La Fortaleza de Haro

I stayed in the Sun and Moon (Tower) suite. Very unusual and distinctive, with two patios (three, if you are brave enough to climb the outside ladder to the top tower (I was not)). Scrupulously clean, good hot water, everything worked. Other positives: good strong modern air conditioning (which helped in 32 degree weather with 80% humidity!) ... a good breakfast (local fruit +eggs + bread + coffee) included in the price ... Host Gianna is exceptionally knowledgeable and helpful, arranging a private taxi tour of the Tortoise reserve (at half the Viator price!) and offering to arrange a discounted taxi to the airport ... well maintained swimming pool (again, 32 degrees!) ... easy walking distance to Darwin Centre and Tortoise Tour (Lonesome George!) Negatives (mostly nits): internet is not strong anywhere in the Galapagos, and Fortaleza is no exception. Had to leave room and come to common area for stronger signal ... Fortaleza is not right downtown, but only a 10-15 minute walk from the port. This is both a positive and a negative, as you are out of the late-night noise (though Puerto Ayora's nightlife was not that crazy when I was there On the whole, highly recommended (particularly the Tower Suite)

Fortaleza de Haro is a lovely place to stay if you want somewhere to relax by the pool in the afternoons. It's around a 10 minute walk to the front and Giana and Roberto were kind and responsive hosts.

La Fortaleza de Haro is a fantastic place to stay! It was clean, within walking distance to town, had a wonderful breakfast every morning, and is owned by the friendliest and most welcoming people, Roberto and Gianna. The hotel is right next to the national park (Charles Darwin Research Center), so it’s very quiet and a relaxing place to hang out.

We had a wonderful stay with Roberto and Gianna at their custom designed castle. Our 6- and 8-year old boys loved that we were staying in a castle, especially since we were in the Tower Room with the rooftop sitting area and legitimate tower that we could climb up to for an amazing view of the island. The climb up the tower was a little nerve-wracking but the view was well worth it! The main room wasn't huge, but fit our family of 4 just fine. The additional outdoor room and the rooftop sitting area made it seem like plenty of space for the 5 nights were were there. It was nice starting the day with the home-cooked breakfast and Roberto and Gianna gave us some helpful suggestions on restaurants, laundry, areas to visit, and other things to do. We could have even booked a tour through them if we needed to. They also made the good suggestion to visit El Ranch on the way to the airport on our last day, arranging a ride there and for the driver to stay there while we walked around, and to then take us the rest of the way to the airport. The location was good even though it wasn't right in the downtown area. One end of downtown was only a 5-7 minute walk, with a few restaurants, a pharmacy, laundry, a playground, and basketball courts in between. The Charles Darwin Station and beach was only a 10-15 walk as well. When -- not if -- we come back, it will be hard to talk our kids out of staying anywhere else.

Fantastic experience, what it feels like being a guest rather than a customer. The owners are obviously living a dream, staying at the Fort made me and my two young boys ride along for a few days. Thank you!

Rooms were basic but clean. What stood out for us for us was the amazing host (Jana) who did everything to make sure our stay was as enjoyable as possible (helped us plan an itinerary on arrival, gave us suncream guests had left in the room, organised taxis, etc). Breakfast was great too. We really liked the location, very close to town but also far enough out to have some peace and quiet. Thanks for an amazing stay!