Montañita

Sunset at La Punta, Montañita photo by Dawn Wohlfarth

V!VA User‘s Description

Montañita is a lively beach town with a reputation for its plethora of parties, surfers and hippies. About three and a half hours north of Guayaquil along the Ruta del Sol, Montañita is one of the few Ecuadorian beach towns with a great selection of international restaurants and hostels for all budgets. Central Montañita is about ten minutes south (walking) of the best surfing spot, La Punta. There are hostels and restaurants in both places. La Punta tends to be much more quiet at night when parties are raging in the center of town. Likewise, the town becomes ghostlike until the sun is high in the sky while surfers are tearing up the waves at La Punta.

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Traveler Reviews of Montañita

hotel paradise south

Rating: 100%

It's a great place - the people are very friendly and honest! The other hotels are located in areas that are way too noisy! I love this hotel!

By V!VA User from miami-florida, Jul 31, 2008

excellent

Rating: 100%

Absolutely loved it. Great staff. I was traveling alone and they made me feel like I was part of the family.

By V!VA User from Canada, Nov 12, 2007

HOTEL PARADISE SOUTH

Rating: 0%

There is no FAX machine in Montañita, there are no POLICE in this city. Our hotel room at the Hotel PARADISE SOUTH was broken into and our camera and 500.00 US dollars were stolen. The employees did not care, they simply told us that this sort of thing has happened before and it was probably the american tourists that had just left this morning. The atmosphere is totally fake and pathetic. All these "hippie" people give off a really negative vibe while begging for money. I think it is best to come and check it out for yourself to form your own opinions, but not do be fooled.

By Anne Welcenbach from NICE FRANCE, May 16, 2007

Cocktails anyone?

Rating: 100%

Montanita is a fabulous place where you can never justifiably be bored - theres just so much to do! Whether you're looking for surf, sun, whales, snorkeling, climbing, views, the beach or simply the great hospitality and night life! The hostels are quite nice too - often with a handy restaurant downstairs (though look around if you want hot water!). The only place in all of Ecuador where I felt truly safe the entire time though surprisingly (by all local accounts as well) my friends bag was stolen in a cafe! Although amazingly people were more than willing to help which was a refreshing change from life in Quito! The beach is stunning, perfect for sunning yourself while perving on surfers attacking waves or that quiet early morning jog if your head isnt too sore from the night before! At night you can party like crazy by an open fire right on the edge of the beach in Cana Grill or the other one i was too drunk to remember the name of, or you can sit and chill out with tantalising cocktails in a host of bars - Wipe Out was the only truly memorable one (tucked away round the corner and great for a lazy afternoon or a couple of warm ups - spot on!). Montanita is definately worth a visit!

By V!VA User from Cumbria, England, Sep 17, 2006

Very Relaxing and Non-Commercial

Rating: 75%

I really loved the small town feel.There are lots of tourist from different countries visiting the surf capital of Ecuador. Everything is walking distance. The only thing I found that was negative the restaurants do not open before approximately 9am. We took a bus to the next town over Olon and had a nice breakfast on the beach for $1.50 each Wow! what value.

By V!VA User from Toronto, Ontario Canada , Apr 09, 2006

Best beach in continental Ecuador

Rating: 100%

I went there alone, and made lots of friends, cheap hotels, nice restaurants for breakfast or coffee, but if you are looking for lunch, try the local places, they´re cheaper and better.

By Francisco Hernandez from Quito, Ecuador, Jan 19, 2006

Party around beach fire

Rating: 75%

Montañita is great, if you like hippy / surfy towns, which I do. If you don´t, then it´s probably not going to be your bag. I spent about 24 hours there. The hotel was OK, not amazing, but there was lots of choice of hotels. The town feels buzzy, it seems as if there is a lot going on, lots of nice-looking restaurants and bars. At dusk, hundreds of hummingbirds line up on the telegraph wires, which is a weird sight in itself. After dinner, there was a beach party at a bar on the beach. There was a big fire and lots of people sitting around drinking in the hazy glow. Nice. Only one negative note, this was the only place that I got food poisoning in Ecuador in 6 months of living there. Choose your restaurant with care. The one I ate in looked fine, but I was very sick afterwards.

By V!VA User from Devon, UK, Oct 27, 2005