Many of our guests have special reasons for visiting the Galapagos Islands. For some it’s the culmination of a long-held dream that they coincide with a big occasion such as honeymoon, wedding anniversary or significant birthday. And what better way to celebrate than cruising around such a unique and awe-inspiring place? If you’re thinking of planning a trip to the Galapagos to mark a special occasion, we thought you’d like to hear the story of recent guests of ours – Rowena and Harry Kennedy.
The story began before they left the UK as they celebrated Rowena’s 70th birthday at home before travelling out to the Galapagos later that month. One of their very wonderful friends had gone to the trouble of making a replica cake of the boat they were due to cruise on, The Angelito. Not only did she pretty skillfully re-create the yacht cruising through the sea but she also included a mini Rowena and Harry relaxing on the bow of the yacht and photographs of family members in the portholes. It was such a lovely surprise to be sent a photo of the cake and definitely the first time we’ve seen one of our yachts immortalised in a cake!
Rowena and Harry flew out to Quito in May and spent a few days exploring the delights of Ecuador before heading over to the Galapagos to join their cruise – something we recommend to most of our guests. Their first stop after Quito was the Mindo Cloud Forest, just a few hours drive from the capital yet a world away. Here they got to experience the incredible wildlife of the tropical forest including many species of hummingbird. From there they went onto Hacienda Zuleta in the Ecuadorean countryside, one of our favourite places in Ecuador and a remarkable place to stay. Rather than tell you what they experienced, below is the text of an email we got from Harry and Rowena after they returned.
“Rowena and I write to thank you for arranging the above tour for us May/June. It was all a wonderful experience expertly prepared by your company. Everything came together like clockwork. Septimo Paradiso Lodge is a great place to see flora and fauna and has a lovely heated swimming pool (more like very large hot tub). Hacienda Zuleta really is a very special place in every way. We felt as though we were royalty staying in a stately home and were treated as such. Rowena could not get over the vase of 40 fresh huge red roses in our room. The week we spent onboard Angelito 1 visiting the Galapagos Islands was faultless in every way. The boat and crew were splendid and so was the food.”
Being keen photographers, the Harry and Rowena took some wonderful pictures of their trip. These pictures tell a story of their special trip more than any words could:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/harryandrowena/albums/72157654753429825
