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Visit to Ecuador

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traveller1underway
  4/12/2019 17:16 EST

My husband and I plan to visit Ecuador for about 3 months next winter. We would like to make the coast home base and tour around from there. I have two questions right now. First, what vaccines would you recommend? Second, we are thinking about renting an Airbnb for about a week. Hopefully within that time we can narrow down exactly where we would like to be and then we would like to find someone local from whom to rent. Is a week long enough or would we be putting too much pressure on ourselves? I guess I have a third question. Is our plan reasonable? Any advice will be helpful and appreciated.

lindae
  4/12/2019 19:04 EST

One week should be enough. I could recommend to you the website www.mantaexpatsonline.com for information on expat gatherings - Thursday nights at Las Velas II restaurant for dinner & social gathering at 6 pm and lunch on Saturdays on the beach at Las Velas at 12. The expat group is the BEST place for information on everything you can imagine - including who to trust for your real estate needs. My husband and I moved to Manta in 2010 and LOVE the area and the people there. I am sure you will enjoy your stay there.

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mantatiger
  4/15/2019 14:39 EST

Hello, if you are coming to the coast, you don't need any special vaccines, but you can do the basic's just to feel comfortable. You mention 'the coast', have you settled on a town already like Manta? One week might allow you to settle on a city if you took all 7 days to travel the coast and see the different cities. As far as where you would want to rent for a year? Rent a month with AirBnB in the city you want and search for a place then. You wont know enough about your city in 7 days to want to sign a contract and get into a legal binding agreement.

traveller1underway
  4/15/2019 18:47 EST

Thank you, Mantatiger. We haven't decided on a specific place yet - we
just know that we would like to try the coast. We are still working on narrowing a specific location down. We are only planning a 3 month visit, but we would like somewhere that is close to the ocean, relatively inexpensive and affords us the chance to cook our own meals, when we want to do so. We would also like to be fairly close to public transportation. After having written all of that, I wonder if we are asking too much.

Royboy
  4/17/2019 17:55 EST

I think that Manta might be a good base for you to start. From there you can go north or south and investigate lots of beach towns. I like Manta because it has so much to offer. It's large enough to find anything you need and since the earthquake, realestate prices have been extremely low and are just starting to take off now. There is a very large expat community there also. A really good golf course in Montecristi, just east of Manta that accepts walkons. Food, including seafood is relatively inexpensive. There is good and cheap public transportation and there are movie theaters and great places to shop. Some of the smaller towns are very lacking in that kind of diversity.
Additionally, many beaches in Ecuador are very steep sloped and much more dangerous. The beaches around Manta are beautiful. They are also flater and much safer.
I actually live in Guayaquil, where I have a couple of businesses. But for two years now I have been searching for the perfect beach front property. For me, after all my research and traveling in Ecuador, from Machala in the south, to Esmeraldas in the North, I would choose to live on the beach in Manta or even any of several small towns nearby since I have an automobile and am not stuck with public transportation.
This is just my opinion. As with any, my opinion should be taken with a grain of salt. Good luck,
Ed

traveller1underway
  4/17/2019 18:17 EST

Thank you, Ed. That is great information to have. It sounds as though Manta might be a great place to use as home base for a week or two and then search neighbouring areas, if we find Manta a little too busy.

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parismason
  4/17/2019 19:23 EST

What others have said is good advice. I have been traveling the coastal area down from Esmeraldas. Am slowly making my way south to explore further pueblos, towns and cities. What I can tell you is that there is a lot more to explore than I ever thought. Seems each and every little town along the way has some type of appeal and I have found some wonderful deserted beach areas and amazing people. Have met great locals and expats alike and they all seem to be thriving and enjoying life. here in Ecuador. The Manabi province seems to be "home" to me for now. I really dont know if your time frame will allow you to really get to know a place or not...depends on what you are looking for and what makes you smile and feel happy inside I guess. To me it is the people and scenery and weather. So many different things to consider but I am sure liking Ecuador on my 3 month journey. Good luck on your search...there is a LOT of coast to cover. Oh and I did not get any vaccinations unless required which none were unless you are traveling to the Amazon...then maybe yellow fever and malaria preventatives might be wise.

Most of all HAVE FUN and be open minded cuz it is certainly different than what I expected.

Paris

lindae
  4/18/2019 08:52 EST

I agree with Royboy. My husband and I did exactly what he is suggesting - We knew we wanted to live on the coast so we rented a condo in Manta, right on the beach, with the intention of just staying there until we found our dream retirement home somewhere on the coast. We went as far north as Jama and as far south as Salinas. Our searches north and south found nothing that could compare to what we had in Manta - the condo itself, for the price we were paying, or the available resources we had access to in Manta. And of course, that is just our opinion. We love Manta and we love the people here. Good Luck with your search.

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