Katarma — Hotel in Parroquia Puerto Baquerizo Moreno

This petite hotel is AMAZING! David, the owner is very friendly and helpful. He designed this piece of property that is art within art within artwork (difficult to articulate how cool it is). Louise, who did everything with a smile from cooking delicious made-to-order breakfasts to keeping everything sparkling clean and helping with extra linens, etc. made our stay that much nicer!||||Just so you know, the fabulous artwork created by David is not for sale...I asked him day after day if I could buy things right off the walls and take them home - they were all so unique, colorful and complicated.||||#1 on our bucket list was going to The Galapagos. Rather than taking a frantic cruise to a bunch of islands, we decided to take the advice of a Galapagos marine biologist we met in another part of the world and decided to stay on an island. You can take additional trips from San Cristobal. But, in the end, because of the incredible biodiversity at different levels of the island, we saw all that we wanted to there. ||||The hotel (with true apartments, I didn't quite understand that before we arrived - it's a true apartment in which you stay) is 3 blocks from the beach (our room had a slice of a view of the ocean). Every evening we'd go to the dock and public areas where locals were putting on dance performances along the street, enjoying the evening air o hanging out with the sea lions as they lollygagged everywhere. Delightful little outdoor restaurants (note that these folks really do take siestas, so don't plan to eat lunch between 1:00 and 3:00). and wonderful ice cream shops everywhere. ||||The scuba diving was magnificent at Kicker Rock and this is the island to stay to get the most out of that dive area.||||We loved...

Book it. It's a very close walk to downtown, takes perhaps 4-5 minutes. Cabs are $2-3 each way if you want. Coffee is ready at 5 am for early risers. Breakfast is simple, but has what you need. They also usually open early if you have an early tour. You can always ask and they will give you bananas for your room. There is a bakery a block away with incredible croissants, cinnamon rolls and chocolate danishes for 75 cents each if you want to stock up extra for an early outing. There is a grocery store with reasonable prices right across the street. Tip-grab some Gouda at the store across the street and give to them at breakfast to add to your omelet! (They don't provide cheese.) The pool is more than satisfactory and has sun during the day. The hotel itself is clean, organized, they will store your luggage before and after your stay, even for a week if you are on a liveaboard. We checked out several other hotel/ airbnb pools and this one is just as nice as any of the rest except for Indigo which is $450 plus per night. This is a no-brainer. I will stay again when I visit in another year or two. You will definitely want to come back to the...

If you want to stay at a very environmentally conscious place, and you like modern art, this is the place. David and Andres are a father-son team, who built this place from love and from their goal to educate people about natural conservation in the Galapagos. The place is very Gaudi-esque with mosaic sculptures done by Andres, and it is decked out in Surrealist art (David's) and abstract paintings (Andres'). The theme is manmals of Galapagos, for they are very involved with the politics of the island and really push fo the protection of the animals and the magical plac they live. I loved talking to both of them and learned so much about the Galapagos that would otherwise not have been available.

The hotel is located walking distance to all the restaurants and the beaches. You can go snorkeling with the sea lions and turtles at Playa Mann and Tijeretas. If you want breakfast in the morning, they will be sure to arrange the perfect time for you, even if it is earlier than the assigned time. It's very kitschy and interesting to stay in this eco hotel! Bring...