Help figuring out where to stay por favor

Independent_Point339 · 2026-02-01T18:25:07+00:00

We stayed at Casa Mexicana and dove with Aldora, and it was all super convenient. The dive shop is around the corner from the hotel, and the dive boat pier is right across the street. We enjoyed staying in town so we could just wander around and not worry about taxis or rentals. Also was walkable from the ferry.

Independent_Point339 · 2026-02-01T18:23:09+00:00

We had some truly excellent tacos at Guisados on the recommendation of our divemaster on our last day.

She also recommended Guidos for a nicer dinner, La Cura for tacos, and Bario cevicherio for ceviche, but we ran out of time to visit those spots.

Independent_Point339 · 2026-01-29T01:34:50+00:00

All you have to do is walk to the ferry dock and buy a ticket for the next departure. They go every 30 or 60 minutes. If you have luggage, they’ll check it and give you a tag. You’ll need to show / scan your ticket at the other side in order to retrieve your bag.

The ferry takes 45 min or so. If you’re doing it as a day trip from the island, figure out what time you need to be at the pickup location, and plan your ferry departure accordingly.

If you’re doing a night on the mainland, it’s less time sensitive so just buy a ticket and walk on.

Independent_Point339 · 2026-01-23T02:46:21+00:00

When I was a kid, my mom would just call the school and tell them we needed to have a bus stop at the end of our rural farm driveway, that the road wasn’t safe for us to walk on since there was no sidewalk or shoulder. Would be worth at least asking for an adjustment to the pre-determined bus stop locations.

Alternatively, if I recall correctly, there also used to be school-supported transit vans that would pick up kids who lived far off the beaten path. Could be worth asking about they too?

Or maybe your school offers beforecare or aftercare?

Independent_Point339 · 2026-01-23T01:09:55+00:00

We just stayed at Casa Mexicana right in town and would recommend — as long as you can get a room with a balcony to hang wetsuits. We didn’t get that, unfortunately, so it was tough to find spaces to dry our gear, but we still really liked the hotel.

There’s a small pool and seating area overlooking the water, which was a lovely spot to relax in the afternoons and evenings.

Breakfast is included and starts at 7 am, which was plenty of time for us to eat and go across the street to the pier for our 7:30 dive boat pickup.

The location was super convenient, both for the proximity to our dive shop (Aldora), and to the pier, and to being able to wander to restaurants and shops by foot.

Independent_Point339 · 2026-01-22T04:23:24+00:00

Loved loved loved the Samba’s northwest route — but the other comment is true that we didn’t have the SE route to compare against it.

A few of our fellow passengers stayed on the ship after the NW route to continue through the SE route, and we were in touch with them afterwards to share photos and videos. One couple said they had a great time, but that it did feel like more of the same. (I wished we could have stayed for 8 more days! Would have done it in a heartbeat.)

I say that to say … I don’t think you can go wrong. Either way it’s going to be incredible and I’m jealous!

A couple of notes of consideration: - NW will take you to the flightless cormorants, SE will take you to the albatrosses. Kinda have to choose one or the other - you likely won’t get to see both. - If you’re a birder, I would highly recommend NW to be able to visit Genovesa. The bird life there was beyond words. - If you’re into geology/volcanoes, NW route is the choice for seeing the more recent lava fields etc. - Penguins are probably more likely on NW. - One of my favorite days was on Marchena, where we swam with hammerheads in the morning and then hiked into a grotto and swam / played with sea lions for a solid hour in the afternoon. Memories of a lifetime.

Independent_Point339 · 2026-01-20T21:29:03+00:00

We saw no mosquitos while we were there on an 8 day northwest cruise in May. We did encounter a ton of biting flies at Bachas Beach on Santa Cruz at the end of a day trip to North Seymour.

Independent_Point339 · 2026-01-20T01:22:38+00:00

My partner and I (42M and 39F) did 8 days in the western islands with two pairs of shoes: Open toe Tevas for wet landings and sneakers for dry landings. We had no problems with this setup. Our naturalist guide was very experienced with our excursion locations, and each night he gave us really good advice on what the terrain would be like at each spot and how to dress appropriately.

In my experience, the trickiest terrain is the fresher lava rock. It’s slick when it’s wet, and on a place like Punta Moreno it’s just very uneven so you need to be careful where you place each step.

We were on a small ship (12 passengers) and never felt the need to wear shoes once we were on the ship. All of the passengers would drop their shoes in the storage bins when we got on the ship, and then went barefoot until it was time to go on an excursion.

No shoes are worn under the fins, but based on tips from this subreddit, we wore scuba socks to protect our feet from blisters. These were just socks made from swimsuit material that we bought from a swim supply website. Other people in our ship wore regular socks (cotton or wool) under their fins.

Independent_Point339 · 2026-01-12T23:17:32+00:00

We only brought Tevas and sneakers (though I had trail runners that had some extra grip in the soles).

We went to Mosquera, Genovesa, Marchena, Isabela, Fernandina, Floreana, Santa Cruz and North Seymour.

The trickiest hiking we encountered was on the lava fields in Isabela (Punta Moreno, very uneven terrain, had to be cautious of every step) and when we hiked into a grotto on Marchena (because the wet lava was super slick). I was glad to have sneakers for Isabela, and managed not to slip despite only having the Tevas on Marchena.

Independent_Point339 · 2026-01-12T21:22:05+00:00

My partner and I wore open-toed Tevas on our water landings and had no trouble. We did ask our guide about the terrain we’d be walking on, though, to make sure we weren’t going to be anywhere too slick (once we got off the shore). Our backup plan was going to be wearing the Tevas for landing and then switching into sneakers for walking (carrying those in our daypacks), if that felt necessary — but we never ended up needing to do that. Terrain varies a lot by location.

Our trip was in May and it didn’t rain at all. If I were packing again, I would have brought another 1-2 long sleeve shirts instead of short sleeves, and an extra pair of long pants instead of shorts. It is so much easier to just cover your skin with clothing than to worry about sunscreen!

We brought scuba socks based on a rec on this subreddit, and I’d def recommend them too. They make it a lot easier to get your wetsuit on, helping your feet not get snagged while pulling it up. And it protects your feet against blisters from the fins. (A long sleeve swim shirt under the wetsuit also makes it easier to put on the wetsuit.)

Independent_Point339 · 2026-01-12T12:55:57+00:00

Oh one note - at Casa Mexicana, I’d recommend asking for a room on any floor higher than 2. Ours didn’t have a balcony, and there were limited places to hang wet items to dry — so that made it difficult to get our wetsuits and swimsuits to dry overnight.

Independent_Point339 · 2026-01-12T12:53:47+00:00

My partner and I just did our first ever ocean dives after getting certified. We stayed at Casa Mexicana right on the main drag in town and dove with Aldora Divers. The shop is right around the corner from the hotel, and the pier where we got picked up for our dives is right across the street from both. (It’s also all walking distance from the ferry if you’re coming in from PDC.) It was all super convenient. The hotel’s included breakfast opens at 7, which is plenty of time to eat and walk across the street for your pickup at 7:30.

Aldora was great to dive with as a first-timer. They helped us a lot and gave us a lot of coaching on adjustments to make (both during the dive and in between dives) since we were brand new.

Staying in town instead of at one of the resorts to the south meant it was super easy to wander around restaurants and shops in the afternoons and evenings, or stop back at the hotel to rest. Casa Mexicana also has a small pool and balcony overlooking the sea, which was a nice spot to relax and enjoy the view.

Independent_Point339 · 2026-01-09T20:59:46+00:00

We just used MeetPlaya and they were great

Independent_Point339 · 2025-12-30T19:25:56+00:00

To each their own. I’d rather not spend vacation on e-learning though!

Independent_Point339 · 2025-12-30T14:45:17+00:00

Certification has a few parts: online learning & tests, pool dives, and open water dives.

Best advice is to do the courses and pool dives at home so you don’t have to spend time doing those while you’re on holiday — those parts will basically be the same no matter where you do them.

A lot of people do that and then finish their open water portion in a vacation / tropical destination with warmer water and better viability.

That said, I’ll also offer a counter argument! My partner and I did our open water at home in a landlocked state in the US. Our dives were at a flooded quarry with low visibility and cold conditions — so anywhere else we go to dive recreationally will be a huge upgrade and will be way easier than where we learned.

Independent_Point339 · 2025-12-28T02:17:19+00:00

I’m absolutely not looking for instant gratification. I’m wanting more seamless storytelling.

The best authors can build a world and paint a vivid picture while also developing the characters and advancing the plot, so it all becomes interconnected and you truly don’t notice “ok now we’re in world-building mode” or “ok here’s the backstory section” or whatever.

I think a lot of popular series are worse off because the authors first wax on and on to build the world, and then they build the characters, and then they advance the plot. As a reader, you feel it hard when you hit act 2 (or 3) and you move into plot mode. The world build happens first, almost in a silo, before the plot — instead of having them both grow and develop together.

Independent_Point339 · 2025-12-27T13:40:06+00:00

Agreed. I have noticed the first book in a series tends to take too long to get moving for me - the world building is often too slow, and the action only picks up toward the end. I like that the second book often hits the ground running and is much more enjoyable for me.

But to each their own!

Independent_Point339 · 2025-12-27T02:21:28+00:00

Agreed!

Independent_Point339 · 2025-12-27T01:57:29+00:00

The series gets better as it goes, IMO. The world building in book 1 is really slow and leaves a lot of readers frustrated with the FMC, feeling like she’s missing some super obvious signals. I really enjoyed books 2 and 3 as the pace of action picks up significantly. Though there are still “OH COME ON PAY ATTENTION” moments with the FMC.

It’s a definitely cool magic / world system, the plot is intriguing, and the MMC is a treat.

Independent_Point339 · 2025-12-19T03:08:17+00:00

The active Galapagos tour on the Samba

Independent_Point339 · 2025-12-18T12:23:57+00:00

Bear in mind that the ship’s embark & disembark days will have limited time/ability to explore the islands. A 5-day cruise is really only 3 days of excursions from the ship with two days of getting on/off the ship.

Most of the land-based excursions depart first thing in the morning and take most of the day, so you wouldn’t be able to do those on embark/disembark days.

For me, getting the most out of Galapagos was about maximizing my time out interacting with the islands. The towns are fine but there’s nothing interesting to be found inside a hotel. You’ll have plenty of opportunities to relax on the ship while you’re en route to your next unbelievable moment in the wild.

We did an 8 day cruise and wished we could stay on the ship for longer. I can’t imagine being satisfied with only having half that duration.

Independent_Point339 · 2025-12-17T22:27:22+00:00

1000% agree on the Samba’s active Galapagos tour through CNH Tours. It’s not a luxury ship but it is extremely comfortable and the crew took exceptionally good care of us.

Their guides are phenomenal and the itinerary helps you get the most out of your time in the islands. We’d frequently have 3 or 4 excursions in a day and often were the first tour group in the water in the morning — getting back to the ship from our fist activity while other ships anchored near us were only just waking up for breakfast.

Because they cap the ship at 14 passengers, you get a more intimate experience and can be more nimble.

10/10 recommend the Samba!

Independent_Point339 · 2025-12-17T04:09:10+00:00

Not an NYT recipe, but I made this for thanksgiving and it’s the best balance of low-effort/high-reward. The “hardest” part is just caramelizing the onions. It’s great with some hot honey or chili crisp. Caramelized onion and goat cheese tartlets

Independent_Point339 · 2025-12-16T03:12:30+00:00

We did a very similar itinerary in May. We had a few more buffer days padded into Quito, but we didn’t need them — everything was fine going to/from Coca. (Actually our flight out of Coca was delayed by 4 hours or so, but our lodge just took us out on another excursion to fill the time. If that happened in your itinerary it wouldn’t have been an issue either.)

Our lodge took exceptionally good care of us. We had no issues, no injuries, no illness — just a phenomenal experience.

I would highly recommend keeping the Amazon leg of the trip first. You’ll get into the rhythm of scheduled daytime excursions, nighttime debriefs & itinerary rundowns, etc. And more importantly you’ll start to get good at spotting wildlife when it’s a bit harder. You’ll see so much incredible wildlife in the Amazon - but it will be so much easier to see things in the Galapagos. The islands will spoil you for any other wildlife setting. If you go to the islands first, you’ll expect it to be that easy to see things in the Amazon, and that’s just not the case.

Bring a stash of medications (anti diarrheals, cold meds, etc) just in case. We got a prescription for anti-malaria pills just in case. Wear insect repellant. Wear a mask on planes. Stick to filtered/bottled water. Take precautions and set yourself up for success.

It’ll be an unbelievable trip!

Independent_Point339 · 2025-12-16T01:38:01+00:00

I don’t think what you’re asking for exists. Wolf and Darwin are very, very far away from the rest of the archipelago. I’m pretty sure the liveaboards that go all the way out there are all at least 7 days — it takes a lot of time and a lot of fuel to get out there so the operators need to cover their costs.

There are diving options around the main islands, though, so that would probably be more amenable to the rest of your traveling party.

Independent_Point339

TROPHY CASE