Can't miss this entrance at Hotel Coloma

Starting our Galapagos trip on a high note was easy to do with Hotel Coloma. What I found really exceptional at this establishment is that their communication from pre-arrival to departure is top notch. After pre-arranging a shuttle to pick us up from Itabaca Canal, a few minutes away from the Baltra airport via email, our 1 hour drive to Puerto Ayora was a breeze.

During our arrival in the hotel, we were greeted by the receptionist, Paula, who provided us with all the pertinent recommendations for our shot stay in the island - from agencies to dinner spots and timings of the popular tours to other islands. The other receptionist, Alexandra, was also ever present honoring our requests, specifically for an early breakfast package, for the next 3 days in the hotel. Despite both their lack of English and our broken Spanish, we were able to understand each other-- a true testament to high quality hospitality.

Coloma is exactly what I expected from the images online. From the time I stepped inside, each corner is ornately decorated with statues and paintings of endemic marine animals and landscapes in the Galapagos islands, such as giant turtles aka gigantes tortugas, seahorses, and marine iguanas just to name a few. I actually thought the the black marine iguana statues were real! Even their fun breakfast station on the top floor are adorned with an octopus painting and a kitchen table shaped like a boat.

Breakfast delight. We also had grilled octopus dinner at Charles Binford.

Painted turtle shells everywhere.

Real marine iguanas. They look like statues since they don't move much.

Situated along the main street of Avenue Baltra, the hotel is within walking distance to tour agencies where we got last minute day tour deals and the dock, where many ferries depart to other islands, such as Isabela.

Tip: Instead of booking online, we did end up saving around $100 altogether per person.

The Galapagos sunset welcomed us back to the Santa Cruz dock, where we took a 2 hour bumpy ferry ride to the island of Isabela.

Roaming around on foot in the day time and evening is safe and easy. We even discovered the best Ecuadorian empanadas half a block away from the happening street of Charles Binford, where local establishments block off the entire street at night for diners to enjoy fresh seafood under the stars.

Galapagos scorpion fish and lobster are a must eat while in Santa Cruz.

Since Galapagos is a few hours flight from the capital of Quito, I didn't expect too much on the quality of the wifi, so be prepared to disconnect from the cyberspace. Other tour mates were also complaining that they didn't have hot shower in their hotels, but I am happy to report that Coloma's shower has a strong water flow with the hot water easily flowing after a few seconds of turning it on.

Tip: Hot water is essential if you've been bitten by a jellyfish since they commonly roam in the seas of Galapagos. 

Because every day is swimming day, how I wished there was a proper place to hang our wet clothes. The cozy bathroom is certainly not the best place for fast drying.

What I was really looking forward the most in Galapagos is meeting the blue footed boobies bird up close, and I was surprised to see a painting of it in our blue-themed room. The highlight of my trip is eventually seeing them live during our day trip to the Daphne island. Coloma is definitely went above and beyond not only on their staff's hospitality but also on their decor, which made our stay more memorable.

A map of the island hangs atop the bed.

Blue footed boobies painting in our room, which comes with a mini refrigerator and microwave. Plus free drinking water everyday.

Actual blue footed boobies. So happy to see a few of them :)

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A post shared by Gastronomic MisAdventures (@c3lsius) on Jul 3, 2019 at 4:58pm PDT

Disclaimer: I was provided a complimentary stay at Hotel Coloma Galapagos in exchange for an honest review.