Royal Palm Galapagos, Curio Collection by Hilton

This hotel was amazing! First of all, Alejandro is the best and will show you around the 300 acre property when you arrive (with a welcome drink of course). The property is remote and relaxing and the villas are beautiful. Highly recommend to anyone looking to get away!

Hotel was just so run down. All of the property looks super run down, the lights on the walkways are half out, the paving is falling apart, so is the pool and the tennis courts. We had a few of the separate houses - you can see the ocean from one or two of them. The layout of the suites is super weird, there is a whole room for a bathtub that has a dining room table in it (but don't run the tub because the water smells like sewage and looks brown), the shower barely sprayed water and in different corners, everything had a smell. Because the houses are separate from the main area getting service is difficult. Service is pretty spotty, many of the staff do not speak English and are not interested in helping. Food at the hotel is awful, really for all of breakfast lunch and dinner. Getting into town is difficult because you have a 30 minute drive each way. There are really no redeeming qualities here.

What an absolute treat! From arrival to departure we felt so welcomed and cared for. The staff there are superb, from the Front Desk to the Maintenance guys, not forgetting the Restaurant. On arrival we were given a room upgrade to the Presidential Suite, which was a lovely separate villa with all sort of amenities. What better way of celebrating my birthday! Once checked in, the hotel manager (Diego?) kindly showed us to out villa and explained the facilities of the hotel. The hotel has a pool, gym, restaurant, and even a lava cave (biggest in the islands I believe) where they do a special set menu dinner. The grounds of the hotel are immense and you can find several giant turtles around Breakfast was also superb with a good selection and an even better service! The staff there remember the day of my birthday and the chefs prepared a lovely Bday cake which I was so surprised by. Dinner at the main restaurant was algo very good, and again the service was the best part of it. Lisset was our waiter and she was just amazing :) On the last night we could definitely not pass on the lava cave dinner experience, and we are so glad we did go! It is definitely something to experience. The hotel is situated pretty much in the middle of the island. If you come to Santa Cruz by plane, you will most probably land in Seymour, from the terminal there is just a short bus ride to the port and then a super-quick taxi boat sail to Santa Cruz. Once in Santa Cruz there will be plenty of taxi waiting for passengers to get off the ferry. The ride to the Royal Palm is $25 and 30 min max. From the hotel to Puerto Ayora (south of the island and main hub) is $15 and a 20min ride. The hotel can arrange for a taxi pick up. Our driver shared his number and we just had to text him 10min before we needed him again to get back to the hotel. Definitely one of the best hotel experiences I have had in a while.