Hostal Sir Francis Drake

I had a comfortable night here, with the A/C and Wi-Fi both working well. Staff helped me arrange a bus. The hotel is right beside “restaurant row,” a street full of dining choices mostly aimed at tourists. There's an upstairs lounge overlooking the street that would be a nice place to meet friends. One nuisance was the motion-sensor hall light shining through the top windows, along with some noise when people walked by. It got quiet after 10:00, so it wasn't too much of a problem.

There are lots of food options right outside the lobby, and we could walk to the docks, the Darwin Center and Tortuga Bay. The location can't be beat. The owner was so kind and went out of her way to accommodate us. Our rooms were clean and kept up during the stay. This was a perfect home base for our Galapagos adventure, and I can't recommend it enough.

Fanny was really kind and helpful. She got us hot water taxi tickets to San Cristobal for $5 under the going price. Our clean room and bathroom, #15, were at the back, so it was quiet and had a peaceful view. There's a nice coffee shop/cafe next door for breakfast and other things, though the hotel also offers breakfast, which we didn't choose. It takes about five minutes to walk to the malecon. We also stayed at Hotel North Seymour, but liked this one slightly more and would come back. We paid $40 without breakfast. In the US, the room was comparable to a Comfort Inn. Cleanliness matters most to us, and on that point we'd give it a 5.

The rooms were clean and had A/C, and some have balconies. I'd highly recommend one of those rooms for watching the sunset with a coffee. I've stayed here several times, and it's never disappointed me. One of the best budget hotels on the island, with a great, welcoming staff.