Located in the province of Santa Elena, Monañita is approximately an 8-hour journey by bus from the capital; Quito. The ride is a descent of over 2800 meters along the scenic winding roads from the Andean city. If you are prone to motion sickness, the bends in the road will likely make you ill. This is a frequented route and several bus companies of all budgets leave quite frequently. There doesn’t seem to be a way to book or get the schedules online so you’ll have to go to one of the two bus terminals in Quito (Carcelen in the north; Quitumbe in the south). Alternatively, you can take a short 50-minute flight to the city of Guayaquil and then catch a 2-hour 30-minute bus from Guayaquil to Montañita. There are many lodging options as well and can usually be found upon arrival. However, do look up Ecuadorian public holidays as it’ll be extremely busy on these days and more difficult to get a hotel upon arrival.
The beach town is very small; in fact, most of the hotels, restaurants, bars, and clubs can be found in a three block radius between Calle Primera and Calle de los Cocteles. The small size of the town makes it all the more convenient since you can find everything on a relaxing walk from souvenir shopping to grabbing some street food. The beach itself is clean and lined with beach chairs for rent for about 5 USD1 each for the day. You can also buy ice cold beers from the owners to enjoy while you take in the sun and enjoy the cool seaside breeze. If you walk further along the beach, there are even beach beds for rent. For the thrill seekers, there are several water activities including the banana boat, parasailing, jet skiing, surfing, and something called ‘La Bestia’. The last one is an extreme version of the banana boat where you hang on to a large circular buoy for dear life.
Montañita translates to little mountain, and this is because the beach town is next to a small hill that you can hike up for a panoramic view of the town. It’s a short 25-minute walk up the hill from the town and there’s a colourful ‘Montañita’ sign up there to take pictures with. Back in the town, the Calle de los Cocteles is the most lively street with many bars and clubs. There are also several cocktail stalls lined up on both sides of the street with chairs and tables to enjoy a drink. At the end of the street, you can also find bars on the beach itself. On public holidays, these bars turn up the music and it becomes a movie like beach party with people chilling and dancing on the sandy beach. The atmosphere is amazing and the party goes on until 4-5 AM when the police basically shuts it down. The street food stalls stay open all night and my personal favourite are the ‘pinchos’. These are meat skewers cooked on a grill and are a tasty way to end the night.
