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Hotel Mainao

Customer Ratings
This is a Satisfaction Rating based on our own customer feedback

  • Hotel Mainao
  • Hotel Mainao
  • Hotel Mainao
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Mainao is a cheerful Moorish-style mid-range hotel in Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz Island.

This striking white, Moorish style property started life as a family home.  The owners, enthusiastic to welcoming visitors to the Galápagos, have developed the property into a cheerful, family friendly property of 22 guest rooms – some with balcony access -and patios dotted with palms.

The décor is bright and modern, and rooms have shiny tiled floors, air-conditioning and a TV. There’s Wifi, but it is weak and patchy. Upper floors are reached by winding staircases and there is no lift, so if you have an issue with stairs please ask for a ground floor room.

 If you are looking for a place in the lively town of Puerto Ayora the hotel is very well located, just a few minutes’ walk from the centre, with its bars, shops and restaurants, and the waterfront.  There’s a lovely beach in walkable distance too. 

What our clients say

97% of our clients rated their experience with us as Excellent or Good.

  • No-one should consider a Galápagos cruise of less then 8 days. We both had a holiday of a lifetime.

    LF

  • Galapagos was incredible. We loved it. The guides were all excellent and we especially enjoyed having guides with a naturalist qualification.

    LE, Poole

  • The wildlife on the islands (obviously the major reason for the trip) was spectacular and wonderful to experience. I’m please to have made the trip and would certainly recommend the Galápagos to anyone with similar interests and sufficient money.

    PM, Chesterfield

  • A couple of days in the Galapagos when we didn't see any other people. Intimacy of swimming with sealions, turtles & being chased in the water by a flightless cormorant!

    TC, St Albans

  • The attention to environmental concerns on the Galápagos was first rate.  The national park is a pristine environment and every effort is being made to keep it that way.

    PT, Peterborough

  • A truly wonderful and privileged experience!

    RD, Ashford

  • Truly a unique lifetime experience, especially snorkelling for the first time with playful sea lions, sea turtles, penguins, rays and ‘tame’ wildlife.

    SD, Rochester

  • The cabin upgrade was definitely worth the extra money, much more space and good sized windows!
     

    LF, Alderley Edge

  • The Galápagos Islands were out of this world.

    DJ, Chesterfield

  • Galapagos Islands wildlife, guide and boat. To be so close to birds and animals is a privilege and to see such pristine beaches and scenery is lovely.

    SJ, Winchelsea

  • The Galápagos Islands were out of this world.

    DJ, Chesterfield

  • "The Galápagos Islands and the amazing Machu Picchu ruins.  A real once in a lifetime experience."

    MCP Richmond

  • The Galapagos animals, scenery and sea were out of this world, just fabulous

    CH, Epsom

  • Highlights?: Snorkelling with green turtles sea lions and penguins

    PW, Twickenham

  • We loved snorkelling with marine iguanas, turtles, and the lovely playful sealions.

    FM, Manchester

  • The Galápagos Islands were fantastic and beyond our wildest expectations.

    AC

  • It's very difficult to pick out one thing. Seeing the animals everywhere we went was amazing. We fell in love with the sea-lions. I loved the walk up to the view over Pinnacle Rock and then being on the beach by the rock afterwards. Seeing a white tipped shark from the beach was something I never expected.

    NR, Swindon

  • The wildlife on the islands (obviously the major reason for the trip) was spectacular and wonderful to experience. I’m please to have made the trip and would certainly recommend the Galápagos to anyone with similar interests and sufficient money.

    PM, Chesterfield

  • One of us had not snorkelled for a very long time and was hesitant in deep water. Martin the Naturalist on MV Eclipse helped her overcome her fears and enabled her to accompany him resulting in amazing underwater views that she would not have had. The whole trip was memorable for both of us... We just loved the Galapagos.

    AL

  • The most memorable experiences were walking in woodland with wild giant tortoise grazing in clearings, watching wild land iguanas amble through long grasses, peering at eye level into the nests of red footed boobies, watching penguins and sea lions hunting fish whilst snorkelling, and as a finale, watching huge sharks circling in the boat lights during our final evening meal.

    JW, Newcastle

  • The Galápagos was so amazing - we were not at all disappointed even though we had looked forward to it so much. Every part of our cruise was special, and we loved the Athala and her itinerary.

    RJ, Kenilworth

  • Highlight?: Probably a sea lion playing underneath me and showing off whilst I was snorkelling.  Beautiful.  

    DD, Uxbridge

  • A truly unique place on earth.

    KS, Southampton

  • The Galapagos tour was our highlight because of the proximity and abundance of the wildlife.

    AB, St Neots

  • This was our holiday of a lifetime fulfilling a long held desire to visit the Galápagos Islands, and it lived up to all our expectations.

    SH, Aylesbury

  • The Galápagos Islands are a wonderland. If I say that of all places I have visited in the world only the Grand Canyon is their equal in impact and living up to expectation you will have an idea of how they affected both of us.

    DW Lingfield

  • The Galápagos were above expectation – the best thing we have done.

    DL, Dulwich

  • The highlight was always going to be the Galápagos and it lived up to our expectations. It is a unique place and unlike our last visit we came away with hundreds of photographs to remind us of the trip.

    NW, Wells

  • Snorkelling with penguins, turtles, sea lions and marine iguanas. Unbeatable.

    DJ, Saltash

  • Wonderful experience

    Isolation on the Islands a feeling of being in the Galapagos by invitation of the inhabitants - the wildlife. A truly wonderful and privileged experience.

    SD, Rochester
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Tailor made holiday

Our specialists have been expertly crafting award-winning tailor-made holidays to Latin America for 40 years. We would be delighted to create a truly personalised trip which perfectly matches your wishes and requirements.

Hannah Donaldson
Hannah Donaldson - Travel Expert

Having spent part of her childhood in Colombia and worked in Brazil and Costa Rica, Hannah's ties to Latin America run deep. Hannah is a much valued Travel Expert in our Tailor-made Holidays and Group Tours sales team.

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Real Latin America Experts

  • Ben Line
    Ben Line - Travel Expert

    Ben fell in love with Latin America on a six month backpacking trip from Colombia to Mexico in 1995. Since then he has explored most of South America, including living in Peru for a year. He is now Head of Sales.

  • Chris Rendell Dunn
    Chris Rendell-Dunn - Travel Expert

    Anglo-Peruvian Chris grew up in Lima and spent much of his adult life in between London and Cusco as a tour leader, before settling permanently in our London-based Tailor-made and Group Tours sales team.

  • Kathryn Rhodes
    Kathryn Rhodes - Travel Expert

    Kathryn backpacked across Argentina, Chile, Bolivia and Peru before joining us. She has a degree in Philosophy and French and is a keen netball player.

  • Hannah Donaldson
    Hannah Donaldson - Travel Expert

    Having spent part of her childhood in Colombia and worked in Brazil and Costa Rica, Hannah's ties to Latin America run deep. Hannah is a much valued Travel Expert in our Tailor-made Holidays and Group Tours sales team.

  • Sophie Barber
    Sophie Barber - Travel Expert

    Sophie lived in Chile before joining us and has travelled extensively across Latin America, from Mexico to the furthest tip of Patagonia and beyond to Antarctica.

  • Lina Fuller
    Lina Fuller - Travel Expert

    Lina's passion for the continent where she was born really took off when she moved to Córdoba (Argentina) to study, spending the holidays travelling between Argentina and her native Colombia.

Meet the team