Montemar - Galapagos Eco Luxury Villas for Groups & Families

A dilemma that I encountered when planning a trip to the Galapagos is whether to visit by yacht or stay on land. After much research, I finally decided that for my family with 5 adults and three children, 10, 12, and 17, Montemar Villas would be my choice. I was so happy with this decision! Roberto and Reyna provided an experience that was perfect for my family. They took care of our every need. Their knowledge of the archipelago goes back decades. Their story about life on Santa Cruz was fascinating! Living among the tortoises on their property was a remarkable! The accommodations at the villa were first class-so comfortable. Every detail was attended to. The chef, the mixologist, and the attendant-all perfection. I feared that we would not experience as much as being on a yacht. That turned out not to be the case! Each day trip was perfectly planned and went seamlessly. We saw all the endemic animals and plants, went to many islands, and hiked, biked, kayaked, swam, snorkeled, scuba dove all at our own pace with three generations in tow. The tour guide who accompanied us for the entire week was highly qualified, extremely knowledgeable, and delightful. Every day was an exciting, magical adventure. It was more than we could have ever dreamed of and our down time at the villa was in an intimate, spacious, luxurious setting amongst the tortoises and horses! |I cannot recommend Montemar enough and wish every family could have the experience we had in such an incredible part of the world. It was most certainly the trip of a lifetime!

From the very beginning to very last minute of our visit logistics part of the trip was impeccable. We were greeted at the hotel in Quito taken to the airport where help was at every step thru the customs and passport control. |When we arrived at the Seymour Airport again we were greeted by Montemar personnel. And then we met Louis. THE ABSOLUTELY BEST GUIDE EVER! I mean ever! Charismatic charming so knowledgeable not just about Galápagos Islands but life in general. We were delighted to spend time with him for the next five fabulous days in the islands.|When we arrived to Montemar Villas what a wonderful world opened to us. Beautiful accommodations, giant tortoises all around organic gardens avocado and star fruit orchards.|Louis took us to the Montemar to meet Reyna and Roberto, owners of the villas. We were greeted by Juan our personal chef who during the stay made amazing Ecuadorian dishes from farm-to-table. Mixologist Tiffany made delicious cocktails and Karolina a great |helper with assisting just about |anything else.|So I did write a “few” words about our experience in the Galápagos. Maybe little bit too long. Exited. Here is a short version.|Over 35+ years we traveled to four continents and over 50 countries. Flew many airlines and stayed in hundreds of hotels. MONTEMAR WAS THE BEST MOST WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE WE EVER HAD! No doubt about. With so many charming, warm and amazing people. It is extraordinary place to stay. Thank you so much to Reyna and Roberto. Life is beautiful!

I can’t say enough good things about Montemar, but most especially Reyna and Roberto who built it. Montemar is a project of love and that comes through in everything about it. They had a dream about supporting the local community, the environment, and the giant tortoises and built Montemar to do that. You get to stay in a beautiful house, with expansive views across Santa Cruz, crafted from local materials and surrounded by Giant Tortoises. Reyna will lead you in morning yoga. They will bring in local experts and experts to join your dinner. They grow most of their produce in a garden a stone’s throw from the house. The staff cater to everything you need and make the most amazing food. Our days were customized to exactly what we wanted better than we could have articulated. One member of our group had some trouble walking and they went above and beyond to enable him to see as much of the Galapagos as possible and be included and comfortable. We had the trip of a lifetime. I cannot recommend Montemar highly enough. It is a truly special place.

My wife, daughter and son-in-law spent 4 nights at Montemar recently and it was a fabulous stay. Reyna and Roberto are the most gracious hosts and readily available to assist in whatever way is needed. Reyna gave us the initial tour of the large villa, the garden from which much of the meals are provided, and the areas where the giant tortoises frequent and the horses pasture. The chef, Juan, and the wait staff are exceptional. The meals were delicious and the presentation meticulous. Personally I enjoyed getting up early in the morning and watch the morning reveal itself through the sounds and movements of the animals on the property. We also enjoyed feeding bananas to the horses in the morning and at the close of the day. Being from the Northern Hemisphere it was a real treat to star gaze in the evenings at Southern Hemisphere constellations including the Southern Cross, Ursa Major, Sagittarius and many others. Montemar is a unique place to stay and worth every penny!

Wow - it’s really hard to capture in words how amazing this place is. We travel a lot and this is perhaps the best place I have ever stayed. I really wish we could have stayed longer. Where to begin? The accommodations are faultless. The decor, the cleanliness, the feeling you have when you’re there. We had a private chef and (again, this may sound like I’m exaggerating - I am not) every single meal was like we were in a Michelin starred restaurant. My two kids (aged 13 and 9) loved all of it. The place is spotless and extremely comfortable and relaxing. The service was 10/10, without fail. ||Those are the basics: then you think about relaxing on your patio and watching scores of giant tortoises walk by, or horses, or any number of birds. You can even see the ocean! I am a person who can have trouble relaxing, and I also tend to get bored easily: neither of those are a problem here.||The owners somehow manage to make you feel like actual family without being at all intrusive. We really enjoyed all of our time with them and they are very caring people, not to mention impressively innovative and inspiring with their eco-farming operation. The attention to detail here is just incredible. For example, upon arrival my daughter’s bed had an amazing handmade Blue-Footed Booby stuffed animal toy on it for her. It is her favorite souvenir of our entire trip. K||I have already recommended this place to lots of my friends. Once they see my photos, I don’t have to do much talking. I am serious when I say I think we will have to come back for another visit. It was that good. I do not have one single negative word or suggestion to offer. ||We used our time here as a base to do various day trips, both in Santa Cruz but also other islands. It was really so fun to do all of these amazing adventures during the day and come back home to this oasis of luxury. There are lots of ways to visit the Galapagos, but I was really happy we chose to do it this way. I can’t thank the owners and staff enough for making our time at Montemar so special.

Had the most amazing stay at the Montemar Eco Luxury Villas during a recent yoga retreat. The house is so beautiful, the views are stunning and the food was out of this world. The fresh produce from the garden and the coffee was outstanding. |I loved seeing the tortoises everyday!|And Reyna and Roberto were the most gracious hosts. |It is a very special place and I cannot recommend enough.

An extraordinary experience. Rayna and Roberto have created an ecological sanctuary filled with giant tortoise, farm to table cuisine, personalized catering to its finest. The chef was amazing, the staff gracious, friendly and always available. They performed a spiritual bonding pre our wedding. Moved my heart forever. This is a must see for those lucky enough to visit.

One word: MAGICAL. Everything about the MonteMar experience was filled with love, attention to detail and magic. Not only are Reyna and Roberto some of the absolute loveliest and most inspirational people I’ve ever met but the property is remarkable, the accommodation is absolute luxury, the experiences are curated meticulously and the staff feels like the family you’ve always dreamt of! Juanito’s food is exquisite - a beautiful cultural and culinary journey. There is an immense amount of education from Reyna and Roberto and everyone you encounter, I am grateful for my new perspective on such a special special place. Seeing the Galapagos through the lens of the MonteMar experience has been the gift of a lifetime and I will absolutely be going back. Thank you MonteMar family!! Besos!