Ecuador and Galapagos (February 2011)

My spouse and I traveled to Ecuador in mid-February of 2011. We flew to Quito, where we checked into the JW Marriott. We ate our first dinner at the hotel bar. The following day, we joined our tour group (yes, we had to take an organized tour through the cruise line; we tried to avoid a cruise, but it just was not possible to visit many islands without the smalls ship.) Our group visited the cathedral in Quito, followed by the Equator monument, and lunch in a local restaurant. We ate dinner again in the hotel bar rather than with the group. The following day, we boarded our short commuter flight to the Galapagos, where we boarded the Celebrity Expedition. Because we booked our package somewhat late, there were only suites left available on the small ship (92 passenger, with only 46 cabins, about 9 of which were suites). Although small, the ship was well-appointed, and we enjoyed our time. The cruise was amazing to see so many animals unafraid of humans and such varied landscape. After cruising for 7 days, we returned to Quito for the night, where we again dined in the hotel restaurant ourselves rather than joining our group. (It was a Sunday night, and they could not serve alcohol at the bar, although oddly, we were able to order some beers from room service.) What an amazing trip - second only to our East African safari in 2007!

 

Hotel/Ship:

JW Marriott Quito Link to my review

Celebrity Xpedition Link to my review

 

Restaurants:

• Hernan Café Link to my review
• The Rock Link to my review