Letter from our President

Welcome to Hotel Solymar´s Website!

Don Jimmy Perez (founder) and his son, Renato Perez (current owner) on old Hotel Solymar’s front deckWe have designed this website so that our guests may experience the true essence of Hotel Solymar and the Galapagos Islands.

The Hotel Solymar is the only upscale hotel owned and operated by Galapagueños. My father, a Galapagos tourism pioneer and legend, Jimmy Perez, opened the hotel in 1960 with eight rooms. It was later completely renovated in 2007 to bring the capacity to 17 rooms with ocean front views. We are centrally located in town and are located on Academy Bay with views of the ocean. As former guides, we know our Islands intimately and can assist our guests with their travel plans, whether your desires be to kayak with sea lions or hike through the highlands to encounter the famous giant tortoises.

Our staff speaks English, Spanish and Hebrew. We hail from Galapagos, Columbia, mainland Ecuador, Israel and United States. With our diverse international staff we are proud to provide a level of hospitality and guest service that keeps guests returning year after year.

We look forward to welcoming you soon at Hotel Solymar - Galapagos!

Sincerely,

Renato A. Perez

President - Hotel Solymar

30 years of experience operating hotels in Galapagos

Pool & Patio

Hotel Solymar has a pool with excellent beachfront location allowing you to enjoy a unique landscape of Pelican Bay.

Comfortable lounge chairs are available for our guests who may encounter the occasional visitor to the pool, a sea lions are the star of our patio here in Galapagos.

Our History

In 1958, Don Jimmy Perez (Father of Renato and Julian Perez, Hotel Solymar's current owners) arrived to Galapagos, after living in New York for 37 years.

Don Jimmy was born in Ecuador, but at the age of 12 he went to live in the United States. Upon returning to his country of birth, a friend invited him to spend 3 weeks fishing in Galapagos. He accepted the invitation and began his first journey to the Enchanted Islands, unknowing that this trip would change his life.

The tranquility, the animals and the exotic landscape of Galapagos compelled Don Jimmy to fall in love and prolong his stay in Santa Cruz Island. During this extended visit he choose to buy a piece of ocean front land on Pelican Bay

Despite the lack of infrastructure and manpower, Don Jimmy began to design and construct his house with the addition of a small cottage, so that his numerous friendships in mainland Ecuador could share in the peace that he had found. As years passed the cottage was always occupied, not always by friends, but a small number of constant visitors that knew of his friendliness and wonderful oceanfront location.

Don Jimmy noted that little by little his hospitality and the beauty of Galapagos drew more and more visitors. He began adding more oceanfront cottages, with time and hard work was able to construct the original Hotel Solymar.

As years passed and travel tendencies changed, the Perez Family saw the need to lay to rest the original Hotel Solymar, the one that had created so many unforgettable memories and given impeccable service to its guests for the past 50 years.

The Perez family employing their knowledge learned from their father and focusing on the nature that is Galapagos, decided to build 17 rooms. The new Hotel Solymar would be comfortable, modern and surrounded by fauna, a beautiful view while maintaining the basic principles of conservation.

January 2, 2006 demolition began on the original hotel, 8 days later the entire property was flattened and the construction of Hotel Solymar began. The new Hotel Solymar was inaugurated December 7, 2006.

Almost 5 years after Hotel Solymar's opening, Isla Sol was inaugurated in July 2011. Our Isla Sol tower offers 4 floors, 14 modern rooms and large meeting space for events.

We invite you to become part of our story...