If you are coming from afar, Galapagos is a must. We recommend you to stay in Puerto Ayora, a small town in the center of the islands. To get there you'll have to fly 1.5 hours from Guayaquil to Seymour Airport (GPS) on Baltra island, take a 10 minute ferry across the Itabaca channel and finally a 45 minute bus or taxi to town. From Puerto Ayora you can take day tours to other islands and scuba diving excursions to some of the best spots (license required). People visit the islands for different reasons. Some go for the beautiful beaches, some go for the animals, the adventure, the scuba diving and so on. Please let us know what you'll like to do so we can better advise you.
Las Peñas was the first neighborhood of Guayaquil, which took its name from the cliffs and limestone rocks that formed the Hill back then when the Spanish settled in the XV century. The colorful hillside enclave of Cerro Santa Ana has retained the allure of bygone eras. Quaint homes are perched down narrow alleyways as family-run neighborhood bars offer a most-welcomed reprieve while climbing up the 444 steps leading to the top of Santa Ana Hill.
Restaurants: La Central, La Cevichévere, Café Colibrí, La Taquería, La Pesca, Oui, Sfoglia Pastificio Coffee Shops: La Mula Ciega, La Veredita, Diana Carrión, El Mono Goloso Resto-bars: Nicanor, Juliana, Dos Hemisferios Wine Store (Yes, Ecuadorian wine!)
Breakfast or brunch NIU (Arcos Plaza) Tinta Cafe (Plaza Lagos) Masamadre (Bocca) Santo Verde (Plaza Navona) - if you want to try local dishes with Verde like bolon or tigrillo Lunch or dinner Cevicheria Guayaca (Ecuadorian food for lunch) Mikka (Peruvian Nikkei - Plaza Lagos) Zeru (flavors of the world with an Ecuadorian touch - Bocca) Casa Julián (traditional Ecuadorian dishes with modern twists at Hotel del Parque) Embarcadero 41 (Peruvian, Latin, Seafood - Plaza Lagos) Emilia Osteria (Italian food - Bocca)