I absolutely liked Montanita.


It was a cute little town. Just a couple of blocks of touristy hotels. Very big with the surfer crowd. It's supposed to be some of the best surfing in Ecuador. My friend who was with me did a bit of swimming. The town is very laid back. Lots of rustic hotels with thatched roofs and hammocks and cosy wee bars. I only spent a day there, but I wish I could have stayed a week!

Other great beaches I have heard from firends are:

• Los Frailes in Puerto Viejo
• Ballenita
• Monta?ita Beach (Surf)-> 40 miles Salinas
• Puerto Rico; Manabi
• Esmeralda
• Guayaquil
• Manta
• Salinas
• Canoa (surf for beginners)-> 18 Km north San Vicente
  

I used to go there a lot, and the best always was around Manta, you get the nice beaches, nice seafood, and great rum of Ecuador. try the beach at Tarqui( good for swimming) , and visit the Parque del Marisco (or seafood park), less than 200K from Guayaquil a beautiful harbor town too. The hotel where i stay was Hotel Las Gaviotas right on the beach.  :y:)

Hello,
Montanita certainly is the most famous surf destination in Ecuador.  There are many cool beaches which are only known to the locals in Esmeraldas like Galeta and Mompiche which have not been exploited yet.  Check out wannasurf.com for more details of the numerous places various people around the world have reported.

I can recommend www.ola-adventures.com as a decent, honest travel company which helped me out when I was travelling throughout Ecuador.  You can get in contact with them via their website and most importantly they will give you a fair price.

Hope it helps,

Pete

Within Equador, my first choice for beaching would certainly be Salinas.

I have very happy memories of my time there. I befriended a penguin who hung out with me on the beach and came swimming. He was waiting for me every morning and we spent several days together  :laught:). There were lots of tropical fish in water and exotic birds in the trees. It felt as if we were almost getting a taste of the Galapagos.

It makes an easy combination if you take the bus/train from Quito down to Guyaquil and a bus from there up to Salinas. Take a day to explore Guayaquil, it is an interesting and distinctive old city.

Well, I've been living in Ecuador for 2 years now.

Salinas is usually very crowded and not that great. I'd recommend montanita or canoa for a calm peaceful visit to the pacific.
Guayaquil is the pits. There's nothing to see.
Cuenca is nice.
Loja in the south is beautiful if you can make it that far down.
Papallacta offers some relaxing hot spring water and the ride from Quito is remarkable.
Otavalo is okay but you can get the same stuff in Quito at the same price more or less minus 4 hours in a bus.
Quito is awesome ! you can spend several days here, that is my favorite, cheers 

I agree with you about the beaches but there are a lot of thing other than beaches to see in Ecuador. For example the city of Quitto and the volcano Cotopaxi. I haven't been there but I have interest in Ecuador :)

If u want to visit the best beaches in Ecuador u should def need to visit Galapagos Islands, i leave you some info

 

Many tour operators consider around April & May and September & October to be their low season months. During these periods, the tourism in the Galápagos decreases and (depending on the boat) many lower their prices at this time in order to attract more passengers on board. During the high season, many boats will be booked far in advance, so make reservations months before you plan on travelling. If making last minute reservations, you may have to choose a boat that is not your first choice.