I recently experienced one of my best lodging stays ever at Royal Palm Galapagos, Curio Collection Hotel by Hilton in the Galápagos Islands of Ecuador. The initial publication of this article primarily covers the lodging aspect itself.
One of My Best Lodging Stays Ever: Royal Palm Galapagos, Curio Collection Hotel by Hilton. Hotel Review.
The experience initially did not start off well: upon arrival at the ferry terminal on Santa Cruz Island, nowhere was the transportation that was provided by the hotel property in sight. After waiting approximately ten minutes, we attempted to call a taxi service, as most of the taxi cabs and buses that were already at the ferry terminal provide service to Puerto Ayora at the southern coast of the island, which is approximately 23 kilometers too far south of the hotel property.
Unfortunately, neither cellular data nor Wi-Fi service was strong enough to do anything, as our mobile telephones were practically useless at the spot where we were waiting for transportation to the hotel property.
Suddenly — seemingly out of nowhere — a man emerged through the crowded outdoor area, walked towards us, and asked me if Brian Cohen was my name. He showed me a portable electronic device with my name on it instead of a card. I replied in the affirmative. I could see that he was from Royal Palm Galapagos, Curio Collection Hotel by Hilton; and he led us to the rear corner of a full parking lot where the official vehicle to the hotel property was parked.
After we boarded the vehicle — on which no one else was aboard — we were given cold wet washcloths, which were quite welcomed as we were sweaty from both the journey and the sunny weather. We were also given plastic containers — with the logo of the hotel property printed on them — that were filled with cold water, which was a very nice touch…
…and with that, we were on our way approximately 26 kilometers along Santa Cruz Highway — which is also known as Ecuador Highway E5 — from the ferry terminal to the hotel property. How the perception of a situation can immediately change is amazing.
The weather and the topography changed dramatically on our way up to the highlands of the island. What started off as sunny and hot with sparse vegetation near the Pacific Ocean became overcast with bare trees — the photographs were technically taken during the waning days of winter…
…until we finally arrived at the driveway of Royal Palm Galapagos, Curio Collection Hotel by Hilton — where the flora was lush and the air was thick with a dense fog.
Along the driveway, which was a single lane dirt road whose length is approximately 1.5 kilometers…
…we passed a herd of cows which we found out later belong to the hotel property…
…as well as a Galápagos tortoise, which was featured as part of the series of Sunday Morning Photograph articles. What a welcome to the hotel property that was, as we were seeing indigenous wildlife before even arriving at the front desk to check in!
We were dropped off in front of the entrance to the reception area of Royal Palm Galapagos, Curio Collection Hotel by Hilton.
We were warmly greeted in the reception area by a member of the staff at the front desk. Once we checked in, we were asked to wait to be escorted to our room.
While we waited, we were welcomed with a refreshingly cold non-alcoholic beverage call the Royal Palm Galapagos Highland Mist, which is the signature cocktail of the hotel property.
Adjacent to the front desk is a full bar…
…with a significant collection of bottles of wine.
We relaxed on the comfortable couch, as the cozy lobby area was nicely furnished.
The Villa
After checking in to the hotel property and being given information about it, we were then escorted along the pathways to where we would be staying.
The walk seemed quite long at first. My initial reservation was for a 2 Queen Beds Guest Room…
…but when we arrived several minutes later at where we would be staying, I was stunned: our accommodation for the next five nights was in a separate villa with two bedrooms, which was a substantial upgrade that I did not expect at all. Wow!
An umbrella was provided on the front porch of the villa, above which a fire extinguisher hung on the wall. On both sides of the porch were doors to external storage areas. One of them was stocked with wood for the fireplace inside.
Every time we returned to the villa after an excursion or after dining, we felt like we were returning home.
The Living Room Area.
The entrance to the villa is in the living room area. The door of the entrance is located between the fireplace and a black piece of furniture…
…which houses a miniature refrigerator.
The couch — as well as the small table with chairs — offers an expansive view of the foliage outside facing south. The weather is usually foggy and cloudy due to the elevation of the Highlands…
…but on a clearer day, one can see the Pacific Ocean in the distance as part of the view. Having both privacy and a view is rather rare.
On the small table by the window was an assortment of goodies that included grapes, chocolates, brownies, and a cookie; and printed on a small card were the following words:
Dear Brian,
On behalf of our entire team, we would like to sincerely thank you for your loyalty as a Hilton Honors Diamond member.
We value your preference and hope that your stay will be as exceptional.
If you need anything, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Royal Palm Galapagos Team
Our tray of goodies was replenished during our stay.
A desk and bar area with storage were also in the living room area.
As we were advised not to use the tap water for drinking or for brushing our teeth, printed on the card that was placed in front of the two pitchers of water were the following words:
This fresh water
is for your personal useThis bottle is refilled daily
We recommend to use this water to brush your teeth and to drink. If you need a new refill please contact front desk dialing #1000
An assortment of coffee and tea were included in the drawer underneath the coffer machine.
Bedroom One
A comfortable king bed was located in one of the two bedrooms.
A telephone, a control panel for climate control, electrical outlets with two Universal Serial Bus — or USB — Type A ports, and a lamp were on one night stand that was adjacent to the bed. Adding Type C USB serial ports to the room would be an improvement, as none were in the villa.
Alexa was tuned in on the Amazon Echo Dot speaker, which was on the other night stand that was adjacent to the bed.
The large windows on two sides of the room bathed the room with natural ambient daylight; and offered more expansive views of the foliage outside.
The door leads out to the aforementioned living room area. Both an air conditioning unit that was mounted on the wall and a small radiator contributed to the climate control of this bedroom.
Bedroom Two
The second bedroom contained two double beds.
A large flat-screen television hung on the wall above cabinet space on the opposite side of one of the double beds. The window offered a view of the walkway to the villa. Notice how isolated outside seems even though other villas are nearby.
Above the television hidden behind the panel is an air conditioning unit. A portable rack to hang clothing was in the second bedroom — along with a small radiator.
This villa can easily accommodate a family of six people with both bedrooms.
The Bathroom.
The spacious bathroom shares its space with an area for ample storage — including a portable luggage rack. The door in the middle of the photograph above is to the room for the toilet; while the room to the right is the shower stall.
Robes were available, with one of them hanging between the toilet room and the shower stall, which were both equipped with frosted glass windows for both ambient light and privacy.
A dehumidifier helps to control moisture in the air.
The vanity area was quite spacious, with two large mirrors hanging on the wall.
In addition to two washcloths, a shower cap, a vanity kit, and a small box of facial tissues that were presented on a tray next to two metal dishes, L’Occitane en Provence amenities are available in plastic bulk dispensers over the long vanity area — including cleansing hand wash and extra gentle hand and body lotion.
The walls of the shower area were comprised of marble, which created an echo chamber. The head of the shower was simple and hung from the ceiling. A retractable clothesline was in the shower area; and it came in handy every time we came back from an excursion when we were in the water. A rain shower head and a retractable separate shower spray that can be held would be an improvement to this shower area; but I am not sure if they could be installed due to environmental or ecological reasons.
L’Occitane en Provence amenities are also available in plastic bulk dispensers in the shower area — including shampoo, shower gel, and conditioner.
The toilet was a Toto Washlet…
…which had its own remote control that hung on the wall.
The area for storage included a safe, two pairs of slippers, two extra towels, and — well — plenty of storage, which included a full closet with an ironing board and an iron.
Turndown Service
A turndown service was done every night, with special thoughtful touches — such as mats placed on the floor beside the beds.
A full pitcher of water with glasses were placed on the night stand next to the bed — along with a deep-cleansing aloe vera bubble mask for all skin types, wrapped single-origin Republica del Cacao dark chocolates from Ecuador with either 67 percent cacao solids or 75 percent cacao solids, and even the weather forecast for the next day. The weather forecast is convenient; but it was local, as the weather is typically significantly different on the coast of the island than it is in the elevated Highlands area where the hotel property is located. Even the remote controls for the television and climate control system were carefully placed on the night stand.
Printed on the card — which was signed by a member of the housekeeping staff — was the following:
We are honored with your visit
We hope everything has been done to your satisfaction. I have taken special pride in preparing your room in order to make your stay as pleasant as possible.
If there is anything else I can do for you, please contact Front Desk by dialing #1000
Final Boarding Call
For much of the time of the five nights we stayed at Royal Palm Galapagos, Curio Collection Hotel by Hilton, we were the only guests on the entire property — so the stay was peaceful, relaxing, and tranquil. Apparently, guests come in banks from tours — and we just happened to align our stay almost perfectly during one of the breaks, as the property was filling up to capacity by the time we checked out and left.
The ambiance, the service, the food — the dining experiences will be featured in the future here at The Gate With Brian Cohen — and the product itself were excellent and substantially surpassed my expectations. This was clearly one of the best stays I have ever had in my life, as for me, it was the perfect blend of comfort and luxury. I cannot recommend Royal Palm Galapagos, Curio Collection Hotel by Hilton enough. I have even related my experience to many employees and executives of Hilton — including to Christopher Nassetta, who is the chief executive officer of Hilton — in person to let them know just how amazing was my stay at Royal Palm Galapagos, Curio Collection Hotel by Hilton and how this property excels at fulfilling the founding vision of Hilton to fill the earth with the light and warmth of hospitality.
Daniel Alejandro Centeno Bermeo is the rooms division manager at Royal Palm Galapagos, Curio Collection Hotel by Hilton. He personally took amazing care of us; and he takes great pride in his employees and in the property itself — and it definitely shows. He even personally escorted us on private tours of the property, which has many surprises about which guests typically may not know — including the garden where a lot of the food and spices they serve are grown; the tree planting area to help replenish vegetation; an abandoned Italian restaurant, which has an interesting story all its own; and an upstairs patio that is typically closed off but allowed us to view the stars that are featured in this article. Additional details will be forthcoming.
The cost to me was the redemption of 280,000 Hilton Honors points for five nights, which was 70,000 Hilton Honors points per night — and a fifth standard reward night free ultimately brought the amount of points per night to 56,000. This was an excellent deal, in my opinion.
Royal Palm Galapagos, Curio Collection Hotel by Hilton
Kilometer 18 Via Puerto Ayora Galapagos
Ecuador
+593 97 951 6758
All photographs ©2025 by Brian Cohen.
