Address: Andrtes Xaura N24-200 between Lizardo Garcia and Foch, Quito
Phone: 1-877-436 7512

http://www.galapagosluxurycruise.com/

Traveler Reviews

Exceptional Crew & Beautiful Ship
Reviewed by SandnSeaCalifornia on Sep 2, 2010


Just back from an 8 day trip on Athala through the amazing Galapagos Islands. The boat was modern and spotless, and the service impeccable. Harry, our park service guide, who spent a lot of the day showing us the wonders of the islands, was outstanding---informative and funny. He went out of his way to make sure we snorkeled at the best sites and visited the islands at the quietist times. The captain, Pedro, was happy to have us visit the bridge and steer the boat. He also went snorkeling with us, pointing out things we might have missed on our own. Eduardo, the cruise director, was ready to help in any way and runs a very smooth operation, which includes great meals. What made it a very special trip though (other than all the fantastic wildlife) was the friendliness of all the crew and all the little extras they provided. A couple of our favorites were the hot chocolate and snacks after snorkeling, and the adorable "towel animals" on our bed. Diego, at Columbus Travel, arranged our trip and all the transfers and hotels he planned for us in Quito were excellent.

Amazing
Reviewed by jessi23658 on Jul 13, 2010


We just got back from an 8-day cruise on the Athala and had an absolutely fabulous time. The whole crew is amazing, super friendly, and always willing to do anything to make the trip more enjoyable. I honestly have never been more relaxed in my life (despite the fact that the days were action-packed)... the Athala is a beautiful boat, and it was lovely just sitting on the sundeck whale watching, or relaxing on our balcony. I can't imagine having gone with another crew... I really can't speak highly enough of them (from Pedro, the captain, on down (Eduardo, the cruise manager, Martin, who takes care of the cabins, and George, our tour guide, deserve special mention) the crew is incredible).

Athala II - Great Time
Reviewed by 3-Olives on Jun 17, 2010


We just returned from 8 days on the Athala II and it was an amazing experience. I highly recommend this boat. The boat itself is beautiful and the staterooms were great. We were on the upper deck and at first I was little disappointed we didn't have a balcony but our rooms were larger and we were immediately adjacent to the large back where we all congregated and enjoyed many laughs and wonderful moments together. We wouldn't have done that if we were hanging out on our balconies. The captain Pedro, cruise director Eduardo and he entire crew were fantastic. hey have the greatest office in the world and you see their pride in the way they take care of the passengers and the boat. They made everything so easy and so enjoyable for us. If you needed anything they would take care of it, and more often than not before you even asked. The food was great, a lot of variety, plenty of it and again they accommodated special dietary needs and any other requests. We had two naturalist guides during our week, Jan and Harry and they were both very knowledgeable and engaging, but more importantly their love of the Galapagos really came through. After traveling on the Athala I would be hard pressed to pick any other boat for the most enchanting experience of a lifetime, traveling the Galapagos Islands.

The Athala is a wonderful experience.
Reviewed by mjswid on Jan 5, 2010


We just got back from the Galapagos and stayed on the Athala. Our family of 5 (2 parents and 3 teenage children) had a fabulous time. The cruise director (Javier) and crew worked round the clock to make our stay enjoyable and the boat incredibly clean. While we had been a bit fearful as it was our first cruising experience, the cabins were quite a nice size with nice bathrooms and showers. There were also shady places to read while sailing. The trip was rigorous, but so worth it given how much you are able to see. We could not have seen as much on a land trip.

Luxury in the Galapagos! Royal Palm Hotel and Athala Cruise
Reviewed by jenni107 on Jul 31, 2009


Our travel to the Galapagos began with a surprise: our catamaran, Athala, would not be available as scheduled, due to a maintenance issue. Haugan Cruises arranged for us to spend our first afternoon in the Galapagos aboard Magic, the private yacht of the Royal Palm Hotel. The yacht was quite nice, but a bit crowded for the 14 of us expecting to board Athala. Nonetheless, we had a delicious meal on the yacht, an amazing first shore excursion, then were taken to the Royal Palm Hotel for a shower and a gourmet meal. Let me just say that the Royal Palm was amazing! The facilities and the grounds there are luxurious. Our entire group would not have been disappointed to have had to spend the night there. The RP's chef prepared for us a fabulous five-course meal. After dinner, we learned that the repair to Athala had been completed, so we traveled back to shore to board. Again, we were not disappointed! Athala is a beautiful, 8-stateroom catamaran, and we were lucky enough to be assigned to one of the four balcony rooms. Everything about Athala was first-class, from the accommodations to the naturalist guide to the food - delicious! I had carefully searched for a very nice boat with 20 or less passengers as we were looking for something other than a large cruise ship, and Athala did not disappoint. I commend Haugan Cruises for their attention to detail and can honestly say that last-minute substitutions that they had to arrange for us were exceptional.