hostel in quito, ecuador? and galapagos - isla isabela?

i'm planning a trip to ecuador 3-23 to 4-20. i'm looking for a hotel/hostel in quito that is safe and affordable. any recommendations? also, will be heading to cuenca so if you have any ideas there...i would greatly appreciate it.

i have booked a flight to galapagos on 3-29 to 4-5. i have heard that isla isabela is one of the best and someone gave me a name for accommodations 'casa rosada' next to 'beto's bar', but i can't find a website. anybody been to galapagos? are there any affordable, nice places to hole up for a week?

thanks for the help.

All of the times I was in Quito I stayed at the Secret Garden, right outside of Old Town. Don't recall the street name but you can locate it on the web. I highly recommend this place. You can meet so many people, the view from the terrace is outstanding and they have great food. It's a nice location to branch-off from. Oh, and I found them really reasonable. I love Cuenca but don't recall the name of the hostel. The city is very much worth exploring. As for the Galapagos, I did not stay on the island as I went from the airport straight to a boat. Guess I'm not of much help but it was a couple of years ago and the things I saved from the trip are back home.

I primarily stayed at the Secret Garden as well. Reservations are recommended for here as they stay booked up. Their terrace is nice and food really good with a nice variety although not the cheapest place to eat. Also, the attractions nearby to it can be taken care of in a day or two. If you're more into the nightlife look for something in new town as that is where all the bars/clubs are. As always bring earplugs to get a decent sleep.

In Quito, I stayed at Hostal Santo Domingo at Plaza Santo Domingo. There're three hestals next to each other, so you can just get there and choose the one you like. US$ 8 for a single with bathroom.
Take trole (from the bus station) to Plaza Santo Domingo. It's a good area, in the heart of centro historico and close to La Ronda, a popular street with bars, restaurants and street music.

Can't remember the name of the hostal in Cuenca. Borrero x Mariscal Sucre. There were also three hostals next to/opposite each other. Similar price like in Quito.

Quito - I've stayed 3 places, 2 of which I'd stay again.
Hostal Auberge Inn is a short walk through a nice park from the old city. I liked the locale because it was not in either of the tourist-heavy districts, so it felt lower key and, frankly, safer. The only downside was that our room was very cold. Also has a nice garden.

Blue House Hostel is horrible. Don't stay there. It's noisy, they had a spotlight shining straight at our window (no curtains, and yes, it was the hostel's spotlight), and the bed had no support. Actually, probably better advice is to just not stay in Mariscal.

The last one is a little pricier - as in $26/$42 (s/d) - but I really liked it, so it's here anyway. We stayed at San Francisco de Quito after our bad experience with Blue House. It's not a hostel, but the price was affordable, the included breakfast was good, and the building it's in is fantastic. It's right in the heart of the old city. Also, excellent service, and if your up for spending a bit on dinner, the attached restaurant has the best filet mignon $10 can buy.

Galapagos
In Puerto Ayora, I stayed at the Hotel Espana. Again, not the cheapest option, IIRC it was $50 for a double, maybe $60, but they included a great breakfast, the service was excellent. I felt that it was good value. I definitely wouldn't want to stay anywhere without air conditioning.

I also stayed a night at the Hotel Elisabeth. Also $50, but no AC and the room was crap and there was no breakfast. I spent a night there just because I was feeling awful when I got to town and just took the first place I looked at so that I could lie down for a while.

I haven't stayed on Isabella, and I can't remember the name of the place I stayed on San Cristobal (though I generally don't recommend San Cristobal anyway).

Whether the Galapagos are affordable or not depends on your budget. On a month-long holiday, I usually bring enough budget so that I don't have to scrimp on every little thing. As a result, I could afford some decent hotels in the Galapagos (helped that our cruise was about $400 under budget ). But if you're planning on spending $10/per person on accomodation...you're probably going to have trouble finding a place, particularly a clean place.

Not many places in the Galapagos have websites, but the place you mentioned does have a facebook page.
Cuenca
I'm afraid I can't recommend anything in Cuenca. Don't stay where we stayed, which was the Hostal El Monasterio. The walls are paper thin (so when your neighbour decides to watch TV at 4am, that means it's wake-up time), and there's a lot of stairs to get there. The elevator has been broken for years, and second day we were there the power was out entirely all morning, so no lights in the stairs or in the room.

Victoriabegins, I see you are working with a month of travel. Don't know if you are going any further than Cuenca, but on the recommendation from another traveler, I decided to check-out Vilcabamba, which is not really that far away. Glad I did. I was headed to Peru anyway and figured I'd stop for a day or two. I wound-up staying over a week. Had a cabin high above town at Cabañas y Yambala. $12 a nite and the sound of the river outside was alone worth the stay. Though by no means crowded, quite a few expats testified to it's attraction