Hotel Wittmer

The best draw of the hotel is its location: right on the Playa Negra where we saw sea lions and even sea turtles resting in the sand. The sunsets can be amazing and the hammock on the balcony offers a prime location to enjoy them. We slept really well on the comfortable mattress. The hot water is gas-powered so we had to ask the owner to change the gas tank to enjoy very hot showers with the pure water of the island (one of just two islands to have fresh water in Galapagos, the other one being San Cristobal). The owner gave us several fruit from their farm: delicious!

I loved staying at the Hotel Wittmer. Erika Wittmer was a welcoming hostess, and my room was clean and comfortable with a wonderful sea view, snorkelling from right outside with turtles, and marine iguanas all over the place. Floreana has a fascinating history and there is an interesting little museum at the hotel. I was with a tour group, so our meals were at a nearby local restaurant, and were very good. I don't recognise some of the other descriptions here.

After having read Margret Wittmer's book about their life on Floreana in the first half of the 20th century, I was thrilled to find out that her daughter and granddaughter are still running this hotel. I loved lying in the hammock on the balcony of our upstairs room with views of the ocean, little beach and visiting sea lions. Erica Wittmer was a delight to chat with. Since we were nearly the only guests, they were taking a break from cooking for guests, but helped with explaining the restaurant roster among the other restaurants in this little village. Sampling them was also a lot of fun. While this island is very quiet, it still has a lot to offer. We particularly liked exploring the area where the Wittmers had first settled and found an amazing little mangrove cave on the way to the loboría, where we spent several hours reading in the public hammocks. Margret Wittmer's book can still be bought in the little souvenir shop run by Hotel Wittmer.

They just made a movie called Eden about the family who settled there and built the hotel. It was a fight between 3 families on the island. Crazy story.

The Wittmer Lodge is in a fantastic location on Floreana, within easy walking distance of the dock and a great beach in front to snorkel from. The food here was very good but the rooms really need to be updated. There was also a lot of loud music being played nearby during the day which spoilt the atmosphere. Beware of the local dogs, one of our party was bitten.

The balconies face the waves, on a gorgeous black sand beach. Snorkeling there is a dream, with sea turtles, and so much more. In the main part of the village, marine iguanas bask in the street as well as upon volcanic rocks at the water's edge, and lazy sea lions lounge all over. Loved the food, the setting, and the Wittmers. If I had brought my copy of "Floreana" (great read!), they would have autographed it for me! Rats. Next time!

Loved the experience. Pool was perfectly heated and dogs were nice.

Staying with Erika and her mother was one of the best most memorable moments of my life. I long to return some day.|I loved Floreana and the home cooked breakfast and dinner was so delicious. God bless these lovely people.