Montañita: The good, the bad and the mucky

This is a real surfer’s village with fit, scantily-clad young men and women/girls casually walking through the muddy streets barefooted. 

Zenchai felt so proud to take off his shoes and socks as he made his way around. 

There’s an abundance of hostals – seems every other building is one – restaurants and bars. The beach is long, sandy and pretty clean, the waves impressive and the water inviting. Beware the immensely strong undercurrent, though. Make sure children play only in the shallow water. 

Contrary to what you may have read, Montañita is suitable for families. It does get loud at night – where in Ecuador isn’t? – but make sure you stay away from the hub of the village for a quietish night. 

The trip to Montañita from Guayaquil, on a luxury bus, is inexpensive (around $5.50 per person) and smooth. It takes around 3 ½ hours. As soon as you arrive expect to be mobbed by muscular locals offering to carry your luggage to a hostal (presumably to collect a reward). There are good and bad ones. Do your research and try to book in advance, though this can be tricky as some don’t have email or internet and, as we found, failed to even answer the phone. 

We stayed at Hostal Kundalini, which looked brilliant on their sophisticated, multi-lingual website. None of the staff spoke English, which wasn’t so much a problem as them not being particularly friendly or amenable. 

As we’ve found on numerous occasions, what’s on the label often isn’t in the tin. There was no hot water and on the first night a power failure meant no electricity or wifi. Breakfast at Kundalini was basic and there’s no choice – it’s scrambled eggs on toast with tea or coffee. We, therefore, ate out, which didn’t seem fair given breakfast was included in the price. We also didn’t like the fact that Kundalini charged $8 per night for Zenchai, who’s still only three (if only for a few more days). 

However, Kundalini is quieter than most other hostals (if you get the right neighbour). Instead of listening to holiday-makers and surfers in town, you get the sound of crashing waves (that are almost on your doorstep). I know which I’d prefer. 

In terms of eating out, there is plenty of choice and the prices vary also. For vegans there are two vegetarian restaurants in town and several other establishments offered vegetarian options. We ate at a nice vegetarian restaurant (with ample vegan dishes) that provided a two-course meal for three people at $9. At some places we paid twice that amount. 

Abrams Family Travel Tips: Make sure you have enough cash or a credit card as there isn’t a bank (but there is a cash machine). If it rains be prepared for a mudbath – the roads aren’t good and the place gets flooded and immensely mucky quickly. For that reason, avoid bringing luggage on wheels and, if you do, have the type of bag that can easily double as a backpack.

Comments

[Ricky Flintoff]

I have visited Ecuador just once before I lived in Loja city. Some people told me that i should have to visit Montañita as it is called as heaven for the beach lovers. But I didn't get chance to be there. After reading your article it looks like Montañita is a small village and even some of the basic facilities like internet is also not available. If hotel staff is not able to speak English then it would be a big problem. I have written about Loja traveling experience on some of the sites but I am not sure about Montañita that I would visit here or not.