Olón is the perfect little beach town in Ecuador. It’s everything you wish that Montañita wasn’t.
Not too far up the coast from Guayaquil, you find the infamous party town of Montañita, Ecuador. It´s a ‘chill’ little surf/party town in Santa Elena Province in Southwest Ecuador.
In the town you have maybe 4 streets going North-South and 4 intersecting those going East-West. It’s very small. Lining these streets are nothing but restaurants, bars, clubs, and street food vendors. The town is built on party.
Each night of the week you’ll find an all-you-can-drink special going on somewhere, and usually for no more than $5-10. It’s a hectic mess and a whole lot of fun.
The parties don’t stop until well after the sun comes up. Even then, there is always somewhere open for the after party.
I arrived here on a Friday afternoon, prime time to show up in the town. After bumping into an old friend I made in Quito and partying the weekend away, I knew I had to get out of here.
It’s a fun town, don’t get me wrong. But I don’t quite have the stamina that I used to. Heavy drinking on consecutive days feels more like work now than fun.
I was talking around and surveying my options on that haggard Sunday morning. I didn’t know much about the area but I knew I wanted to find a small, quiet beach town to relax for a few days.
I didn’t know what to expect, but I chucked my belongings in a bag and made haste for a little town just 5 minutes up the road, Olón.
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Welcome to the Sleepy Beach Town of Olón, Ecuador
I loved Olón. It’s Montañita without the crazy. There are miles of beach to explore, the food scene is quite good, and you can get a good sleep in the sweet, sweet quiet of the night.
Montañita’s beach stretches until it reaches a cape on the north side of the beach. This cape is what separates Montañita and Olón. It’s only a 5-minute drive between the two towns but they feel a world apart.
Olón is blessed with miles of beautiful beach that is perfect for beginner surfers. There are many surf schools here if you fancy a go at learning to ride the waves.
I ended up staying about 2 weeks in the town. It was my favourite place in all of Ecuador. I had my own private room a couple minutes’ walk from the beach and could go to Montañita on the weekends to enjoy the festivities. All the while, returning to my comfortable place whenever I felt it was time.
Where to Stay in Olón, Ecuador
When I arrived in Olón I walked the streets looking at different accommodation options. There´s something for all budgets. I don´t recall there being any dorm rooms in town but you can find private rooms starting around $12-15/night.
I eventually settled on Casa de Lili. It’s a very calm, clean place run by fantastic people. With my longer-term arrangement, I had a private room and bathroom with a shared kitchen for about $10-11/night.
I’m not receiving anything for this, but I can confidently recommend this spot if you make your way to Olón.
The beach in town is lined with cabañas featuring fresh seafood options at reasonable prices. Walk down the beach a little bit and you’ll find yourself all alone with the sea. Dotting the coastline are some luxurious vacation real estate that have the beach as their backyards.
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I’d go for runs down the beach, passing through very small towns as I made my way up the coast. It’s a beautiful place.
December marks the beginning of their sunny weather months. I was there in November and most of the days were grey and cloudy. There was hardly ever rain, but it was a bit gloomy most days. Still beautiful, but dark.
There were two days where the sun revealed itself and the beach was magnificent. I can only imagine how beautiful this place is in the sunny months.
If you want a quieter beach vacation while still having quick access to the fun and crazy of Montañita, Olón is the perfect place to laze and bathe away your days.
How Olón fits into your Ecuador travel itinerary.
How to Get to Olón
If you’re in Montañita, you can find a taxi that’ll take you to Olón for no more than $2. Alternatively, you can stand on the side of the road heading north and wait for a bus to come by. They come pretty often. Wave one down and it’ll pull over for you. The one time I took the bus I was pretty drunk and it was pretty late so I can’t give you an exact price breakdown of it, but it was cheaper than the taxi.
If you’re in Guayaquil, head to the main bus terminal and find a ticket to Montañita. If Montañita is the last stop for your bus, then follow the above procedure. More likely than not though, your bus will continue up the coast. Just hang on for 5 more minutes and hop off when you drive through the next town. This is Olón.
If you´re coming from Quito, again find a ticket to Montañita, but you´ll be coming from the north so you’ll need to keep your eye out for Olón. It’ll take you somewhere between 8-12 hours to get there so you don’t really need to start paying attention until you start driving along the ocean. If you miss town, just get off in Montañita and find your way to Olón from there.
There aren’t a ton of things to do in Olón, but if you like sleepy little beach towns you’ll find it hard to leave.
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