I don't have that much to report on here but I really want to give back to this forum because it has been an amazing travel resource for me.
Background: 24 y.o. from United States. I rock long hair and play guitar. I'm not big into clubs or shit like that. Therefore my experiences may be much much different from yours.
QUITO
I was in Quito for 5 days. It was my first stop after Colombia and I can't really express how sad I was to be leaving Colombia. I also had issues with my AirBnB which led me to getting an apartment in a pretty boring part of town. So maybe I wasn't in the best of moods and that had something to do with my experience. But Quito kind of sucked. The Old Town is cool to see, but that takes half a day. I recommend 2 or 3 days in Quito.
Transportation here is expensive if you are taking taxis. It feels even worse if you are just leaving Colombia. Shelling out $5-6 USD for a ride was a real kick in the balls (read: I had an apartment far away from everything) and it certainly made me think twice before going anywhere. If you can get the bus you should, but be warned there are many pickpocketers.
There is an area in Quito called Cumbaya that looks like it has a lot of potential. I met a chick off Tinder there to daydrink on a Friday. Of course the chick was not attractive at all. The last time I go out with a girl from the internet that doesn't have body pictures. But I digress.
Cumbaya is pretty far from everything else which means it is expensive to get there, unless you can take the bus. I took a taxi there and I think it costed about $10 but I really don't remember. You can also take a bus for $0.25. It is a green bus that will say Cumbaya on the front. I couldn't take the bus there because I didn't know where to get the bus, but I took it back home. So for those interested, the station I used was on Rio Coco.
In Cumbaya I got off at Centro Commercial. This area is very nice and is home to an upscale university. This means there are a LOT of young women around. They are Ecuadorians though, but some were cute. On the main road there are a few small cafe bars and such. This is where I went with this Tinder chick and her friends. Thankfully, her friends were really cool and fun to hang out with. Plus, daydrinking. Anyway, for those going to Quito please spend more time here because it seems like there is real potential here. There is a shopping mall that is crawling with young people. And this area is more upscale.
Back to the heart of things. In Quito the main party area is Plaza Foch which has a bunch of bars and clubs. I really wasn't feeling this place at all. It has also been spoken about enough that I really have nothing to contribute. There's a ladies night that I was unable to check out due to being locked into my apartment. Apparently it's pretty good.
Apart from Plaza Foch I went to a club with another Tinder chick. Really upscale (for me anyway). It was called "LOVE" I believe. It was on Avendia de la Republica. You need your original passport to get in here. I know because I had to go back home to get mine after not being allowed in. This is not my scene, which was a damn shame because the girl I met was fucking cute. Later I found out she was half Colombian, which explains why. I'm serious, there are not many cute Ecuadorians around. But if you like higher end clubs, check this place out.
Montanita
I spent two weeks in Montanita working at a hostel. Just something I always wanted to do. I heard this town was party central for Ecuador so I was really excited. It was cloudy every day. I wouldn't recommend this place during rainy season. Crawling with backpackers. And I really have had enough of the backpacker scene. I just don't give a shit about what your travels have been and how great of a time you are having.
You can walk everywhere at any time here. It is a very small town that is very safe. If taking a taxi, you should never be spending more than $1 from what I am told.
In Montanita you have Cocktail Alley which is the main nightlife area. The town is about 6 blocks, so its easy to see everything. During the week this place was dead, but on the weekends you could barely walk the streets. But it's filled with backpackers.
Outside of Cocktail Alley I spent a lot of time at Chi Chi's, a hostel just over the bridge. This seems to be the big hostel in the area, at least at this time. Really weed friendly. Usually I would just go there. If you are looking to get a group together to go out, this would be the place to pregame.
There is a famous club here called Lost Beach. I really don't like clubs as I've already mentioned, and I never made it here. Their busy nights are Monday, Friday, and Saturday. Everyone in Ecuador seems to know and love this place. They play EDM music from what I can gather, and the parties last until 4AM.
Hola Ola's and Cana Grill are also popular places to go, Hola Ola's has a ladies night on Wednesday or Thursday. I never went.
There is a small empanada and hamburger restaurant on the main drag of hostels just across the main road. It is a white building and it is owned by Russians. They make their own liquor and are quick to give you free shots if you hang out there. You can also buy their bottles of rum for $6. Just a cool place you may want to check out.
In Montanita I spent most of my time at the hostel as I have been applying for jobs and just doing shit I need to do. It was cloudy every day except for one, and that day the beach was packed with people. Everyone talks about how this is the place everyone vacations at in South America. Usually it is supposed to be filled with chicks from Argentina and shit, but I guess at this time of the year that is not going to happen. I saw a lot of families on the beach. I was disappointed in general.
Guayaquil
I was just in Guayaquil for a night so I really can't speak on the city, but I did get my Ecuadorian flag here. Matched with a girl on Tinder who owned a hostel. So I stayed there in her room. Smoked her weed and fucked her a few times. She wasn't the best looking and was really boring to fuck, but I got free accommodation, so fuck it.
Banos
I was really disappointed with Ecuador in general, and Banos was my last stop. I had the weekend there and was looking forward to really gaming hard here. It is known to have really great weekend nightlife. Of course I got sick here. I had cold sweats and achy joints all day on Saturday and had to skip the nightlife entirely. Banos looks like a lot of fun though. Really compact nightlife. Well, really compact everything. This is another small town. I liked it here a lot, and if I went back to Ecuador this is where I would go to party. Note: there are a LOT of tourists here from Ecuador, and because it is such a popular tourist destination prices are a lot higher. Higher than Quito and Montanita at least.
I would echo what everyone else seems to say about Ecuador. If you like outdoor shit, this is the place for you. If not, skip it. Colombia is right next door and the women are much prettier and the people are a lot friendlier.
As for me, I'm back in Colombia. And I will get a datasheet out when I have more information. Hope my info helps someone, even if it just helps you to choose not to go to Ecuador.
Background: 24 y.o. from United States. I rock long hair and play guitar. I'm not big into clubs or shit like that. Therefore my experiences may be much much different from yours.
QUITO
I was in Quito for 5 days. It was my first stop after Colombia and I can't really express how sad I was to be leaving Colombia. I also had issues with my AirBnB which led me to getting an apartment in a pretty boring part of town. So maybe I wasn't in the best of moods and that had something to do with my experience. But Quito kind of sucked. The Old Town is cool to see, but that takes half a day. I recommend 2 or 3 days in Quito.
Transportation here is expensive if you are taking taxis. It feels even worse if you are just leaving Colombia. Shelling out $5-6 USD for a ride was a real kick in the balls (read: I had an apartment far away from everything) and it certainly made me think twice before going anywhere. If you can get the bus you should, but be warned there are many pickpocketers.
There is an area in Quito called Cumbaya that looks like it has a lot of potential. I met a chick off Tinder there to daydrink on a Friday. Of course the chick was not attractive at all. The last time I go out with a girl from the internet that doesn't have body pictures. But I digress.
Cumbaya is pretty far from everything else which means it is expensive to get there, unless you can take the bus. I took a taxi there and I think it costed about $10 but I really don't remember. You can also take a bus for $0.25. It is a green bus that will say Cumbaya on the front. I couldn't take the bus there because I didn't know where to get the bus, but I took it back home. So for those interested, the station I used was on Rio Coco.
In Cumbaya I got off at Centro Commercial. This area is very nice and is home to an upscale university. This means there are a LOT of young women around. They are Ecuadorians though, but some were cute. On the main road there are a few small cafe bars and such. This is where I went with this Tinder chick and her friends. Thankfully, her friends were really cool and fun to hang out with. Plus, daydrinking. Anyway, for those going to Quito please spend more time here because it seems like there is real potential here. There is a shopping mall that is crawling with young people. And this area is more upscale.
Back to the heart of things. In Quito the main party area is Plaza Foch which has a bunch of bars and clubs. I really wasn't feeling this place at all. It has also been spoken about enough that I really have nothing to contribute. There's a ladies night that I was unable to check out due to being locked into my apartment. Apparently it's pretty good.
Apart from Plaza Foch I went to a club with another Tinder chick. Really upscale (for me anyway). It was called "LOVE" I believe. It was on Avendia de la Republica. You need your original passport to get in here. I know because I had to go back home to get mine after not being allowed in. This is not my scene, which was a damn shame because the girl I met was fucking cute. Later I found out she was half Colombian, which explains why. I'm serious, there are not many cute Ecuadorians around. But if you like higher end clubs, check this place out.
Montanita
I spent two weeks in Montanita working at a hostel. Just something I always wanted to do. I heard this town was party central for Ecuador so I was really excited. It was cloudy every day. I wouldn't recommend this place during rainy season. Crawling with backpackers. And I really have had enough of the backpacker scene. I just don't give a shit about what your travels have been and how great of a time you are having.
You can walk everywhere at any time here. It is a very small town that is very safe. If taking a taxi, you should never be spending more than $1 from what I am told.
In Montanita you have Cocktail Alley which is the main nightlife area. The town is about 6 blocks, so its easy to see everything. During the week this place was dead, but on the weekends you could barely walk the streets. But it's filled with backpackers.
Outside of Cocktail Alley I spent a lot of time at Chi Chi's, a hostel just over the bridge. This seems to be the big hostel in the area, at least at this time. Really weed friendly. Usually I would just go there. If you are looking to get a group together to go out, this would be the place to pregame.
There is a famous club here called Lost Beach. I really don't like clubs as I've already mentioned, and I never made it here. Their busy nights are Monday, Friday, and Saturday. Everyone in Ecuador seems to know and love this place. They play EDM music from what I can gather, and the parties last until 4AM.
Hola Ola's and Cana Grill are also popular places to go, Hola Ola's has a ladies night on Wednesday or Thursday. I never went.
There is a small empanada and hamburger restaurant on the main drag of hostels just across the main road. It is a white building and it is owned by Russians. They make their own liquor and are quick to give you free shots if you hang out there. You can also buy their bottles of rum for $6. Just a cool place you may want to check out.
In Montanita I spent most of my time at the hostel as I have been applying for jobs and just doing shit I need to do. It was cloudy every day except for one, and that day the beach was packed with people. Everyone talks about how this is the place everyone vacations at in South America. Usually it is supposed to be filled with chicks from Argentina and shit, but I guess at this time of the year that is not going to happen. I saw a lot of families on the beach. I was disappointed in general.
Guayaquil
I was just in Guayaquil for a night so I really can't speak on the city, but I did get my Ecuadorian flag here. Matched with a girl on Tinder who owned a hostel. So I stayed there in her room. Smoked her weed and fucked her a few times. She wasn't the best looking and was really boring to fuck, but I got free accommodation, so fuck it.
Banos
I was really disappointed with Ecuador in general, and Banos was my last stop. I had the weekend there and was looking forward to really gaming hard here. It is known to have really great weekend nightlife. Of course I got sick here. I had cold sweats and achy joints all day on Saturday and had to skip the nightlife entirely. Banos looks like a lot of fun though. Really compact nightlife. Well, really compact everything. This is another small town. I liked it here a lot, and if I went back to Ecuador this is where I would go to party. Note: there are a LOT of tourists here from Ecuador, and because it is such a popular tourist destination prices are a lot higher. Higher than Quito and Montanita at least.
I would echo what everyone else seems to say about Ecuador. If you like outdoor shit, this is the place for you. If not, skip it. Colombia is right next door and the women are much prettier and the people are a lot friendlier.
As for me, I'm back in Colombia. And I will get a datasheet out when I have more information. Hope my info helps someone, even if it just helps you to choose not to go to Ecuador.