Trying to set an itinerary for a coastal exploratory trip

Hi, I've been living on the coast as a single woman for ...hey!  10 years TODAY

I have lived near Salinas and now closer to Montanita,  in the Provincia Santa Elena.

Salinas is larger, but only by Ecuador standards and there are some more rural areas nearby in which to live if you have sufficient Spanish.  Youll be closer to larger shopping and medical centers (hospitals and doctors.) On the northern portion o of the province, you will have a more rural setting but less infrastructure.

Playas to the south in Guayas province may also suit you, as would Puerto Lopez, San Marianita, and Manta/Bahia to the north.

In my area you should be able to find what you are looking for more or less for $450 to over $1000, depending on location, structure, and view.

I live 12 blocks from the beach (I've had my sea view for 8 years and prefer the countryside) in a small brick house with 2 bedrooms, one bath and a large kitchen/living area with water, wifi (slow), gas for cooking, electric, and garbage pickup my monthly bill comes in under $300.

I would like to find a place but I am in America so the ads I see are beyond top dollar. Do you have any advice? Can you help?

Dear Tim,

Welcome to expat.com's Ecuador forums....

That's right, Internet ads for beachfront condos are pricey and pricier.

1.  Find a community you like.

2.  Boots on the ground.

3.  Check window ads and local newspaper ads.

4.  Have a Spanish-language speaker do the negotiating.

  -- cccmedia

A good place to get some basic idea of g costs is OLX (.) Com (.) Ec

It's the local EBay and is used as a national classifieds.

heyjude71 wrote:

I've been an expat but not in Ecuador - yet.
AND is there any coastal bus service (or some way) to get from one place to the next ?
thanks,
Heyjude

Yes. The coach-style buses go from the major cities to the coast. And the coach-style buses go along the coast as well. These buses are air conditioned and very comfortable, and a few even have wi-fi and phone chargers.  Buses are operated by private companies. Most towns at least have an official stop. Many have bus stations or depots.  The seats are not reserved. Expect buses to be be nearly full on weekends.

Prices vary by distance-- I paid about $10 to take a 3 (?) hour trip up the coast from Guayaquil to Puerto Lopez. I think I paid $7 to go to  Montanita from Guayaquil.

The frequency depends on how popular the route is. Popular routes can be every 30 minutes.

If I were doing a purely coastal trip-- and trying to save time by doing things logically-- I would fly into Guayaquil, and then start at the southern most point, Machala (near Peru) and work my way north, town-by-town to Las Peñas (near Colombia). You'll pass through dozens of beach towns along that route.  Or you could go from Quito to Las Penas and head south along the coast.

A backpacking british couple wrote an excellent blog in 2015 about Ecuador's coast and reviewed most the towns and beaches. It's "the ultimate guide to the coast of Ecuador". https://www.alongdustyroads.com/posts/2 … of-ecuador

That's what I'm looking for. Where are you now

lebowski888 wrote:

I would fly into Guayaquil, and then start at the southern most point, Machala (near Peru) and work my way north, town-by-town to Las Peñas (near Colombia). You'll pass through dozens of beach towns along that route.  Or you could go from Quito to Las Penas and head south along the coast.

There's a lot of good information in Lebowski's post.

----

I wouldn't plan on spending much time, if any, in Machala.

Guidebooks describe Machala as dangerous and oppressively hot (especially from December through April).   I'd never recommend it to anyone unless they get their kicks from visiting banana plantations. 

----

There's been trouble in the coastal areas near the Ecuador-Colombia border, including an attack on some journalists that was big news on both sides of the border this year.  If you doubt that this area is problematic, visit the U.S. State Department's travel.state.gov web pages for Ecuador.

cccmedia in the Andes north of Tulcán, Ecuador

If I lived near the beachfront in Ecuador...

1.  I'd try to live in a cooler place not at the coast during "high season," roughly December through April.

2.  From May through November I'd want to live right on the beach for the breezes, despite higher rents, probably on an upper floor of a condo building.

3.  I'd personally want to check out the famous/infamous micro-climates in various beach communities before locating anywhere.

4.  I'd make sure that the type of healthcare I would probably need was accessible.

5.  I would choose a place where I could readily get plenty of groceries back from a supermarket.  On this score, the logistics of transporting multiple bags via bus could be a deal-breaker.  Having a taxi driver load the bags into his vehicle .. and having an Expat-ready building with shopping carts on site at the residential end .. would make life easier.

6.  A community popular with Expats would be a draw.

7.  The coast is prone to earthquakes.  I'd never buy -- I would rent.

cccmedia

The advice offered by Susan, at least in terms of target communities, is likely ideal as a cross-section for you. Yes, bus service now  exists along the coast, thanks largely to the road construction initiatives by the previous President, Correa. However it is not "bus service" in the way a USA or European resident would define it. Schedules exist but can vary in time efficiency. The services seldom run late into the night. Clearly marked bus stops are not the norm. Kind of like hailing a taxi ... you jump out near the road, wave your arm and stop the bus.

Taxi service is generally inexpensive by USA standards, for example, but expats get flagged for higher fares with frequency, though it is technically illegal. If you are living on a budget and doing long route travel, such as Salinas to Montañita ... costs can mount up fast, with any frequency. Especially late at night, but at any time, you enter a taxi at your own risk. Better to ask around for any of the many reputable local private drivers. They may charge more than the taxis, but at least you know exactly who and what you get.

Coastal Ecuador is a beautiful and very livable area, with generally exceptional climate. However, for some, it takes an adjustment period and some never adjust. What's great for a 2-week vacation can fade quickly after a 2-year stay.

By way of full disclosure; I am a real estate investment consultant, active in the coastal Ecuador market. Hope the area works out for you.