This section is dedicated to take away all your "I wish someone had told me that before I went!" experiences. This way, you can spend less time settling in, and more time making new friends in your chosen hostel.
Montanita, a coastal town in Ecuador, is a popular tourist destination for backpackers from all over the world, as well as a popular holiday destination for college students and tourists from Argentina, Chile, and Ecuador itself. It is common for tourists from all over the world to mix together in Montanita's bars at night.
Tourism is the main attraction here, and the streets are lined with hotels, hostels, and guesthouses along with bars and restaurants serving good fish dishes. Like in many tourist venues, craft stalls are omnipresent, with street vendors setting up stalls to sell hats, shirts, jewelry, and trinkets. It is common to see people juggling on the pedestrianised streets. There is a hippie vibe to the town; it is one of the most liberal places in Ecuador.
Surfing is one of the main attractions; Montanita is the one of the most famous surfing venues in Ecuador. Surfboard rental costs are economical and waves are usually good for all levels of surfers. The beach in Montanita is sandy and long and it is common to see runners jogging along in the mornings. In the evenings, people gather along the beach to watch the sun setting to the west over the ocean. One slight problem that affects some visitors can be the many dogs that roam the streets and sleep along the sides.
Montanita is most easily reached from Guayaquil, where regular buses leave the main terminal and travel through other small fishing villages along the Pacific coast, arriving in Montanita about five hours later. The bus station is a concrete shed and only open during regular hours, however there is a timetable that gives information on departures.
The hostels in Montanita are more like guesthouses than hostels; rooms tend to be smaller and the hostels don't tend to have large common areas. Accommodation is generally cheap and comfortable. Many places are slightly sandy due to the proximity to the beach and the carefree, relaxed attitude in Montanita. Most hostels have balcony or external areas, some of which have hammocks for guests.
Written by local expertz for Montañita
RayJ
