The Coast

Geo, Anabelle and I took an excursion outside of Quito. Instead of taking a bus for 10 hours, we flew for 30 minutes into Manta, on the coast of the Pacific. A taxi offered to take us to La Hosteria, AlandaLuz. Compared to hotel prices in the States, you can't compare the price you pay. We try to The hotel serves excellent meals, the property is gorgeous, the cabins are beautiful and the feeling of seclusion is liberating.

Sadly, we could only stay for a day. We caught a bus heading southward along La Ruta del Sol, The route of the Sun, to our next destination, Montañita. This hippy/surfer town is more a destination for college students, but we can't resist continuing to visit.

We stay at two different hotels. Both are air conditioned, have a bar and restaurant, and a pool. It's great to spend the day at the beach, but to continue to swim in a pool. With Anabelle, this is almost mandatory.

This year we stayed at Hotel Baja Montañita. It is outside of the town and we can walk to it either by road, but preferably by beach. It is at the end of the beach where most of the surfers surf. It is more private and family oriented compared to the hostels in the town. I enjoy the walk along the coast. Just long enough.

The other hotel, we have stayed at a few times is in town, called Charo's Hostal. We have come to know the owners who are very nice. The hotel has its own entrance to the beach and if you enjoy being right in the town, I recommend staying here.


The challenging part of finding a place to stay is that many hotels do not accept reservations. I see it is an adventure. Some people may find the insecurity unnerving. By now I am used to it and it's all part of the experience of our travel.

We stayed in Montañita for two days. We would have stayed an additional day, but we couldn't change our flight schedule.

Someday when we have our own vehicle, we plan to drive the entire route. Make our own stops and really take advantage of the beautiful coast.


By then we'll have have another traveler on our hands. So exciting!