Fodor's Expert Review Royal Palm Hotel

This small resort on Santa Cruz is the only five-star luxury hotel on the islands. Suites, villas, and rooms blend into the garden surroundings within a 500-acre property; all have the proper amenities of a mainland high-rise hotel. Features include an observatory with computerized telescopes for stargazing and a Galápagos museum that focuses on the ecology and native species. Tours offered include horseback riding, diving, snorkeling, hiking, birding, sea kayaking, and windsurfing. You also are welcome at the Royal Palm Hotel's Airport VIP room in Baltra. An entire dinner here, without drinks, will run you about $25.