Galapagos Cruise - Central and West Islands in 5 Days aboard The Monserrat (A)

Traveler Reviews

• DW

  Danny5.0•April 2025
  this was a great tour - Omar was especially great! I liked the mix of activities, and mix of guides.
  Traveled in March 2025
• PB

  Patrick4.0•December 2023
  Too short, but that was our fault. They do nickle and dime you to death; $1here, $5 there for all the transport....
  Too short, but that was our fault. They do nickle and dime you to death; $1here, $5 there for all the transport. The location was beautiful, the hotel was good. Guides were nice and helpful. The trip was overall worth it, will most likely go back.Show more
  Traveled in December 2023
• AC

  Amanda5.0•July 2023
  When we arrived in the Galapagos, Johnny, the owner of Natura Gardens welcomed us with a sign. He showed us how to...
  When we arrived in the Galapagos, Johnny, the owner of Natura Gardens welcomed us with a sign. He showed us how to get a bus ticket, rode with us in the boat taxi and then transported us in his vehicle to the hotel. Upon our arrival at the Natura Gardens, Johnny, his family and staff were so welcoming, accommodating and generous. My husband and I were celebrating our Honeymoon. Johnny created the word "LOVE" with rose petals on our bed and made us a romantic candlelit dinner with fresh flowers. We were astonished and overjoyed with his thoughtfulness to make our stay so special. You can feel Johnny's love for his community and excitement for the excursions we participated in. He always asked about our experiences and our thoughts. Johnny knows a lot about the Galapagos and told us a lot about the area. He did a wonderful job giving us our itinerary and what to expect for each activity. The food was excellent and always served in a timely manner. We absolutely recommend the Natura Gardens for your next stay! The staff are so friendly and welcoming, their generosity is unmatched.Show more
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  Traveled in July 2023
  

  Reply from: Via Natura Ecuador

  Dear Amanda, Greetings from Ecuador. Thank you very much for your lovely comments. We are very glad to know you had the life-changing experience and the unforgettable honeymoon that you were looking for and enjoyed your time in the Enchanted Islands. Wishing you all the best and looking forward to hearing from you again sometime in the near future! Sincerely, Ariana.

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  Rachel2.0•November 2022
  Accommodations and food: The hotel was nice enough. It's a little bit far away from everything we did, but...
  Accommodations and food: The hotel was nice enough. It's a little bit far away from everything we did, but transportation was provided so it wasn't a big deal. Hotel was clean and accommodations were adequate. Low water pressure in the shower, and it took about 10 minutes for the water to heat up, but it was adequate. Breakfasts were not very good. We were served stale rolls, a half slice of deli ham, a gooey block of cheese, and cold scrambled eggs every morning. Lunches were delicious and dinners were pretty good. Hospitality: Johnny as a host was... mediocre. He drove us and dropped us off at our excursions, most of which were us joining another group of travelers being led by one of Johnny's friends. Johnny was very much a middleman, just dropping us off with other tour groups that we had no connection to. Johnny spoke no English and communication was a bit difficult. The whole hotel is run by Johnny, his 13-year-old son and two younger children, and another woman in their family who is apparently not Johnny's wife (she runs the kitchen). It's a little bit of a strange dynamic having children serving you your meals. Activities: The tours and activities we went on were wonderful, but too short. We loved seeing the tortoises and lava tunnels, we loved going to Tortuga Bay, and we loved our day on Isabella Island. However, the activities each day ended around 4 PM, and then Johnny dropped us off in Puerto Ayora to "explore the city" until 7:30 each night before picking us up for the 25-minute ride to dinner back at the hotel. The whole "city" is very small and walkable; we got bored looking at the same souvenirs in the same tourist shops after about an hour, but we managed to take our time enough to fill the full 3 hours on our first night. We were surprised and disappointed when Johnny dropped us off in the same spot the second AND third nights. There's nothing to do but buy cheap souvenirs and go to bars, which we don't do, so we were pretty bored. Johnny told us the alternative was just going back and sitting at the hotel, which has no wifi or cell service and very few activities to do. When we only had 3 days in the Galapagos Islands, we were hoping to use more of that time experiencing the islands themselves. We wish there had been more activities/tours included in this package. It was a bit slow paced for us.Show more
  Traveled in October 2022
  

  Reply from: Via Natura Ecuador

  Dear Rachel Thank you for contacting us. We appreciate your sincere and objective comments, as they are the best way to improve the experience for future travelers. Casa Natura is characterized for being a cozy and family-own lodge that disconnects guests from the world, a place where they can relax in the pool or read a book surrounded by nature. I am happy that you loved seeing the giant tortoises, lava tunnels, Tortuga Bay Beach and the tour to Isabela. It is great that you found the tours and activities wonderful, although it is a pity that they were shorter than expected. Unfortunately, all activities in the Galapagos are regulated by the Galapagos National Park, and they have to finish around 4 PM. You probably noticed this, and there is not much we or any other hotel or operator can do about it. Expedition cruises in the Galapagos are a better alternative for active travelers, as they offer two excursions per day. However, they are more expensive than land-based options. Previous guests have always asked Johnny to drive them to town in their free time in order to enjoy local gastronomy, souvenirs, and bars. They also like to share time with locals. However, we understand that not everyone likes the same. We wish you had told Johnny or me about this situation. We could have called you and looked for a solution for you. Johnny was right that the other option was to go back to the hotel and enjoy its swimming pool, play pool, or relax and recover for the following day. As per internet, Casa Natura does its best to offer a reliable internet connection at the hotel, but internet is not stable anywhere in the Galapagos, not even in town. I am sorry about this. Johnny does his best to assist guests with his limited English and tries to make up for it with his desire to assist guests with everything that is possible for him. The program is designed and offered on a shared basis, so Johnny is supposed to drive you to the different locations where you meet a guide. The other option would be to pay for a private tour, but this would be way more expensive, as you probably saw on other tours. Everyone in Galapagos knows each other, and this is why Johnny greeted with the guides that escorted you and the rest of the group to the visitors’ sites. Casa Natura Lodge is a family run hotel, and Johnny’s children enjoy working with customers. One of them likes to sing and has serenaded guests in the past. We are sorry if you felt uncomfortable about them serving you. We will take these comments into consideration for future guests. We will ask them if they feel OK with this. We talked to the operations department, and they confirmed that they purchase bread every morning and the cheese is fresh. However, we already asked them to look for a different supplier. We also told Johnny that they must be more careful with the eggs and any other food served to guests, as they can definitely not be cold. Summarizing, we really appreciate your feedback, and we will use it to improve our guests’ experience. We are also going to be more explicit on Tour Radar that all tours and services are shared and the fact that Casa Natura is a family-run hotel. We are very sorry that the hotel did not match your expectations and hope you were still able to enjoy the Galapagos Islands. Best regards, Ariana Ayala Via Natura’s Experience Designer

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  Heidi5.0•May 2022
  We had a great time! Very personalized service. Johnny and his family made sure everything was good for us. Each day...
  We had a great time! Very personalized service. Johnny and his family made sure everything was good for us. Each day we had awesome excursions and enjoyed every part of our Galapagos trip. Gracias!!Show more
  Traveled in April 2022
  

  Reply from: Via Natura Ecuador

  Dear Heidi, Greetings from Ecuador. Thank you very much for your comments. We are very glad to know you had the life-changing experience that you were looking for and enjoyed your time in the Galapagos. Wishing you all the best and looking forward to hearing from you again. Sincerely, Ariana.

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