Central & South Coast - Adventure Guide to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands - page 297

friends, and the cozy restaurant offers great seafood, vegetarian, and
other cuisines. Some of the lodging includes shared bathrooms with
biodigesting toilets. A unique setup, Alandaluz was the first of its
kind to offer a relatively self-sustaining and sustainable ecolodge. $$

Alandaluz is only a stone's throw from the beach, where lounging is
often amajor part of any day's itinerary. Swimming in the Pacific and
hiking or signing up for a local tour of Isla de la Plata are also popular.
Note that the current here can be very strong, so be careful.
Alandaluz has worked to promote local environmental education, re-
cycling, and community-based ecotourism efforts. Tour packages can
nowbe arranged to local attractions through an on-site travel agency.
A new program based in Quito through the Green Life Spanish Cen-
ter also offers a Spanish Study program that combines staying at
Alandaluz with local excursions into Machalilla National Park. You
can view the program at www.vidaverde.com/coast.asp.

Montañita/Manglaralto

Nearby, the town of Montañita has become popular with young for-
eign travelers searching for la playa . To accommodate their needs, a
number of cabañas and beachside accommodations have sprung up in
recent years. Several informal bungalows are easy to find adjacent to
the beach. Check around for one with an ambiance that appeals to
you.

El Centro del Mundo , a very popular budget hostel in Quito, added
an enormous lodge right here on the south coast. You can't miss it, sit-
uated as it is right on the waterfront. If you're looking for a relaxing
place to hang out, party, and meet people, this is it. Rooms vary from
dorms with shared baths to private doubles. Inquire at El Centro del
Mundo in Quito, Lizardo García 569 and Reina Victorian,

2-2229-

050 $.

Just north of the village on the beach is Hotel Montañita , 4-2901-

296, /fax [phone], [e-mail], offering budget com-

forts, including Internet service, laundry, and a beachside restau-
rant. $.

For the ultimate surfer's party cabaña, check out La Casa del Sol ,
[e-mail] or [e-mail], www.casasol.com.
Randy Hood, a California surfer who landed here in 1990, now helps
to provide surfing support from Casa del Sol and offers one of the
coast's self-proclaimed best beach parties. His goal was to create “an
integrated travelers' (surfers') hostel - clean, cool and inexpensive
enough for the budget traveler,” now complete with restaurant, bar,