Best area for coastal living in Ecuador

kerriw wrote:

Hi all!
We are a young, Canadian couple looking to move to Ecuador for a life-change and a change of scenery. The most important things we are looking for are access to the ocean (or lake), warm weather, food, social life, and authentic Ecuador culture. Sense of community would be a real asset. If anybody has any suggestions, they would be greatly appreciated! We haven't really been able to find much on the internet when it comes to younger expats.

Thanks in advance!

Welcome to the Ecuador forum, Kerri of Toronto.

Many threads and posts have been written about coastal Ecuador on this forum.

To gain access, type the word Coastal into the search box at the top of this page, and then click on the search icon to the right of the box.

cccmedia in Quito

It would seem taking a month or more trip and exploring the coast would be very helpful for you to identify what is best, for you.  And it is an individual decision…….as Señor Elvis has said, there has been much discussion of the coast towns and pueblos…….as well as the rest of Ecuador…..
I am sure Señor Elvis would also agree a great place, with easy access to the coast and one of the 2 main cities of Ecuador, Guayaquil is a great place to live.   While it does not have everything on your list, it covers much.
Although not mentioned in your post, working, would factor much into this decision.
Vaya con Dios y viva Christo Rey

kerriw wrote:

We are a young, Canadian couple looking to move to Ecuador for a life-change and a change of scenery... If anybody has any suggestions, they would be greatly appreciated!

Due to Canada's mild summers and brutal winters, snowbird living can be a good choice for newly-minted Expats coming to Ecuador.

Younger Canadian Expats looking to make the move to part-time living in both countries need to understand the following about the visa rules....

You can expect to obtain at no charge a 90-day tourist stamp upon arrival at Quito or Guayaquil airport.

Your stay may be extended an additional 180 days while in Ecuador by obtaining a non-immigrant visa extension.  Historically, this has been freely granted for a fee by the EC government.

The process may be repeated year after year until you decide to move to Ecuador permanently.  At that point, you may wish to obtain an investment visa, typically US $25,000 in a bank or co-operative CD.

cccmedia in Quito

AMDG wrote:

I am sure Señor Elvis would also agree {that with} easy access to the coast and one of the 2 main cities of Ecuador, Guayaquil is a great place to live.

Due to AM's apparent aspiration to become the first Expat mayor of Guayaquil, he once again is attempting to skew Canadian Expats' concept of Ecuador's largest city.

The truth is that Guayaquil is hot, humid and dangerous.

In a recent year, there were an average of 50 cases per month of secuestro exprés -- typically involving the robbery of victimized taxi riders forcibly taken to Guayaquil ATMs, relieving them of their daily limit of cash withdrawals.  source -- Dialogo.

Although AM would prefer that Gringos move to GYE before discovering this, the fact is that Guayaquil is not on the Pacific Coast.  It's about 90 minutes away by car.

Even the residents of Guayaquil's most sofisticado neighborhoods in Sambo and Urdesa cannot escape the hot, humid air.

This is why most arriving Expats choose to live in the highland cities of Quito or Cuenca .. or at the actual coast with ocean breezes.

cccmedia in Quito

We are heading to Ecuador in February for a month to check out different locations. I work as a dental hygienist and would like to find work in my profession in Ecuador. What suggestions do you guys have for mid-size cities or towns? Probably would not want to move to Guayaquil.

kerriw wrote:

We are heading to Ecuador in February for a month to check out different locations.... What suggestions do you guys have for mid-size cities or towns?

Cuenca has about 300,000 residents so it might qualify as a mid-size city.

Coastal places include the touristy Salinas and the Expat-friendly Bahia de Caraquez.

Also, at higher altitude... Cotacachi and the Quito suburbs.

If you post on this again, you might define what you consider to be mid-size.

cccmedia in Quito

kerriw wrote:

I work as a dental hygienist and would like to find work in my profession in Ecuador.

Could you hold your own in a job interview with an Ecuadorian dentist, including a demonstration of your knowledge of Spanish dental terms?

Could you pass a written test in your field -- also in Spanish -- if such was required for licensing?

cccmedia in Quito

@kerriw

Have a look at SANTA MARIANITA  a lot of new developments (  ex:pacific breeze)

15 km from Manta,1/2 h from Manta airport,warm,dry,ocean view (house are only 70m from the beach),

I grew up in Toronto in the Ice Age,have lived in many foreign countries and have lived the past
five years in Ecuador,primarily on the coast. Judging from the prerequisites of your post I would suggest
a couple of coastal towns and small cities that might be of interest. First ,Manta,where I currently live,a small city with many big city amenities,hospital,regional airport,restaurants,modern shopping mall,easy and inexpensive to get around by bus or taxi. On the recreational side,a great 4km. walking beach and
close to windsurfing in nearby Santa Marianita,and in my opinion the best year round weather in Ecuador
if you like sunshine,average 80 deg.temperature,and ocean breezes that reverse direction at night.
Smaller coastal towns I like are Puerto Lopez and Manglaralto.  Another coastal favorite for expats is Salinas. If you spend a month on the coast you can get a pretty good look at everything from Salinas in the south to Esmeraldas in the north. You won't find out from notes like mine or the internet what your'e looking for----only by visiting and making personal observations and decisions.
Saludos cordiales,
John.

i believe that  bahia de  caraques is the choice location on the coast....i too am a canadian and have been living there for 8 years....now i am thinking of relocating to europe so my gorgeous condo is for sale....contact me if u wish.....Erv

Las Olas

Check this out

Thank you all so much, we are excited to come in February and will be checking out all the places you have recommended

Skip Esmeraldas BUT check out Canoa which is 15 minutes from Bahia. Canoa is known internationally for sports such as hand gliding, There is currently a meet of pilots this week Surfing is exceptional as well

There are Dentists all over; most in my mind need ass'ts. YOU must know Spanish though

nothing being constructed in Las Olas; what's to check out?

There are quite a few Canadians here in Manta Ecuador. It is a growing city on the Pacific and tuna fishing is a big part of the economy. We decided on Manta after spending three months in Cuenca and three months in Manta.

It is warmer here but seldom overly hot = above 85 degrees. We don't even run the air condition during the day as the breeze keeps us comfortable. We do use the air for sleeping. There are modern up scale stores and shopping malls here and there are also great local markets.

We find it quite safe and have never had any problems other than sometimes you will get gringo pricing until you become familiar with what things should cost. One thing you need to remember is that there is poverty all over Ecuador and it is a old area with many building from the 1700 hundreds to 1800 hundreds.

Average income is less than $10,000 per year. If you don't like the idea of seeing poverty and very poor areas it will not be the place for you as you can not get very far away from them. Best of luck.

I hope you find what you want. If you would like further information contact me **

I would agree Manta is beautiful and there are many nice locations close to Manta also….

From my brief visits to Ecuador, I would agree that Manta would be the best starting point for newbies. It is more modern than other coastal areas and seems to have a larger expat community than other coastal cities. It is cleaner than Salinas and Canoa and has a beautiful waterfront. Bahia is okay but doesnt have a beach like the others. Good luck. Hope to join you all in Ecuador in the near future!

I am seriously looking at the Las Olas development south of Bahia.  The website looks fabulous and it would be a definite retirement consideration.  However, I have been reading the prior posts.  Where is construction at right now?  Are utilities in?

RepeatAdventure wrote:

I am seriously looking at the Las Olas development south of Bahia.  The website looks fabulous and it would be a definite retirement consideration.  However, I have been reading the prior posts.  Where is construction at right now?  Are utilities in?

Yes, soon time for the Spring report on the progress, and I use the term loosely.