Hotels near General Villamil Airport - IBB, Puerto Villamil

Nice place, really relaxing. Not too many good options to go out for dinner and the nice restaurants are quite expensive. But this is the rule in Galapagos. If you don't have much money, I would not recommend to stay many nights here, because the day trips are hugely expensive and there is not many free options otherwise staying in the central beach.

Puerto Villamil is small but welcoming and very beautiful with great opportunities for snorkeling, walking, biking, swimming, kayaking etc. Most restaurants seem to serve "pizza" for tourists, but it's possible to avoid that for more traditional and delicious fare. The local beer is good, the people are friendly and it's well worth the effort to visit. The wildlife is spread around the island, but you can experience an incredible variety in the near vicinity - flamingos, penguins, sea lions, manta rays, sea horses, turtles, tortoises, iguanas, lava lizards, blue-footed/nazca boobies and other incredible sea birds, sharks and colourful fishes, I can't wait to go back :)

The laid-back beach town vibes here are so much different than Puerto Ayora and Puerto Baquerizo Moreno on the other islands. We loved the relaxing atmosphere and I wish we'd planned this stop toward the end of the trip instead of right at the beginning. Make sure you do a trip to Los Tuneles while you're there - the scenery is fantastic and it was the best snorkeling we had on our week in the islands.

Isabela is a backpacker's destination with very poor infrastructure and low level restaurants. And it's extremely expensive for a European, especially if you come from a non Euro-country given the appreciation of the USD. We struggled to find a decent restaurant and it turned out that the Mexican was the best (full every night). To give you an example of cost, a main course was between USD19-30 which in eg Spain would have been aprox USD8. Price/quality ratio is among the worst we've experienced. Ecuador, especially the islands, is a cash only-no receipt-economy with the purpose of squeezing the last dollar out of the tourists. We left with few intentions of returning which is a shame given the amazing animals and nature. People are mostly very friendly and helpful which was a nice.

We enjoyed traveling beyond Santa Cruz Island for a few nights, just to experience the "vibe" of a different island. The town of Puerto Villamil is relaxed, very friendly and a charming beach town. Most of the area is walkable, though taxis were very cheap (less than $5).

We enjoyed Isabel Island the most of the three Islands we stayed at. Fantastic wildlife. The sunrises and sunsets, long beach walks, Los Tunnels Tour, bike rental, trails, tortoise natural reserve, plenty of shops for fresh fish and produce, plenty of restaurants with delicious food, panaderias with baked goods and early morning coffee. Awesome locals that were very friendly and helpful. Exceeded all our expectations.