Brattle Hospedaje

It's close to all the local fun, and the prices are great. The staff are super kind and accommodating. Nothing fancy, but there's a kitchen, drinking water, a TV, and at least one fan in each room. Air conditioning costs extra. A cute, friendly cat wanders around, and you can let it if you want.

The owners are an older couple, and they couldn't have been nicer. When our gas ran out, they let us boil water in their kitchen and still replaced it right away. They even made an exception to refund part of our money when a family emergency meant we had to leave the island. That's unusually honest, especially in Ecuador, where it can feel like everyone is trying to nickel and dime you. The rooms have everything we needed: A/C, hot water, clean rooms, a kitchen, and a view. It's a classic Mom and Pop Hostal, and the price is great. The furniture is teak, which explains the 'smell' mentioned in some other reviews. We found it clean and in a safe, quiet area. Its location near the pier is hard to beat for the price, since the skiff taxis and tour boats all leave from there. The hostal is a few blocks from the restaurant scene in Puerto Ayora, on the same street as a good tour agency and a cyber cafe. The agency is on the corner with the tortoise statue out front. Ask for Dona Julia, she's the best. For more reasonable, authentic food, walk a little farther north, then turn left at the city market with all the produce, away from the overpriced gringo restaurants. You're likely to head out early to see the Galapagos islands, so you may not spend much time in a hotel room. The owner even has an old air raid siren installed for emergencies, with a switch to turn it on. We didn't use it, but accidentally activated it while looking for the light switch. That thing would scare off any intruder, and you can hear it all over the island! Please choose this as your vacation spot and pay cash to help them out. And say hello to Santiago, their kitty cat. He's often in the reception office or chasing Galapagos' night herons by the front door.

The managers seemed like nice people, but they were never around. Most rooms don't have windows to the outside, just windows onto the corridor. The place didn't feel welcoming, and the kitchen was terribly dirty.

It was a cheap, low budget hostel in a good location, and the staff were nice. The building being old didn't bother us, but the place wasn't very clean. We also let a very nice cat into our room and cuddled with it.