Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
• Hotel Oro Verde
9 de Octubre Avenue and García Moreno street
$$$
Hotel Oro Verde is a five-star hotel on par with any other in New York or LA. Because of
its central location guests have the best of Guayaquil at their fingertips as well as access to
a state-of-the-art health club, spa, 5 fine dining options, the latest in technology and a full
breadth of amenities.
Salinas
Settled at the tip of the Santa Elena peninsula is the city of Salinas, an upscale Ecuadorian
vacation getaway that used to be sustained only by fishing but as the tourist infrastructure
grows, it's more common to spot vacation homes, condominiums and beachfront resorts
that fishing boats. It's a popular weekend destination for affluent Guayaquileños and
would probably appeal most to families looking for an alternative to the rustic party town
of Montañita.
Salinas is located on the
Ruta del Sol
, or Sun Route which marks a scenic drive along the
Pacific coast dotted with a diversity of beach towns. It's connected by a bridge to the town
of La Libertad, a commercial beach city that's bustling on weekdays and snoozing on
weekends. Strolls on the beachfront are the thing to do, and La Libertad's stretch is a lot
more down-to-earth and informal than Salinas'. Just like any other beachfront city, pretty
much any kind of water sport can be tried here: swimming, jet skiing, surfing, snorkeling,
scuba diving, and more. However, banana boats seem to top the list.
Because of the Humboldt Current that flows from the bottom of South America's west
coast northward, climate in Salinas is among the driest in all of Ecuador. This region actu-
ally has more desert in it than anything else, and while the current keeps rain from falling,
it also keep the city under a canopy of overcast clouds for most of the year. It can actually
be depressing at times, and when it's off-season (blah to blah) the streets resemble those
of a ghost town. If you get stuck in Salinas during any of these months, just head to color-
ful La Libertad and maybe the thatched-hut bars selling cocktails on the sands of the
beach will cheer you up.
Food
•
Cevichería La Lojanita
Gallo Avenue and Áviles
