Cruise the Enchanted Galápagos Islands

Our three-week trip through South America taking in the Galápagos, the Amazon, the Caribbean coast in Colombia as well as hiking up to 5,000m altitude in the Andes worked flawlessly. I didn't have much time to involve myself in the planning, but with a few pointers, Caroline put a great trip together, exceeding our expectations. We stayed in fabulous lodges and hotels, and ate fantastic food and always felt safe and in very good hands. I am certain that if we were to suggest another trip organised by cazenove+loyd, all our young adult children would sign up straight away again.

I would like to thank you for organising our trip to Ecuador. Everything was perfect and we were very happy there. The hotels were very good quality and the guides were perfect, too. We especially loved the Galápagos.

An enormous thank you for the incredible trip that you organised for me to Ecuador. The entire holiday was wonderful – from the pretty Hotel del Parque to the MV Theory to the gorgeous Hacienda Zuleta, which I fell in love with. What a lovely place and what gorgeous people. It's so rare to find places like that anymore – that still reek of history and family, so it was extremely special.

I wanted to follow-up from our fantastic trip to the Galápagos. All of the travel went incredibly smoothly and we truly had an incredible experience. We ended up on the MV Theory, which was Relais & Chateaux's newest ship... I think it was only about three months old. All of the guests were younger and relatively close to us in age, which made for some great dinners and conversation. I can't say enough about the quality of our guides, the hikes and snorkels we got to do over the course of trip... Truly incredible! Our time at Galapagos Safari Camp was also exceptional. The service went above and beyond our expectations, and every day was well organised with good activities. Also, my day of diving was fantastic... I got to play with sea lions and swim with full-grown hammerhead sharks. I wanted to thank you for all of your help. It was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience – except that we may go back in the future to do the southern route!

The dust is settling and I have the time to think back on our wonderful trip. Honestly, I cannot think of a thing that I would have done differently. We had a fantastic time at the hacienda. The countryside was beautiful, and the horse-riding and rope climbing was a brilliant challenge for some of our group. It was good that we had those few days before we went on the boat, as it gave everybody a chance to settle in and catch up on sleep before we flew to the Galápagos Islands. And the boat was absolutely sensational. Every member of the staff was courteous, helpful and good at his or her job. Our guide, Camilo, was just the best. He was charming, knowledgeable and efficient. The staff on the boat were extremely accommodating, the food was delicious and we saw animals that we had never seen before, including penguins, flamingos, sharks and manta rays.

cazenove+loyd organised every detail of our trip to the Galápagos. We had a knowledgeable guide who showed us hidden gems in Quito. Our cruise around the islands, complemented by the detailed narrative of our naturalist guide and the attentive, friendly crew, made each day an amazing adventure. Flight connections were seamless and we were always well looked after.

It was magical. I had forgotten what a special place the Galápagos Islands is. I was determined to bring my son and he fell in love too. The boat was lovely. The staff was amazing. They never stopped. They were really fantastic – friendly, helpful and super-efficient. Thank you for all your help, answers, suggestions and all. It was a superb trip!