before the trip, but around then, the pandemic caused a global shutdown, so I agreed to rebook for August 2020. In July 2020, the hotel told me the government was allowing reopening in August, but they couldn't find a boat with enough guests to operate. There's no point in going to Galapago Islands (plural) without going to the islands. The hotel told me I could rebook for any time before December 19, 2021, but would not refund the 50% that was not due until 45 days before travel, or honor their refund policy for cancellations. I contacted them recently to see if they can honor their obligations in April 2021, and they just told me it's likely they probably can, and if they can't, then they will only refund the boat portion, which is a small fraction of the total cost of the package (but the main reason for going to the Galapagos). I'm no longer going on my larger trip, so I'd have to purchase an additional $1000 of airfare just to go to Galapagos for 3 days--how can I book on this "maybe we can, maybe we can't" basis. They denied my refund request last year on grounds that I can use my voucher any time in 2021 up to December 19, but obviously that's not true since they have no idea whether they can honor their obligations. I asked if there is any time this year when they know for sure they can honor their obligations, and they didn't answer. It takes them several days to answer any question now, often saying they have to ask the general manager, who is not available for a week or two. In a world with email and smartphones, this is a ridiculous position to take. Are they running a business or not? This is the only vendor, travel or otherwise, that has refused to honor their obligations to me during the pandemic. Even LATAM, which is in bankruptcy, refunded my airfare last year and issued a $500 voucher as an apology for their tardiness. What can I conclude from this other than the hotel is using my money as an interest-free loan against my will, forcing me to take a trip I no longer want to take, at a time they can't even specify. I worry about what kind of services I would receive if I finally go. I understand the travel industry is going through a hard time right now, but at the same time, they profited in years before and must understand business has ups and downs and they need to make things right if they want to keep their reputation. I am not wealthy and did not agree to make a four-figure donation. If I were to make such a donation, I would want to choose the beneficiaries of such a donation.…
If you are the lover of dainty, visit this hotel. Friendly and professional staff, really wishing to help you, the amazing location. The atmosphere - you feel you came back to the past ( in very good sense of this expression). To understand it yoU should visit this place. Thank you Royal Palm! We miss Royal Palm and definitely we will back to this cozy nest.
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