Lava House Hostal

The property itself feels like a little oasis from the relatively busy 'city.' Upon walking in the front gate, you are in a courtyard which has a peaceful garden, 3 comfortable hammocks in which to rest and plenty of other sitting areas. The activity at this property feels like the perfect amount of quiet with just the right bit of life. At night, there were sweet twinkling lights, making the outdoor space inviting even in the evening! The family that owns Lava House is lovely, always someone around willing to help. The cook/cleaner is very sweet as well. The rooms were cleaned daily, beds comfortable, shower water pressure good and plenty of space to spread out a bit. Breakfast was in the 'main house' and was served buffet stye, although eggs were sometimes brought straight to the table. There was hot coffee and juice, fresh local bread, eggs, cheese, meat, granola, homemade yogurt and fruit. The tables were already set when you arrived and it was an extremely pleasant spot to sit and chat and prep for the day! I honestly could not say enough good things about Lava House! We have been traveling for about a year as a family and if every city had a Lava House, I wouldn't complain. If you need a home base for Santa Cruz, this should be it!

Not a thing -- loved everything.

Good location, good breakfast with granola, plain yoghurt, and some fruit. Owner is very kind and sweet, though she does not speak much English. But there are usually others around who can translate. Or you can use google translate. Relaxing environment and good vibe. Good air conditioning. Laundry facility is close by if you want to take in your laundry. I brought it in about 5pm and it was ready the next day at 5pm.

On the first night the air conditioner was a little loud, but she switched me to another room, which was nice. My room could use a tray to put soap and shampoo, but not a big deal. Not much counter space in bathroom.

Lava House is an excellent place to stay on Santa Cruz. It is in a great quiet location not far from town. Isabella and her family (and Cesar) are very friendly and helpful. We had a group of 22 and she was able to accommodate us. To use a credit card, there is an additional 10% fee to be paid in cash.

Nice breakfast, loved the family atmosphere in this place

Great location, exceptionally clean rooms. Plenty of free fresh water, good WiFi, good breakfast with croissants brown bread fruit cheese and fresh scrambled eggs. Good English spoken by one of the staff which was helpful. Plenty of shops near by

The kitchen was very warm to cook in and the hob didn’t have enough gas... cooking was difficult!

See below for breakfast information it was awesome!!!! The very nice garden was so pleasant. Fresh fruits we could try from the tree. We had access to fridge and drinking water anytime. The breakfast was fresh made real fruit drinks, yogur, granola, fresh fruit, eggs, ham, delicious breads and croissants. The staff is friendly and helpful. The location is about 5-6 blocks up from the pier. Taxi is about $1 (total) to get around town. But we walked to the peir and other eating places several times. We were feeding a family of six there and so a fridge and freezer to stash some food in was helpful. Packing our own jerky, etc was a lifesaver in general as food on Galapagos is EXPENSIVE.

There wasn’t really anything I didn’t like. Maybe the sliding door sticking a little but I loved the window/door facing the garden.