After kind of settling down in Guayaquil, I was desperate to START with the fun bit. With all that I had heard about Montañita, I couldn't wait to spend a weekend there. So, it was decided then. The first weekend that was some what free, we packed our bags(Sat morning), and headed to what was called the "Crazy Party town".
Montañita is a small coastal town located in the province of Santa Elena about 180 kilometers northwest of Guayaquil. Driving at an average speed of 60-70 kmph, you would reach in 3 hours.
Montañita is a small coastal town located in the province of Santa Elena about 180 kilometers northwest of Guayaquil. Driving at an average speed of 60-70 kmph, you would reach in 3 hours.
The drive to Montañita is beautiful, with broad roads, greenery around, view of paragliders in the clear blue sky and then further down you are driving next to the sea with the waves crashing up and down and welcoming you whole heartedly.
What one must know about Montañita before coming here, is, that it is a complete "Night Place". The place looks very different in the day, from what it does at night. On weekends, people from all around come here to live-it up.The nights are full of dancing, drinking and living it up till wee hours of the morning, and thus during the day, the people catch up on their sleep; thus leaving the streets empty and bare.
My suggestion is that ideally arrive here by Saturday afternoon or Friday in case it is a long weekend. The reason for this being that Montañita though has a lot of hostels, catering to all kinds of requirements; but I am not kidding when I say that they get fully booked on most weekends. We faced this issue, when once(few weeks later) we did the mistake of coming on Sat evening, and had to spend two hours going from one hostel inn to another, till we had to finally settle for a very expensive yet a very average room.
Anyways, since we were well in time; we had our pick of the hostel and the kind of room we wanted. 
We could afford to be choosy and reject rooms as well, which trust me is a luxury in itself. Most of the accommodations in Montañita cater for back packers and hence instead of rooms, you are paying for beds.
In case you are a couple, there are few hotels here as well but the true fun of enjoying the spirit of this place, is by living in these hostels. So we took a room with three beds(paid a little extra but well worth the hostel experience). Our hostel which also had an amazing restaurant attached was called- TIKI LIMBO. Situated on the main street, where all the cocktail shacks, and street artists perform in the evening, we were very happy with our choice.
We decided to have lunch at the very comfortable looking restaurant of TIKI LIMBO itself, and trust me the decision was not regretted. Finger-licking-good dishes. Right from Thai food, to Italian, to yummy hotcakes; any and everything you want, you get here. Definitely and Highly recommended.
With stuffed stomachs, we got our lazy asses up and decided to walk around the street to check out the various street shops with beautiful local stuff- jewellery, handbags, decorative stuff etc. So colorful and so cheap. I actually managed to practise my spanish negotiation skills and might I say, I was very successful :).
Knowing that we had a long night ahead, with lots of partying to do, a nap before the crazy stuff began was much needed. So with a happy and content mind, heart and stomach we crashed on our beds and slept away the little bit of tiredness that we had.
After a good rest, I definitely would suggest that a walk on the beach cannot be missed. Not only does the fresh breeze elevate your spirit, but the energy around the beach just after the sun has set, is infectious.
It feels like each and every person who is here- has no worries, no reservations, no fear and no responsibilities; to be burried under. Living life for the moment is what every one who comes here; believes, preaches and practises.
It feels like each and every person who is here- has no worries, no reservations, no fear and no responsibilities; to be burried under. Living life for the moment is what every one who comes here; believes, preaches and practises.
"When in Rome, do as the Romans do".
And I was more than happy to do so. How an hour or more passed, while sitting on the beach and looking at the waves is a mystery. But when the hunger again kicked in, we had to move our butts. This time, when we hit the streets, the look and feel was completely different.
With the cocktail shacks opened all across the streets, with the music playing and the customers dancing away; I think I felt the most energetic I could ever feel in my life.There are many food shacks on the street as well, with all kinds of fast food at your service. Obviously, there are the proper restaurants for a proper meal; but we chose to have some hot dogs follwed by some crepes. Yummm...
With the cocktail shacks opened all across the streets, with the music playing and the customers dancing away; I think I felt the most energetic I could ever feel in my life.There are many food shacks on the street as well, with all kinds of fast food at your service. Obviously, there are the proper restaurants for a proper meal; but we chose to have some hot dogs follwed by some crepes. Yummm...
After the treat to our stomachs, my throat was cursing me for ignoring it. And so, off we went to one of the cocktail shacks. Good music, good ambience and great COCKTAILS. Sighh. Could life be any better. From Piña coladas, to Mojitos, to Margaritas. I think I tried it all, and trust me no regrets then or later.
I like to dance, but with happy drinks, I become an even happier person. So my "Happy feet", took me straight to one of the 4 famous clubs- Caña Grill. Was that a right decision or what. I loved it to my core. Mix of English and Spanish popular numbers were played all night long.
People seemed to be so high on life, that their legs did not permit them to rest the whole night. With the DJ enjoying making people dance to his tunes, I was instantly addicted to this very awesome place. Since you have the whole night at your disposal, you can also club hop since all are right next to each other. With a minimum cover ranging from USD 5-15, one always has this option. Other good clubs are Nativa Bambu, Ola Ola etc.
So, once you have had your share of dancing and crazy reggaeton...No, you cannot go sleep. Because, there is more to see and do. Head straight to the beach, where the best and the craziest fiestas happen. That is the "after-party" place. People love to dance in Montañita and can't get enough. If you are tired, I suggest just sit on the beach next to a bonfire(oh yes, we have bonfires here in plenty too), take a bottle of beer and just enjoy the view. Deep dark sea with high waves on one side, and a crowd of happy people dancing away to glory as if it was their last day on earth, on the other side. Keep a lookout for the sunrise, as that is the best sight after a crazy, fun night. The beach just lights up with the beautiful rays of the sun. Sighhh....what a beauty.After doing all this, after getting all the ticks on your things to do LIST; you are now permitted to go to sleep :). If not too sleep deprived, you can get up for brunch next morning and head to the beach for some amazing sun bathing and sea dipping before you say your good byes to this amazingly lively and energetic place called - Montañita.
See you again soon Montañita.
Read more about Montañita, the restaurants, hotels, things to do in my other blogs:
1)Hotel Tiki Limbo,Montañita: Make new friends and enjoy the REAL feel of this town.
2)Tiki Limbo Restaurant,Montañita: Waffles to DIE for...
2)Tiki Limbo Restaurant,Montañita: Waffles to DIE for...
You can also refer to these other articles which I found helpful while searching more information about this town:
Chao!
Adios!
Hasta Luego!
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