Life on the Coast of Ecuador
Hubby and I are excited about the possibility of living in Ecuador.
It is a common theme to hear of life in Cuenca and Quito for most people.
We are looking to move to Puerto de Manta (we have a relative living there). We know that are very few expats living there.
I would love to hear from those who have a life on the coast, please.
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One of Ecuador聮s biggest atractions is the coastal area, still quite virgin in terms of potential for development yet in a steady state of growth. In the area, Salinas is considered the best tourist beach resort in Ecuador and the Pacific coastline by many visitors, the sandy crescent moon bay arcs around the resort with dozens of high rising apartment blocks which overlooks the busy main road fronted by shops, restaurants, bars, discos, an historical marine museum and major hotels. Salinas offers also exciting whale watching tours, deep fishing tours and luxurious yachts racing events.
Salinas, located in Santa Elena province is also the best location on the coast for the highest levels of Infrastructure. There is a Shopping mall with multi cinemas, two big supermarkets and shops to explore as well as sports/Yacht clubs such as Salinas and Puerto Lucia Yatch Clubs as well as a variety of water sports and beach activities. Adjacent to Salinas also lies La Libertad, a more commercial town with a scenic ocean boardwalk and a fishing port also becoming a touristic spot with an expanding hotel market.
Salinas is 2 hs drive from Guayaquil, Ecuador聮s biggest city where people goes for more selective shopping. In response to the demand, the Salinas airport by the Chocolatera beach is currently under construction, to be open to domestic commercial flights by March 2013 and projected to become an international airport in the long term.
The major season and hotter climates are from December to May maintaining temperatures between 80s - 90s while the quieter season excluding Weekends is from Mid May to Early December with the temperature between the 60s - 70s .The food costs out here are also excellent with weekly costs around $30-50 U.S.D however one may also take advantage of the fresh caught lobsters and crabs sold daily by local fisherman in the town ,for instance one can buy 20 medium sized Lobsters for around $20, and even less for crabs.
The bay has jet skiers, water skiers and variety of yachts anchored in the bay adjacent to the yacht club. The beach is very popular during peak season and most weekends along with golden sandy beaches and warm emerald green waters all year round due to its peninsular position receiving great weather with blue cloudless skies and long hot sunny periods for most of the year. There are several tour operators offering boat excursions and/or tours around the closest fishing villages, such as Ballenita, Ayangue and many other destinations. On the beach, you can also hire Jet Skis for about US $40,00 an hour, or US $20.00 for a 30 minute ride. Water skiing is also available for the same price.
A second major beach in Salinas is Chipipe (adjacent to the yacht club), with great waves for body boarding or Mori Boogie boarding and jet skiing. Chipipe is located in a residential area compared to the main Salinas' beach, which is the commercial side of this small city. Open markets are available in both areas during the evening selling handicrafts, coral jewelry, multi colored dyed clothing art and shell crafts. You can also take a 4 seat passenger bike tour for US $2.00 for an hour around the areas amidst the fresh evening breezes.
Salinas, is also a party town with visitors peaking in high season and holidays while filled with locals and tourist at weekends.
Ecuador not only a great country to live with friendly people, amazing biodiversity and priviledged coastal weather, a virgin paradise already experiencing a surge in new international visitors, many of whom adopt the coast to retire and set up businesses.
Feel free to PM should you have further questions or concerns.
I have heard of Salinas a lot. It sounds absolutely amazing and untouched. Hopefully it will continue like so


We know the weather is cooler then.聽 Is the ocean water still warm enough to swim then?
Love the fact the water is warm for most of the time

Eu morei e ainda trabalhei na costa do Brasil a 12 anos. Adorei as praias da Santa Catarina, a cidade de Blumenau. Onde voce nasceu? como assim nos EUA?
Genman32: July is still warm, sunny and dry. Plenty of beach activity. It only rains on January and sometimes February.
My wife and I live on the coast and love it. We chose the coast for the weather and lifestyle. We enjoy all that Ecuador has to offer and living along the northern coast gives us the opportunity to enjoy either the city or the country as we see fit. Good luck on your eventual move and if you find yourself in the Bahia de Caraquez area up to Pedernales, let us know and we will get together. The northern beach areas are very pristine and by most accounts the nicest in Ecuador and not crowded at all..matter of fact you wont see many if any people strolling or hanging out unless its a holiday. We have traveled to many parts of Ecuador from the highlands to the coast and have seen many wonderful spots. Everyone will have their own take on what they like and what is important to them for living in an area. Visiting other areas will give you a taste for what you might like...which is one of the best things about Ecuador...its diversity.
I am concerned about the bugs and mosquitoes along the coast of Ecuador.聽 Since you live there, can you please give us an idea of what to expect.
My best suggestion is to come for an extended visit, rent a place short term and see if a particular area suits you. I would recommend you come during rainy season to see if the coastal areas work for you since that is our hottest and most humid time of year and if you like it then you will love it the rest of the year. August/September is our coolest time of year just FYI. Hope that helped some.
flor_123 wrote:Hello fellow expats!
Hubby and I are excited about the possibility of living in Ecuador.
It is a common theme to hear of life in Cuenca and Quito for most people.
We are looking to move to Puerto de Manta (we have a relative living there). We know that are very few expats living there.
I would love to hear from those who have a life on the coast, please.

It is great to see so many happy people living in different places and offering help to newcomers. Ecuador is a lovely country with so much to see...best wishes to all.
Thank you each and everyone for posting and keeping this topic going.
I will be addressing each and everyone individually for a response!
Gracias amigos de Expat

I saw a lot of expats in Quito connecting to Cuenca . Why do you want to go that far and not be on the coast? Cuenca is cold at night 40's . Manta is 78 days and 68 nights almost every night. Trust me, if you have CHF, COPD, joint pain, don't go to Cuenca.
petty theft, sexual assault, taxi cab theft. atm thefts, with
bank employees helping.聽 Now I live outside Miami fl., and I
wouldn't walk downtown Miami at nite nor would I flaunt money
jewelry etc.聽 So I'd like to know Just how bad is Ecuador,
especially, playas, and coastal. thank you for comments/advice
聽 聽marty knight
coming over there. and ur article sure making me feel better.
never been聽 to phoenix, but Miami is the pits....and I don't
live downtown...I want to look around the coast maybe for
property, but keeping all options open. Renting an apartment
in playas, but have not confirmed resrv. yet. getting scared
about everyone telling me about the crimewave so to speank.
again thanks, and lets keep in touch...jamarpuddles@yahoo.com
聽 聽 聽 聽 marty knight
I don't think you need to worry so much about the crime. I've been in Bahia for a year and haven't had any problems. I have heard of a few robberies but sometimes when people have a negative experience they tell everone about it and it seems magnified many times over.There are many expats having good expeiences but you don't hear about them because they are busy living life and enjoying it.
Life on the coast is great.If you make it to Bahia, let me know.
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