Montañita has a diverse array of accommodation, ranging from beachfront bungalows to budget-friendly hostels and boutique hotels. Whether you crave the soothing sounds of the Pacific from your room or the lively atmosphere of the town’s vibrant streets, Montañita’s hotels offer a range of options to suit every traveller’s preference.

12 Best Hotels in Montañita

Whether you’re after a luxurious beachfront room, or perhaps a room with a view, a room close to the party in the town centre, or a quite room further from town, we’ve got you covered with our reccommendations for the best 12 hotels in Montañita. Our 12 recommendations are in no particular order.

1) Casa del Sol

Camino la Punta, 241754 Montañita, Ecuador

Rating: 9.2 • Breakfast Included • Onsite Bar

Casa del Sol is close to the beach, all rooms have fans and ensuites with showers, they offer cooked-to-order breakfast, have beautiful common spaces such as a terrace and a garden, they have an onsite bar with a pool table, and offer free bicycle rental! Paid services inlcude: yoga, surf lessons, airport shuttle, onsite massage and spa services.

2) Casa Olonche

E15 Hacienda Olonche, 240150 Olón, Ecuador

Rating: 8.9 • Breakfast Included • Pool

Casa Olonche features a pool, garden, playground, a shared lounge and a terrace. All rooms feature ensuites with a bath or shower and free toiletries, air conditioning, a 32-inch smart TV with satellite channels, and include a free continental breakfast. Paid services inlcude bike hire, laundry facilities, massages and spa services. 

3) Cuna Luna Hosteria

9 de octubre Av. 10 de Agosto, 240110 Olón, Ecuador

Rating: 8.9 • Onsite Restaurant & Bar • Beachfront Property

Cuna Luna Hosteria is a beachfront property featuring an onsite restaurant and bar, beachfront with beach umbrellas, a garden, and an arcade/game room. Rooms include an ensuite with a shower, air conditioning, and include a free full breakfast. Some rooms offer baclonies and sea views. Paid services include an airport shuttle service and tour/ticket assistance.

4) Dharma Beach Hotel

Malecon Montañita, EC241702 Montañita, Ecuador

Rating: 8.5 • Beach Bar • Beachfront Property

Dharma Beach Hotel is a beachfront property featuring a beach bar, beachfront dining, pool with sun loungers and pool umbrellas, poolside bar, rooftop terrace, gym, game room with table tennis and pool table, and a playground. Rooms feature ensuites with showers and free toiletries, air conditioning, 32-inch LCD TVs with premium channels, desks, daily housekeeping, and include breakfast. Paid services include bike rental, airport transfers, aromatherapy, facials, and massages at the onsite spa.

5) Hotel Kundalini

200 Metros al Norte del Centro de Montanita, EC241702 Montañita, Ecuador

Rating: 9.3 • Breakfast Included • Beachfront Property

Hotel Kundalini is a beachfront property complete with private lounge chairs, umbrellas, and beach furniture. The property also features a terrace, garden, playground, arcade/game room, and a library. They have a 24-hour front desk and can help with tour/ticket bookings and offer a front-desk safe and luggage storage. All rooms have air-conditioning, have ensuites with showers, and include 43-inch smart TVs with Netflix, streaming services, and cable channels. A daily a la carte breakfast is included. A free yoga class is held once a week.
Paid services include: surf lessons, massages and aromatherapy at the onsite spa.

6) Howard Johnson by Wyndham Montanita

Sector La Vía Punta Olón, EC241702 Montañita, Ecuador

Rating: 7.9 • Breakfast Included • Beachfront Property

Howard Johnson by Wyndham Montanita is a beachfront property offering sun loungers, beach umbrellas, beach volley ball, a beach bar, 2 pools, a children’s pool, and a poolside bar. Rooms feature heated floors, rainfall showers, designer toiletries,  40-inch LED TVs with satellite channels, air conditioning and ceiling fans, private balconies and terraces overlooking the pool and the sea, and include a breakfast buffet.

7) ME Hotel & Villas – Montañita Estates

Montanita Estates 2012, 241702 Montañita, Ecuador

Rating: 7.4 • Hot Tubs • Beachfront Property

ME Hotel & Villas features 2 swimming pools, children’s pool,  free cabanas, sun loungers, and pool umbrellas, 2 hot tubs, panoramic sea views, a tropical garden, playground, an onsite restaurant and bar, a wellness and fitness centre, yoga studio, gym, a lounge, and terrace. Rooms offer splendid views, fully equipped kitchens, satellite TV, daily housekeeping, ensuites with free toiletries, air conditioning, ceiling fans, TVs with premium channels, and include a free breakfast. Paid services include cooked-to-order breakfast, dry cleaning/laundry services, tour/ticket assistance, airport transfers, yoga classes, spa services such as facials, massages, and manicures/pedicures.

8) Montañablu Hotel

Calle Luis Rosales y 15 de Mayo, Manglaralto, 241754, Santa Elena, Ecuador

Rating: 9.4 • Breakfast Included • Hot Tub

Montañablu Hotel features a pool with free cabanas, sun loungers, and pool umbrellas, a poolside bar, hot tub, steam room, and onsite restaurant, and also offer free continental breakfast, and free bicycle rental. Room feature air conditioning, ensuites with rainfall showers and shampoo, 55-inch smart TVs with Netflix, streaming services, and digital channels, and daily housekeeping. Paid services include dry cleaning/laundry services, airport transfers, and massages.

9) Nativa Bambu Ecolodge

Ruta del Spondylus, frente paradero Bus CLP, 241702 Montañita, Ecuador

Rating: 9.1 • Breakfast Included • Pool With A View

Nativa Bambu Ecolodge is a family-friendly hotel overlooking Montañita and giving an excellent view of the coast. The property offers a pool with incredible views complete with sun loungers, pool umbrellas, and a poolside bar, a children’s pool, an onsite bistro, a garden, and a playground. All rooms feature balconies, ensuites with free toiletries, air conditioning, ceiling fans, 32-inch flat-screen TVs with digital channels, and include a free cooked-to-order breakfast. Paid services include airport transfers and babysitting.

10) Punta Hills Montanita

A 150 metros norte del monumento del surfista, via a Olón, 241702 Montañita, Ecuador

Rating: 8.0 • Breakfast Included • 2 Pools

Punta Hills features two outdoor pools, a poolside bar, children’s pool, an organic garden, a terrace, pool table, an onsite restaurant, a fitness centre, and offer a free continental breakfast, and free bicycle rental. Rooms have a fan. Extra for rooms with a private bathroom and rooms with a spa bath. Paid services include airport transfers.

11) Samai Lodge Holistic Living

Km. 700 E 15, Loma San Jose , EC241756 Olón, Ecuador

Rating: 8.6 • Breakfast Included • Pool

Samai Lodge Holistic Living features a garden, pool, children’s pool, rooftop terrace, coffee shop/cafe, arcade/game room, and a library. Rooms features enuites with toiletries, air conditioning, daily housekeeping, and breakfast is provided. Paid services include bicycle rental, airport transfers, dry cleaning/laundry services, supervised childcare, as well as body treatment, facials, and massages at the onsite spa.

12) Selina Montañita

Avenida Quinta y Guido Chiriboga, Montañita, Montañita 241702, Ecuador

Rating: 7.5 • Bar With DJ • Beachfront Property

Selina Montañita is a beachfront property offering both dorms and private rooms, a pool, onsite bar with DJ, restaurant, a pool table, an arcade/game room, and a library. All rooms feature private bathrooms, air conditioning, and have a pool view. Paid services include continental breakfast, bike rentals, surf lessons, yoga, and tour/ticket assistance. 

13) Tiki Limbo

Calle Guido Chiriboga Solar 2, EC241702 Montañita, Ecuador

Rating: 8.2 • Onsite Bar & Restaurant • Rainfall Showers

Tiki Limbo features a terrace, an arcade/game room with a pool table, a bar, and onsite restaurant offering international cuisine and al fresco dining. Rooms include air conditioning, and ensuites with rainfall showers and free toiletries. Paid services include cooked-to-order breakfast, airport transfers, front-desk safe concierge services, and tour/ticket assistance.

14) Vikara

1 Calle Rosa Mystica, 241753 Olón, Ecuador

Rating: 8.8 • Breakfast Included • Pool

Vikara features a pool, garden, sun terrace, in-house restaurant, and on-site coffee shop. Rooms have ensuites, air conditioning, ceiling fans, bar fridges, housekeeping, and include a cooked-to-order breakfast. Some rooms have desks, a lounge area, and soundproofing. Paid services include bike hire, airport transfers, and a variety of wellness options including spa facilities, wellness packages and yoga classes. 

How to get to Montañita

Orientation

Montañita is main town in the area and the centre of the party with most of the hotels, cafes, restaurants, bars and clubs. In recent years Olón, just to the north, is becoming an increasingly popular alternative. Olón has a very relaxed vibe and is much less crowded. Montañita is only a short taxi ride away (USD$1 as of 2024). Manglaralto is another less crowded option just to the south.

Bus to Montañita

Most people come to Montañita from Quito, Manta, or Guayaquil. Direct night buses operate between Montañita and Quito, taking 9 hours. Be mindful that Quito has to bus stations: Quitumbe is the southern bus station and Carcelén is the northern bus station. The Centro Histórico district of Quito is almost exactly halfway between the two bus stations. It takes an hour to travel between the two bus stations, so make sure you buy your ticket for the right station! Buses between Manta and Montañita take 3 hours. Buses between Guayaquil and Montañita take 3h15. 

Montañita does not have a bus station so tell the bus driver where to drop you along the main road when approaching Montañita. When you’re leaving Montañita you can hail a bus from the main road and it will stop if it can. A couple of bus companies have ticket booths on the main road in the main part of Montañita.

Fly To Montañita

The closestest airports to Montañita are Manta and Guayaquil. If you’re short on time or just sick of long bus rides, you can find yourself reasonably priced flights from Quito to Manta or Guayaquil. Flights from Quito (UIO) to Manta (MEC) take 40 minutes with prices start at USD$70. Flights from Quito (UIO) to Guayaquil (GYE) take 52 minutes with prices start at USD$55. I found these flights on my go to website for finding cheap flights – Skyscanner.

Most hotels in Montañita offer airport transfers. These prices are usually on par with taxis, saving you the need to negotiate yourself, and giving you the peace of mind that you can trust the driver and that the driver knows excatly where to go. A transfer from Manta takes around 2 hours, and a transfer from Guayaquil around 2 hours and 20 minutes.

Montañita Car Rental

If you want extra flexibility, or plan to explore the region, car rental in Ecuador is quite cheap. There are no car rental companies in Montañita but you can rent a car from either Manta or Guayaquil. Car rental is cheaper in Guayaquil than in Manta. Whenever I try to find cheap car rentals, Kayak usually comes out on top. On Kayak I found a car in Guayaquil for USD$120 a week.

Is Montañita Safe?

Montañita is considered a relatively safe town, though as anywhere, crime does occur. Montañita has a reputation as a party town and is known for its relaxed approach towards drugs and alcohol. Most of the crime in Montañita is related to the nightlife. People get intoxicated. The best approach is to keep your belongings close and don’t walk home alone intoxicated. The town is home to many expats and most of the locals work in tourist oriented businesses. The town heavily relies on tourism, so crime against tourists is counterproductive to the town as a whole.

Can you drink tap water?

You cannot drink tap water in Montañita, bottled water is a must. Some accommodation providers offer free water for their guests.

Travel Insurance

If you can’t afford travel insurance, you can’t afford to travel. It’s that simple. I always take out travel insurance when I travel and its literally saved me thouands of dollars. Things ultimately can and do go wrong, no matter how careful you are. The first time I needed travel insurance was the night before my first big trip abroad. I hadn’t even set my foot our the door. My flight was cancel and I missed my international flight. 

The company I have always used is World Nomads and I couldn’t be happier with them. They provide solid coverage and when things go wrong, its easy to submit a claim and they have fast processing times.

Stay Connected

Local SIM cards are inexpensive and well worth it to keep you connected, saving you from having to hunt for wifi hotspots. The two main mobile carriers in Ecuador are Claro and Movistar. You’ll see their signs everywhere. Both brands are all over South America but unfortunately you’ll need to get a new SIM card in every country.

Alternatively, if your phone supports eSIMs, you can get an eSIM that covers the entire continent and a majority of the world. An eSIM costs more than a physcial SIM but it can save you so much time and hassle. One of the greatest conveniences is when crossing a land border and you instantly have internet, saving you from being disconnected while waiting to arrive in the next town and then need to hunt down the next SIM card. I bought my first eSIM in South America and it was such a huge convenience and served me for the entire three months. From my experience, it seemed that physcial SIM cards were faster, but ultimately I wouldn’t have done it any different. The only major downside of an eSIM, or at least the one I had, was that it did not include a phone number – only data. That was a bit of a pain at times but as you will discover, the majority of people and businesses use WhatsApp, so you actually get by without a phone number. I found and bought the eSIM online. It only took a few minutes to set it up and then I didn’t have to think about it for the rest of my trip (besides one top-up). The eSIM carrier I used was called Airalo, it cost USD$60 for 20GB, valid for 12 months. 

Currency

The official currency of Ecuador is the US dollar (USD). The US dollar replaced the Ecuadorian Sucre (ECS) in 2000 following the Ecuadorian financial crisis of 1998-1999. 

Ecuador power socket

Which power socket does Ecuador use? Ecuador uses Type A and Type B power sockets, with Type A being the most common. We did not stay in any accommodation that allowed for Euro plugs. You’ll be able to find a cheap local adaptor easily wherever you are. Most long distance buses have usb ports but quite often they don’t work. Its rare but some colectivos will even have usb ports.  Regardless, a powerbank will make your life easier. 

Montañita is one of those places that takes you by surprise and you end up staying waaay long than intended, regardless of if you’re interested in relaxing, surfing, or partying. It really does feel like its a place for everyone. We hope you found this guide useful. Let us know if there’s anything we missed!