Nadines Travel Blog

  The JW Marriott Quito has the most well-trained staff I have ever come across.  They seem to like their jobs and they take them seriously.  The hotel is grand and elaborate when you enter the lobby.  A lady was serving complimentary blackberry gelato when we entered which was a nice touch.  Check-in went well except that they did not honor our upgrade and give us a balcony.  When we arrived at our first room our porter called down to let them know and they called me and they offered me the terrace instead and a larger room which we took.  Dax's bag was ripped so the porter grabbed it and went out and had it sewn properly.  This guy was good. The bed was comfortable and the headboard had built-in night light strips that softly illuminated the room all night.  The bathroom had a nice soaking tub.  The bathroom is a bit dated but not too bad. Soaking tub which filled up very quickly with instant hot water. The terrace was large and I spent quite a bit of time out on it. Great views

  Inside domes of a church in the historic district. Quito a very large city of over 3 million people is more affluent than the other South American countries we have visited.  While we have been here we have seen a heavy military and police presence most likely due to the state of emergency that it has been in. Soldier posted in one of the entrances to the main plaza.  It is a photo of juxtaposition with the cross and the soldier. Quito is quite pretty set in the green mountains next to the Andes.  This rare photo of the Andes Mountains overlooking Quito.  We were having breakfast in the JW Marriott Lounge when the concierge pointed it out to us and he was very proud that he had climbed that mountain.  Quito seems to be perpetually in the clouds at a high elevation of almost 10,000 feet.  We didn't have a lot of time to explore the city as we only had one full day here.   Quito is quite a modern city but has an old historic center where its colonial buildings are. However, we did

 La Fortaleza is a lovely place to stay in a quiet area of Puerto Ayoro.  The small hotel is built to look like a fort and is owned by a wife and husband team.  Gianna is the wife and is super friendly and helpful.  We booked the highest room with the lookout but only used our second floor a little due to lack of time.  There is a hammock table and chairs in this extra space. We stayed with family and friends and they used the pool every night to cool down as it is super hot in the Galapagos Islands. The complimentary breakfast was good and filling. Where breakfast is served each morning. The beds were comfortable and the bathroom was large.  The water pressure in the shower was not great, but other than that it was fine. It is air-conditioned if you like or screened doors and windows.  The place is clean and well-kept. It is about a 15-minute walk to the pier and taxis are readily available on the island but we only used to get to the airport. I would recommend La Fortaleza de Haro to

While flying over the Galapagos Islands it appears to be barren.  We were very excited to finally get a chance to experience Darwin's legacy which we learned in high school.   The Galapagos Iguanas were there to greet us as we walked off of the tarmac onto the sidewalk. They were everywhere.  We tried to collect our bags but Dax's replacement bag with all of his new clothes was missing.  It took roughly 30 minutes to locate his bag and the workers had literally left it on the tarmac.  We celebrated when we heard the good news with a few high fives and whoops. We boarded the 5-dollar bus which took us to a small 1-dollar boat ferry which took us from Baltra Island to Santa Cruz Island.   My blue hard-sided bag precariously sitting on the bow of the boat. This tiny boat was a bit of a laugh and completely overfilled with people and luggage.  The trip is swimmable so I wasn't too worried.  You get off the boat and you have to hire a 25-dollar taxi for the 45-minute ride to Pue