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As I sit writing this in my Guayaquil hotel room, I realize there are many parts of Puerto Cayo Ecuador that we’ll miss dearly. On the other hand, I can’t help but feel a wave of relief that our adventure there was cut short. When Trevor and I made the decision to spend 6 months in remote Coastal Ecuador, we had no way of knowing some of the things we would come up against……
Our collection of: ‘The good, the bad and the ugly – Puerto Cayo Ecuador Edition’ would be a useful tool for someone considering a stay in the area (or similar remote latin american destination) but please remember that these are our opinions and our experiences. Many people might have a strikingly different reality in the same town.
Puerto Cayo Ecuador - HIGHS
Value:
When we were searching online for an OCEAN FRONT villa for rent, our eyes popped out of our heads seeing some of the pricing across Central/South America. I’m not kidding. Why would anyone pay $7-10k a month for an ocean front villa in Mexico, Costa Rica or the Dominican? If you are one of those people, STOP RIGHT NOW, you are driving up the cost for all the SANE people in the world. (hehe!) But in all honesty, we almost scrapped the entire trip. The #1 thing on Trevor’s list was being able to see and hear the ocean from the house. When we found the Delfin Villas in Cayo, the price fit into our budget VERY well. For the price, you can’t get any closer to the ocean. (and the place is really gorgeous to boot!)
We found our beautiful rental on VRBO! You should take a look at renting a house instead of a hotel for stays over 1 week (it can be way more cost effective)
Safety:
Personally I have spent a ton of time in Latin America (from travelling alone in southern Mexico as an 18 year old girl, to being held at gunpoint and robbed in Nicaragua) and safety for both Trevor and I is top priority. Not only was our villa completely gated, walled and locked, but we had a 24 hour security guard and a protective pitbull! The town of Cayo is completely safe to walk around in the day or even at night (which is uncommon in South America). There was never a moment we felt unsafe.
Peace:
Let’s just call it how it is: Trevor and I are complete retirees. Imagine slippers, knitting, newspapers and naps… yep… that’s us. The peace and quiet of Puerto Cayo was a huge bonus for the inner recluse in both of us. When we went for a walk on the beach, we could basically pretend that we owned the whole thing, not a soul on it! There were no stores in the area, so that ‘busy/running errands’ mindset vanishes. Just the sounds of our laptop keys clicking and the rumble of the waves.
Weather
Hot, (mostly) sunny, humid. All while we started seeing Facebook photos from our friends back home of their snowy driveways. Enough said.
Jo:
Jo was our driver, tour guide and friend. The main reason we did not rent a car (well apart from it being stupid expensive for 6 months) was that we could hire Jo as our personal driver for $10/h. What a bargain! She took us on excursions, to get food and supplies, and other errands. Jo was an absolute lifeline.
To Summarize the GOOD:
We loved having a pool, the ocean, the waves, peace and quiet, and the feeling of safety. It was like our own little tropical paradise. Honestly if it wasn’t for the trade off’s below, we probably would have stayed there forever!
Puerto Cayo Ecuador - LOWS
Power:
The power outages are constant. All the time. All different times. Sometimes when you are sleeping, other times when you are trying to do laundry. Our house had POWER water pumps and a POWER stove (not propane, I know how crazy that is for Latin America) so we could not shower, flush toilets or cook food when the power was out. And unlike using your cell phone during a power outage in North America, we only had wifi….which… ran on power. At first, it was kind of fun. Light the candles and play charades! After the 20th time, it became a kind of cruel and unreasonable torture. Imagine trying to get some work done and BOOM, no power again. If Trevor had hair, he would have pulled it all out.
Internet:
When the power actually decided to grace us with its presence, the internet did not always follow suit. We are NO strangers to the ‘interesting’ internet connections you get while in Latin America, but this took the cake. At times it was slower than dial-up. I can still hear the haunting sounds of a modem connecting over a phone line in my nightmares.
Food:
You may have read my blog all about our carb consumption, but if not, let me give you the gist. White bread, white rice, fried plantains, french fries, fried chicken, twinkies, chips, Coke. That is about 95% of what is available in Cayo if you do not eat seafood. If you DO eat seafood, you are good to go. Dive right on in to the squid, crab, lobster, etc. They will even bring it to your door alive.
Isolation:
Yes, I know I just said the peace and quiet was one of our favorite parts, but this is different. What I mean by isolation is the absolute lack of anything you might need. You quite honestly need to take a Tuk-tuk, to a bus station, a 40 minute bus ride, to another Tuk-tuk ride, AND BACK, just to pay a bill. Or to get something other than white rice to eat. Want to order something online? Well shucks, they just don’t have mail service in Cayo, so you are SOL. We basically had to stockpile supplies like we were going to live in a bunker.
Dogs:
Trevor’s pet peeve! (see what I did there…) There are dogs on the road, dogs on the beach and dogs that just pop right out of nowhere. Some are typical mangey, sickly mutts who just want a scrap of food. Others are downright mean and vicious and would love to take a chunk out of your leg. When we went for walks, we were forced to do so with a stick for our own protection.
Garbage:
This is not ‘little miss white girl’ saying there was a lot of garbage compared to squeaky clean Canada. Cayo, Jipijapa, Lopez and Manta had a lot of garbage for even Latin American standards. It’s everywhere. Every ditch, roadside and all over the beach. I wish it wasn’t, but it is.
To Summarize the BAD
We did not realize just HOW secluded we were, the general lack of fresh food and supplies, and how many times we were not able to work because of outages. I also did not realize just how many carbs I could eat in one sitting (it’s mind blowing!)
Our suggestions for living in Puerto Cayo:
- If you are going to live here, a generator is a MUST. If you are renting on the coast, make sure they have a generator. The power outages require a generator.
- If you like convenience and easy access to things, Cayo may not be the place for you. I did not believe when I read online that you could just buy ‘eggs and bread’ at the store here. It’s true.
- You will need wheels if you want the freedom to travel to get supplies, OR be okay with hiring a driver about a week ahead of time.
- If you are in love with your brands of shampoos, creams, etc- bring them. You will 100% not find them here.
- Learn some basic, basic Spanish here. They do not speak English. (nor should they have to! We are the visitors!)
- Do your research. We used VRBO to find our place, TripAdvisor to research things in the area, and a lot of Google searches!
I’m looking out the window from the 7th floor lounge at the hotel where I was just served a refreshing drink and a delicious plate of fruit and feeling absolutely delighted for SMALL pleasures such as this. While sleepy Puerto Cayo will always be in my heart, the time has come to enjoy the benefits that come with a little bustle.
Now that you know a little more about Puerto Cayo Ecuador, could you have spent 3 months there? Tell us Below!
Related Ecuador Posts:
- The Cheapest Places to Travel in 2019
- What to do in Cuenca, Ecuador
- Getting to Know Puerto Cayo and surrounding area
- Getting used to LESS in Ecuador
Freddy
Wednesday 19th of October 2022
Thanks for all the notes, I just heard about cayo and was looking for real state there. I was born in Ecuador, I now live in Massachusetts. I have been going back to vacation in Olon for the last 15 years but it is starting to get crowded. I think OLon would have been a better place for you guys. Again, thanks for posting, is very helpful.
Katerina
Saturday 2nd of April 2022
Okay Karen. White people need to stop complaining about the countries they go to with the intention of exploiting. We all know you go there to exploit the people, low costs, housing prices. Another type of colonialism but still you're all just like your ancestors.
Will
Friday 2nd of September 2022
@Katerina, Your comments are racist. Kashlee (not Karen) gave the good and the bad. How is spending money in another country exploitation? You're clearly a racist troll. Please stay wherever you are and don't "colonize" anywhere you go. This article is valuable for those of us who appreciate travel.
Angela
Friday 4th of September 2020
I actually own a villa at Delfin in Puerto Cayo (since 2014) and due to COVID have been here since February. Your article is totally accurate: the good and the bad and yet we love it here. To answers some questions: 1) The power is better. Not sure if they have managed to upgrade the grid but outages are less frequent than what we remember from previous years. 2) Internet is still "interesting", although we are looking at fiber optic alternatives which are now becoming available in Cayo and have been told are more reliable. 3) Dogs are still an issue but with more ex-pats moving in and local vets helping out with free sterilization it might be improving (a little). 4) Garbage: Unfortunately still true. Despite many efforts to clean up the beaches, garbage is a perpetual reminder of human laziness. The roadways to Jipijapa, Manta and Puerto Lopez are still regarded as local garbage dumps. Thank God for the vultures who do their best at consuming the refuse. This is without question my own biggest complaint about an otherwise paradise. 5) Food: Other than small tiendas, there are no larger supermarket-type stores in Cayo, for those a trip to Jipijapa or Manta is required. Seafood is still easily available, as in delivered to your door by the fisherman who caught it that morning but anything else means heading out of town. 6) Puerto Cayo gives the word "isolation" new meaning. It has not changed very much in the 6 years we have been here. The beach palapa style restaurants are still around and serve local foods, ceviche and beer inexpensively. Other "nicer" restaurants come and go. Ex-pats and locals alike try different ventures but this is a tough place to get anything consistent going. There is no night life. Take a walk at any time and you may possibly be the only person out there. Seclusion is a definite way of life. 7) Read 5 & 6 and yes, a car is really a must if you want to get around easily, buy provisions and see the beautiful areas of Parque Nacional Machalilla, the Pacoche Jungle, Los Frailes Beach, Agua Blancas and Puerto Lopez. Puerto Cayo is not for everyone but I love the natural beauty and remoteness of this small fishing village. Sorry this is lengthy but wanted to give update with no false impressions.
Trevor Kucheran
Saturday 5th of September 2020
Thank you so much for the update. It will always hold a special place in our hearts and for those who love isolation...It's perfect.
James
Thursday 30th of July 2020
Try Olon next time. Clean beach, new Tia Supermarket 3 miles away in Montanita. Vets do periodic round up of strays and nueter. Lots to do or not within easy reach.
coxhere14
Tuesday 9th of June 2020
Have things changed for the better since this article was written several years ago?
Kashlee Kucheran
Tuesday 9th of June 2020
That is a great question! We have not been back, so we are unsure of how much has changed there. Hopefully someone who has been there recently will see this comment and add their 2-cents!