My Cruise, My Way A cruise around the world, one bus, train, and plane at a time.

Montañita, Ecuador is a small coastal town, walkable in less than an hour, barefoot if you like, and more laid back than the beaches in Venice, CA. Located about 2 1/2 hours from Ecuador's largest city, Guayaquil, Montañita is accessible by car (if you don't mind a few bumps and lots of coastal views) and bus (if you don't mind bad movies dubbed in Spanish for your viewing pleasure). When I first arrived, I didn't realize how not ready I was for this small town. You don't need maps, or the latest reviews on the best restaurants, but rather, your own two feet, your personality and a couple dollars to make the most of your trip. If you're planning to visit Montañita, stop planning, and just go.

There are many bed and breakfast places you can stay, but they won't have air conditioning, and breakfast won't be heavy. When I stepped into Hurvinek, a beautiful and conveniently located place with accommodations big enough for three and views to the ocean, well, what more can you ask for? I let my suitcase fall onto the floor, opened all the windows and let the breeze take the place of modern air conditioning.

A short walk will take you to the beach, where Ceviche stalls are set up every 15 feet or so. Mussels, clams and other deliciously fresh sea life is freshly cleaned in the saltwater, before expertly cleaned and served in a bowl for $6 USD (no I did not stutter, yes I did say $6, yes this was heaven in a bowl). Locals will serve corn on the cob with cheese and pepper flakes, and if you're lucky like me, you'll play volleyball with new friends from Israel. If you're a surfer, you'll know Montañita holds an annual surf competition, drawing crowds and fans from around the world, but if you're not, you can enjoy learning to surf in a not-so-common location with professionals cheering you on.

Take a trip down the one of three major streets from the beach, and you'll see stalls lined up with liquor bottles, for make shift "bars". Stop at D'Jose's, and the owner will treat you lovingly while making the best Cuba Libres this side of the hemisphere. Like many, I stayed until the late evening, meeting fellow Americans who retired to Montañita long ago, and were fans of the "happy brownies" sold by locals. Marijuana is (not surprisingly) legal here, so don't fret about a small chocolate indulgence, I won't tell ;)

Montañita isn't on any go-to visit guide I know of, but this small, hipster town is the vacation you never knew you needed.