Ecuador Secret #2: The $20,000 Beachfront Lot

The restaurant was nothing fancy. Just a simple, open-air affair with a thatched roof, wooden tables, and plastic tablecloths. But the menu was remarkable. I enjoyed a sizzling mound of camarones al ajillo (shrimp sautéed in fresh garlic and olive oil) with a side order of rice and a salad, for just $3.50. And fresh fish, pulled from the ocean just hours earlier, was available for the same price. The beers were ice cold, and the view to the beach--one of the widest beaches you’ll find in Ecuador--was unobstructed.

For fresh seafood, great surfing, and wide sandy beaches, Canoa is a town you don’t want to miss. Located on Ecuador’s central coast in the province of Manabí, this village of about 6,000 has long been home to coastal fishermen. But in later years it evolved into a favorite with surfers, travelers, and a handful of weekenders. International surf competitions are held here each year in the high season, and accommodations are hard to find at that time unless you camp on the beach. Canoa has that “surfer village” feel, with its laid-back character, sandy streets, open-air restaurants, surf shops, and board rentals.

In Canoa you can expect to see a fair number of North Americans--including some local business owners--as well as Europeans. And crowded or not, it never seems get the number of Ecuadorian weekend tourists that you’ll see in resorts like Atacames, to the north.

During my two-day stay here, it was obvious that Canoa is undergoing a major renovation. The old pot-holed streets are now leveled and graded, while workers patiently lay cobblestones from one end of town to the other. Canoa has always had a good tourist infrastructure for a town of its size, and its new facelift promises it make it more attractive without changing its character.

If you'd enjoy this kind of simple and laid-back beach getaway, you'll be happy to learn that beachside living in Canoa is reasonably priced--you can buy a two-bedroom beach condo for about $35,000, or a quarter-acre beachfront lot for $20,000.

Canoa is one of a half-dozen beach towns featured in a special report called South America’s Last Coastal Frontier. Usually this report costs $49, but for this week only it comes free with the Ultimate Ecuador Kit ...see the editor's note below.

Lee Harrison
Roving Latin America Editor, International Living

Editor's note: Also included in the Ultimate Ecuador Kit is another free bonus: The Ultimate Event IV Ecuador Audio Collection. Plus, you get the just-published, brand-new, completely-updated edition of the Ecuador Owner's Manual.

All this week--the Ultimate Ecuador Week--while we let you in on every secret we know about starting a new life in Ecuador, you can get the Ultimate Ecuador Kit. But once the clock strikes midnight on Friday, March 27, you won't be able to the Ultimate Ecuador Kit anywhere at any price. This link is the only way to get the Ultimate Ecuador Kit.

To read more IL articles about Ecuador, see:

Ecuador Secret #1: The $300 Apartment With Stunning Views

Sell your winter clothes…and get ready for the adventure of a lifetime in the Land of Eternal Spring

Where do most IL readers move to enjoy a top-notch quality of life?