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El Castillo Galapagos

2.5 star property
Puerto Ayora historic inn with restaurant

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your current months are December, 2024 and January, 2025.
December 2024
January 2025

Photo gallery for El Castillo Galapagos

Exterior
Exterior
Family Room, 2 Bedrooms, Balcony, Garden View | Select Comfort beds, in-room safe, free WiFi
Living area
Lobby sitting area

Reviews

8.0 out of 10

Very good

Popular amenities

  • Airport transfer
    Airport transfer
  • Non-smoking
    Non-smoking
  • Laundry facilities
    Laundry facilities
  • Free WiFi
    Free WiFi
  • Restaurant
    Restaurant
Main amenities
  • Daily housekeeping
  • Near the beach
  • Restaurant
  • Breakfast available
  • 24-hour room service
  • Coffee shop/cafe
  • Business center
  • Meeting rooms
  • Airport shuttle
  • Area shuttle
  • Terrace
  • Coffee/tea in a common area
Feel at home
  • Refrigerator
  • Garden
  • Terrace
  • Daily housekeeping
  • Laundry facilities
  • Barbecue grill(s)

Room options

Available filters for rooms
Showing 5 of 5 rooms

View all photos for Honeymoon Suite, 1 King Bed, Balcony, Garden View

Honeymoon Suite, 1 King Bed, Balcony, Garden View | Select Comfort beds, in-room safe, free WiFi

Honeymoon Suite, 1 King Bed, Balcony, Garden View

Highlights

Balcony
Refrigerator
Renovated in 2016
Select Comfort bed
Private bathroom
Daily housekeeping
In-room safe
  • 35 sq m
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 King Bed

View all photos for Panoramic Double Room, 2 Double Beds, Private Bathroom, Garden View

Panoramic Double Room, 2 Double Beds, Private Bathroom, Garden View | Select Comfort beds, in-room safe, free WiFi

Panoramic Double Room, 2 Double Beds, Private Bathroom, Garden View

Highlights

Air conditioning
Refrigerator
Renovated in 2016
Select Comfort bed
Private bathroom
Daily housekeeping
In-room safe
  • 24.0 sq m
  • Sleeps 2
  • 2 Double Beds

View all photos for Family Room, 2 Bedrooms, Balcony, Garden View

Family Room, 2 Bedrooms, Balcony, Garden View | Select Comfort beds, in-room safe, free WiFi

Family Room, 2 Bedrooms, Balcony, Garden View

Highlights

Balcony
Refrigerator
Renovated in 2016
Select Comfort bed
2 bedrooms
Private bathroom
Daily housekeeping
In-room safe
  • 35 sq m
  • Sleeps 3
  • 3 Queen Beds

View all photos for Design Triple Room, 2 Bedrooms, Balcony, Courtyard View

Design Triple Room, 2 Bedrooms, Balcony, Courtyard View | Living area

Design Triple Room, 2 Bedrooms, Balcony, Courtyard View

Highlights

Balcony
Refrigerator
Renovated in 2016
Select Comfort bed
2 bedrooms
Private bathroom
Daily housekeeping
In-room safe
  • 35 sq m
  • Sleeps 3
  • 1 Double Bed and 1 Twin Bed

View all photos for Family Suite, 1 Bedroom, Patio, Garden View

Family Suite, 1 Bedroom, Patio, Garden View | Children's theme room

Family Suite, 1 Bedroom, Patio, Garden View

Highlights

Patio
Refrigerator
Renovated in 2016
Select Comfort bed
Separate bedroom
Private bathroom
Daily housekeeping
In-room safe
  • 35 sq m
  • Sleeps 4
  • 2 Queen Beds and 2 Twin Beds

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About the neighborhood

Map
Barrio Pampas Coloradas, Calle Albatros e Isabela, Puerto Ayora, Galapagos, 200350

What's nearby

  • Las Ninfas Lagoon - 13 min walk - 1.1 km
  • Malecon - 15 min walk - 1.3 km
  • Playa de los Alemanes - 19 min walk - 1.6 km
  • Tortuga Bay Beach - 2 min drive - 0.9 km
  • Charles Darwin Research Station - 4 min drive - 1.9 km

Getting around

  • Isla Baltra (GPS-Seymour) - 78 min drive
  • Airport shuttle (surcharge)
  • Area shuttle (surcharge)

Restaurants

  • ‪El Muelle De Darwin - ‬14 min walk
  • ‪TJ Restaurant - ‬11 min walk
  • ‪Golden Prague Galapagos - ‬14 min walk
  • ‪Il Giardino - ‬12 min walk
  • ‪Tropical Bird - ‬15 min walk

About this property

El Castillo Galapagos

El Castillo Galapagos offers a fantastic location, putting you just steps from Galápagos National Park. Free WiFi is an added perk, and guests looking to stay active can check out the nearby hiking/biking trails and scuba diving. Other highlights at this historic inn include a terrace and a garden.

Languages

English, Spanish

At a glance

Hotel size

  • 6 rooms
  • Arranged over 3 floors

Arriving/Leaving

  • Check-in start time: 1:00 PM; Check-in end time: 10:00 PM
  • Check-out time is 9:00 AM

Restrictions related to your trip

  • Check COVID-19 restrictions.

Special check-in instructions

  • This property offers transfers from the airport (surcharges may apply); to arrange pick-up, guests must contact the property 72 hours prior to arrival, using the contact information on the booking confirmation

Required at check-in

  • Credit card or cash deposit required for incidental charges
  • Government-issued photo ID may be required

Children

  • No cribs (infant beds)

Pets

  • Pets not allowed

Internet

  • Free WiFi in public areas
  • Free WiFi in rooms

Transfers

  • Airport shuttle during limited hours*

Offsite

  • Area shuttle*

Other information

  • Smoke-free property

Property amenities

Food and drink

  • Buffet breakfast (surcharge)
  • Restaurant
  • Coffee shop
  • Coffee/tea in a common area
  • Barbecue grills
  • 24-hour room service

What to do

  • Beach nearby
  • Hiking/biking trails nearby
  • Scuba diving nearby

Working away

  • Business center
  • Meeting rooms
  • Computer station

Services

  • Concierge services
  • Tour/ticket assistance
  • Laundry facilities
  • Luggage storage
  • Bicycle rentals

Facilities

  • 1 building/tower
  • Safe-deposit box at front desk
  • Garden
  • Picnic area
  • Terrace
  • Television in common areas

Room amenities

Sleep well

  • Select Comfort mattress

Freshen up

  • Towels

Stay connected

  • Free WiFi

Food and drink

  • Refrigerator

More

  • Daily housekeeping
  • In-room safe
  • Access via exterior corridors

Fees & policies

Mandatory fees

You'll be asked to pay the following charges by the property at check-in or check-out. Fees may include applicable taxes:
  • Ecuador value-added tax (15%). Nonresident travelers who present a valid passport and tourist visa may be eligible for a tax refund. However, nonresident travelers may be exempt from value-added tax (15%) on package bookings.

Optional extras

  • Buffet breakfast is offered for an extra charge of approximately USD 9 per person
  • Airport shuttle service is offered for an extra charge of USD 60 per room (roundtrip)
  • Area shuttle service is offered for an extra charge

Policies

The name on the credit card used at check-in to pay for incidentals must be the primary name on the guestroom reservation.
This property accepts credit cards.

Also known as

Castillo Galapagos
El Castillo Galapagos
El Castillo Galapagos Inn
El Castillo Galapagos Inn Puerto Ayora
El Castillo Galapagos Puerto Ayora
El Castillo Galapagos Galapagos Islands/Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz
El Castillo Galapagos Inn
El Castillo Galapagos Puerto Ayora
El Castillo Galapagos Inn Puerto Ayora

Frequently asked questions

Does El Castillo Galapagos offer free cancellation for a full refund?
Yes, El Castillo Galapagos does have fully refundable room rates available to book on our site. If you’ve booked a fully refundable room rate, this can be cancelled up to a few days before check-in depending on the property's cancellation policy. Just make sure to check this property's cancellation policy for the exact terms and conditions.
Are pets allowed at El Castillo Galapagos?
Sorry, pets aren't allowed.
Is airport shuttle service offered by El Castillo Galapagos?
Yes, an airport shuttle is available. The charge is USD 60 per room roundtrip.
What are the check-in and check-out times at El Castillo Galapagos?
Check-in start time: 1:00 PM; Check-in end time: 10:00 PM. Check-out time is 9:00 AM.
What is there to do at El Castillo Galapagos and nearby?
Have fun with nearby activities like hiking and scuba diving. Enjoy amenities like a picnic area and a garden.
Are there restaurants at or near El Castillo Galapagos?
Yes, there's an onsite restaurant.
What's the area around El Castillo Galapagos like?
El Castillo Galapagos is a short 1-minute walk from Galápagos National Park and 15 minutes' walk from Malecon.

El Castillo Galapagos Reviews

Reviews

8.0

Very Good

7.8/10

Cleanliness

8.4/10

Staff & service

7.6/10

Property conditions & facilities

Reviews

8/10 Very Good

Quirky architecture - helpful friendly staff
Slight problem with the room on arrival, having booked a family room, but we compromised since it was only for a night, and a sofa was made up to suit. Owners couldn’t have been more apologetic or indeed more helpful during our stay. The hotel is a little unusual in that it is made somewhat castle like, with quirky architecture - which incidentally was the reason we booked for the night. Located away from the harbour area and the main restaurants so a taxi to & from that area is required, although only a $2.00 fare. hotel happy to arrange taxis, which arrive within minutes.
Verified Hoteles.com guest review

10/10 Exceptional

The staff is exceptional! We stayed in a really large room upstairs. It was great. Just the shower might need remodeling. There is no air conditioner so if you are prone to mosquito bites... you'll definitely be bitten. I would recommend they add a mosquito net around the bed. This location is about a 15 minute walk to downtown, which if you like walking and great weather this should be totally fine. since we did the walk every day we actually ate at local restaurants were so good!! The bed and the breeze coming through the room was amazing and I slept like a baby! I just got bit by mosquitos however my fiance did not get bit once! Also the wi-fi is terrible...but the wifi on the whole island is not that good. I would recommend if you need internet go to an internet cafe.
Verified Hoteles.com guest review

10/10 Exceptional

Familymoon at El Castillo
Family run hotel and they couldn't have been more welcoming to us. The rooms were really clean and comfortable and well serviced each day. The breakfast each morning was great, limited choice but all you needed to set you up for the day. They have also recently started a courtyard restaurant on the weekends. The food was really delicious and the atmosphere was top notch. We loved or stay here.
Elizabeth, 7-night family trip
Verified Hoteles.com guest review

8/10 Very Good

Made to feel welcome.
Highly recommend staying at El Castillo while in Puerto Ayora. The owner and her two sons, as well as the rest of her staff, go out of their way to make you feel welcome. The hotel is set back from the center of town, but within an easy walk. It was actually cool to be in a neighborhood. You can plan all your tours at the front desk and they are knowledgeable and dependent. The restaurant serves mouth-watering grilled dishes prepared by Alejandro. And don't miss the desserts made by pastry-chef girlfriend. Absolutely awesome. Also enjoyed the wonderful jazz music being played by the sound system on the patio.
Alberto , 3-night trip
Verified Expedia guest review

6/10 Good

The staff are really helpful and friendly. The rooms were a little dirty, and the showers had hot water sometimes.
Therese, 1-night trip with friends
Verified Hoteles.com guest review

10/10 Exceptional

Alejandro and his wife were absolutly wonderful. They helped us with planning everything for our trip and making sure we saw everything on the island in the short time we were there. The hostel is clean and beautiful. Everythhing downtown is withing a 10 minute or less walk and if you dont feel like walking you can get a taxi for $1-2. We had a great time!
Molly, 4-night romance trip
Verified Hoteles.com guest review

10/10 Exceptional

Loved the LOCATION!
This place LITERALLY is a castle from inside out. Loved the location - it was 10-12 mins walk from the center. Enough to be away from the crowd/noise to come back to a peaceful place to sleep just mins away from the center. The staff was very friendly and extremely nice. I would definitely recommend this place to anyone who wants to have an authentic experience in Galapagos and is budget friendly.
Rajvi, 3-night trip
Verified Orbitz guest review

10/10 Exceptional

Very unique! Worth checking out
Really cool/unique place! Owner is extremely nice and makes you feel at home
Verified Hoteles.com guest review

10/10 Exceptional

Very helpful staff
We had a very enjoyable stay in the hotel. They helped arrange transport from the airport, which is a big benefit after a tiring journey and were able to check-in early and rest. Any problem or question we had with tour operators or generally about the islands were answered for us, making everything much easier.
Verified Expedia guest review

8/10 Very Good

Wonderful place!
Wonderful family run hotel with spacious rooms and great breakfast. Only a $1 cab ride or 10 minute walk into the main strip. This place was very nice to stay at.
Verified Hoteles.com guest review

6/10 Good

Very helpful staff
Staff are EXTREMELY friendly and helpful. Room was very spacious and accommodated five of us easily. About 10 minute walk into town. Just a couple blocks from the trail to Tortuga Bay. A couple issues: - No A/C; there was a fan in the room, and although it helped, it's no match for the Galapagos heat/humidity - Wifi is slow/spotty - This is the Galapagos, so we would find a few bugs in the room. I want to emphasize that this was NOT for lack of effort on the staff's part. They cleaned our room thoroughly everyday and put down insecticide. Just a product of the environment and perhaps because our room was on the ground floor.
Verified Hoteles.com guest review

8/10 Very Good

It really is a castle
We had an overnight stay prior to a 5 day cruise. We needed a place in Puerto Ayora and this place looked interesting. It's not a five star place but it was located off the tourist areas in a quiet neighborhood but still within a 10 minute walk to the main town. The rooms are unusual. We had a room with stairs leading up to a tower with another bed. Wished they had A/C. They had free WiFi and limited bicycles which they let the guests use for free. The lady who owned it was very friendly and even though she had limited English, we were able to communicate. We were able to store our excess luggage there while on our cruise.
Verified Expedia guest review

8/10 Very Good

Puerto Ayora hotel
Overall good experience. Sra. R. was very kind and helpful.
Verified Hoteles.com guest review

8/10 Very Good

small casual hotel,
Hotel is 10- to 15-minute downhill walk to Academy Bay, but you can get a taxi for $1.00 when you want to return. Check in is between 1 and 5 pm, and no one was available at 11:00 am to allow be to leave my suitcase, so I had to keep it with me while I went for lunch.
Verified Expedia guest review

10/10 Exceptional

Like a Fairytale
This place is amazing. The owner is amazing. EVERYTHING was amazing. No but seriously, cool play to stay. Easily the best place on the island, and we looked at a bunch. First, the place is a castle. Initially I couldn't really tell from the pictures on tripadvisor & other sites if the place was nice or a hole in the wall, but upon arrival we were mesmerized. We felt like were staying in a romantic fairytale for the price you'd pay for a night in any other hotel room. The room we stayed in was quite literally like a European castle meets a treehouse, complete with a ladder to a second story with another bed, multiple balconies, a bridge to other parts of the hotel, and 2 extra rooms for we don't even know what (entrance room, luggage room, etc). Ok so that was the nuts and bolts of the place, but the spirit of it was the icing on the cake. The owner was so nice & incredibly accommodating. We let her know that we had a boat that was leaving super early in the morning (6:30am) to Isabella and she woke up early and cooked us an great breakfast and called us a cab that showed up on time. Easily one of the most hospitable places I've stayed, period.
Verified Expedia guest review

10/10 Exceptional

The best Bed and Breakfast ever!
We had just arrived in Ecuador and I wondered about what to expect for hotel accommodations. I was very pleasantly surprised. The family that manages this hotel are wonderful. They speak English very well and provided lots of information to make our stay memorable. We felt very safe with them and the Galápagos Islands overall. We were there 3 nights and we wish we could have stayed a few more days.
Verified Expedia guest review

6/10 Good

Cute but overpriced
The personnel were very helpful. We reached the hotel early at around 10 am and expected that we would need to leave our bags at the front desk, but to our surprise the room was already ready and the lady happily let us check in early. We got a gorgeous looking room and very comfortable, however, the flooring is old especially in the bathroom. The breakfast was minimal, but it was there. Also, the hotel is not very close to the port (where everything happens); the hotel does have cycles that you can use for free for as long as you need, but the area around the hotel does get deserted after dark, although, the area seems safe and there were helpful locals who guided us back to the hotel. I felt that the price of $100 for the night was too expensive given the above. We would have rather looked for a hostel near the port (note that other websites list more places than hotels.com).
Verified Hoteles.com guest review

8/10 Very Good

Charming hotel
Liked this hotel - charming place. Did not like the plumbing system at all, there is no AC and no screens on all windows. Breakfast was pitiful. Hotel was without ele power all night. Staff did not speak any English.
Verified Hoteles.com guest review

6/10 Good

Verified Hoteles.com guest review

6/10 Good

El Castillo Galapagos
We stayed in this hotel for two nights. The manager was very helpful and pleasant. The location of the hotel was far away from the downtown so manager called a taxi for us to get there. The room was big with the beautiful balconies but it was lucking an air-condition or at least a ceiling fan. There were ant nests in the bathroom, so ants were marching all over the place. The breakfast is a joke. The girl told us that if we want scrambled eggs for breakfast we have to cook them - so I did. We went to the Tortuga Bay which is 45 minutes walking distance from the hotel. The Tortuga Bay is a beautiful must- see place.
Verified Hoteles.com guest review

10/10 Exceptional

Verified Hoteles.com guest review

8/10 Very Good

Verified Hoteles.com guest review

2/10 Poor

Not reliable
One week before we were flying to the Galapagos the hotel sent me an email and cancelled our reservation. I had booked three months before. They were helpful in finding us other accommodations but i will never book with them again due to the unreliability.
Verified Expedia guest review

10/10 Exceptional

The building itself was funky in a charming way; the personnel were friendly and helpful. The neighborhood was working class but we felt safe. It was about a 15 minute walk to the harbor. Overall, I would stay here again
Verified Hoteles.com guest review

4/10 Fair

Unexpected Disappointment
When I arrived in Puerto Ayora, finally locating this hotel, the person on duty could not speak English nor could he give me a reason why my Expedia "booked" reservation did not apply. He instead told me to go to another hotel on the island which had a room. Later, a representative from El Castillo came over to my new hotel and explained in English that my booking was not pre-paid. I assume that since this was a Monday night, El Castillo had overbooked the hotel for other people who were going to board their cruise ships the next day.
Verified Expedia guest review