This article was contributed by reader Hongyu. If you’re also interested in submitting a post, you can contact [email protected] or our assistant on WeChat (ID: uscard101).

About the Galápagos Islands

I had been thinking about taking a cruise for a long time, mainly because I had never been on one before and really wanted to experience it. I looked at a lot of different cruise lines, such as Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Disney, and others. I also looked at some smaller ships like Windstar and Ritz Carlton Yacht (too expensive, so I gave up on that). I was very tempted by a 7-day Windstar itinerary, but I never pulled the trigger, because I always felt that cruises were mostly about lounging on the ship, with limited time to actually go out and explore. Also, my last trip was to the Maldives, where every day was so comfortable and relaxing. This time I wanted something different.

By chance, I came across a cruise that cost $10,000 per person. Obviously, that was out of my budget, but it made me curious. Other than Antarctica, where else in the world could a cruise be that expensive? After looking into it, I found that it was for a South American island chain called Galapagos, located west of Ecuador. I researched further and realized that this was the place Darwin had once visited. If you studied biology in middle school or high school, you may remember this classic example:

So this was the very island group Darwin visited during his voyage around the world.

The Galápagos Islands were formed by volcanic activity, eventually creating the islands shown below.

Darwin observed a huge variety of living creatures on these islands. He wondered how islands located so close to each other could have such major differences in species, and how each species had adapted to its own local environment. The most famous example is probably Darwin’s finches, whose beaks evolved into many different shapes. Inspired by these observations, he eventually wrote the famous On the Origin of Species. At the time, a British governor reportedly commented that “Darwin could tell which island a tortoise came from just by looking at its appearance.”

I kept researching the islands and realized they were completely different from the usual Caribbean resort islands. People come here mainly for the natural ecosystem. There are no five-star beach resorts, no Marriott, and certainly no Ritz-Carlton. Most accommodations are local guesthouses and inns. And honestly, that was exactly the kind of adventure I wanted. I’d already done the laid-back luxury resort trip before, and this time I wanted something different, so I decided to come here for an adventure.

Then, by accident, I discovered that a brand-new Hotel Indigo had just opened here, and I couldn’t find any reviews at all. That’s probably because this island is much less popular than Cancun and other Caribbean islands, not to mention that the hotel itself was newly opened. Suddenly I felt like this would make for a pretty great bragging-rights trip, so I had to do it. I decisively gave up on the cruise idea and figured that while I’m still young, I should get out more and go on more adventures. I can save the fully relaxing, do-nothing trips for when I’m older.

[Visa information] A quick note here: if you hold a Chinese passport, Ecuador is visa-free.

On August 18, the Agreement Between the Government of the People’s Republic of China and the Government of the Republic of Ecuador on Mutual Visa Exemption for Holders of Ordinary Passports officially took effect. After the agreement came into force, Chinese citizens traveling to Ecuador for tourism or non-profit activities no longer need to apply for a visa in advance, as long as their cumulative stay does not exceed 90 days within a one-year period, counted from the date of first entry into Ecuador through the date of final departure.

Quick Hotel Overview

The hotel is located on San Cristobal Island in the Galápagos. It’s the capital city of the island group, though not the busiest island. The hotel has a total of 35 rooms and only three floors. It seems that the third floor was not yet open for guests at the time. The property began a soft opening in December of last year, and the official opening ceremony was held just a few days before I arrived, which I unfortunately missed.

For the location, see Google Maps:

How I Booked

I haven’t really played the IHG game much. A long time ago, I think I had Platinum status, but after not using it for several years, I dropped to Gold. Rates at this hotel generally started at over $600 per night. Even though this isn’t exactly a super-popular Caribbean resort island, the hotel was definitely not cheap. Award pricing was a little over 90,000 points per night.

I had a bit over 70,000 IHG points sitting unused, and I figured I might as well burn them here. Two nights would cost around 180,000 points, and IHG happened to be running a points sale, so I bought another 110,000 points for about $550, as shown below:

In the end, I spent $550 total for two nights, which was much cheaper than booking with cash. Paying cash would have been about $1,400 total after tax for two nights. Even better local guesthouses were around $300 per night.

Room and Check-in

On the afternoon of March 11, I first flew JetBlue from New York JFK to Guayaquil (a city in Ecuador), stayed one night at the Sheraton by the airport, and got upgraded to a suite that was much bigger than what you’d usually get in the U.S. The next morning, I took a little over a one-hour LATAM flight to San Cristobal, the island where Hotel Indigo is located. From there, it was just a few minutes by taxi to the hotel, and the ride cost $5. Really cheap.

My first impression of the hotel was that it looked exactly like the photos—very modern and minimalist, and honestly a bit out of place compared with the surrounding buildings.

After entering the lobby to check in, champagne was served right away.

▲ It felt like Moet champagne, which was already a pretty thoughtful touch. In my book, any champagne that costs over $50 at the supermarket counts as thoughtful. If it’s under $50, honestly you might as well not serve it at all (@ St. Regis Maldives).

Then the actual check-in started. I chatted with the front desk for a bit and asked whether a suite upgrade was possible. The front desk said it was unavailable, which I suspect really meant they just didn’t want to give it to me. They said they’d check again later to see whether they could move me. A little while later, the manager also came over to greet me, and I brought up the suite upgrade request again. I mentioned that I knew the hotel was newly opened and that I’d be happy to leave a five-star review. The manager also said they’d take another look, but I figured it probably wasn’t happening. In the end, I was given a partial ocean front room—not even a full ocean front room. I’m guessing that because this was a points stay and I only had Gold status, I didn’t get much of anything in terms of elite treatment. I told myself it was fine, since this trip wasn’t really about the hotel anyway. The manager personally escorted me to my room. Take a look:

▲ The room was very new, with a modern minimalist design. On the wall was one of the Galápagos icons: the blue-footed booby.

▲ The balcony. I really liked the texture of the wood here—too bad I didn’t line up the chairs neatly before taking the photo.

▲ View from the balcony

▲ The bathroom wasn’t very large—really only enough space for one person to brush their teeth at a time.

▲ Smart wireless charging

▲ Smart touchscreen A/C control panel

Dining

I really didn’t expect much from the dining at a hotel like this. After all, this is the only upscale international chain hotel on the island. There is also a Hilton Curio Collection on another island, but aside from those two, that’s basically it. I assumed the food at a hotel like this would be expensive and mediocre, but it was actually the exact opposite. It was genuinely affordable and delicious, and I highly recommend it.

First, here’s the dining setting.

▲ Darwin’s statue is right below

Time to eat.

▲ Better than Alba, the lunch restaurant at the St. Regis Maldives. Seriously. The fish was very tender, and the sauce had great flavor, and it was only in the low $20s.

▲ Seafood paella

▲ The menu was only two pages long, so there weren’t many options, but every item from the Grill section was excellent.

The next morning we came back for breakfast. There were only three choices: continental, American, and eggs Benedict. We ordered the latter two, and the quality was on par with the St. Regis Maldives, definitely better than an Indigo in the U.S.

▲ My omelet

▲ My girlfriend’s eggs Benedict

▲ One more shot with the lush green scenery

It seemed to be around $16 per person, and coffee and juice refills were free. For coffee, you could get a cappuccino or espresso.

On the second night, after scuba diving, we were pretty tired, so we just ordered room service.

▲ The beef was excellent, honestly as good as steak I’ve had elsewhere. I loved that fish so much that I ordered it every time.

Public Facilities

The hotel has a pool, gym, and meeting rooms, but I only took photos of the pool.

▲ A sneaky telephoto shot of a buff guy by the pool

▲ The view is absolutely unbeatable, and there were lots of sea lions below too!

▲ Table and chairs in the hallway outside the room, maybe for a shared suite?

▲ Not sure what this platform is for, but it definitely looks different from the surrounding architecture

▲ Hallway

Things To Do Nearby

Sea lions sunning themselves on the roads are everywhere!

Pale Darwin

This island isn’t very big, and there are lots of tour agencies around where you can book a day tour. If you have a diving certification, you can go to Kicker Rock and see schools of hammerhead sharks. I don’t have a diving certification, so I didn’t go, which was a shame. Here’s a photo from the internet:

I only did PADI’s Discover scuba diving, so I went down to about five meters underwater, but I still saw plenty of interesting marine life.

Summary

The rooms were very new, and the hotel didn’t have many guest rooms, so you hardly ever saw other guests. To me, the dining was the standout: delicious and affordable. Even if you’re not staying at this hotel, I’d still recommend eating at the restaurant if you visit this island. Some parts of the service could use improvement, though. For example, a housekeeper walked in without knocking while I was changing, and the manager said he would let me know later whether a room upgrade could be arranged, but then never followed up.

The main reason to come to this island is really for the outdoor activities, like snorkeling, diving, hiking, and taking boats to other uninhabited islands to see wildlife, rather than staying at a resort and just relaxing there. If you’re looking for a classic beach-vacation destination, the Caribbean islands are definitely a better choice. Most days I was up by 7 or 8 a.m. to head out for a tour. There’s basically only one road on the island, and you can cover most of the attractions there in one day. To get to more places, you have to go by boat, so booking tours is basically necessary, otherwise you simply can’t get there. As I mentioned at the beginning, many people say a cruise is a better option because you stay on the ship and can visit many different places without backtracking, which is more efficient. The problem is that cruises or yachts in this area are really, really expensive. At the low end, it’s about $1,500-2,000 per person for seven days and eight nights, and that’s for a pretty rundown boat with bunk beds. For something luxurious, you’re looking at $4,000-10,000 per person, although sometimes there may be a last minute deal.

▲ These are all yachts, the kind you can stay overnight on

▲ There weren’t many large cruise ships, but I did spot one Celebrity and one Silversea. I’m guessing the people onboard were serious high rollers.

Finally, here are some of the island’s best-known wild animals

About the Author

If you're interested, feel free to follow the author, Hongyu, on Instagram or Xiaohongshu to chat about travel.