[Fenix]

Transportation

There is no airport in Mancora. The closest airports are in Tumbes, Talara, and Piura. One has to fly in to these towns, take a taxi to the local bus terminal, then take the bus to Mancora. The closest of the towns is Talara and has flights to Lima thru StarPeru Airlines.

From Lima, taking a first class (Cama) bus is the best option, both for price and convenience. The two top bus lines are Cruz del Sur (http://www.cruzdelsur.com.pe) and Civa (http://www.civa.com.pe). The Civa bus I took had full cama and a personal TV in front of each seat and had a steward that served the meals.


Lodging
Loki Hostel Del Mar
- Ave Piura 325
- excellent location
- right on the beach
- near the best restaurants in town, Tao and La Sirena d' Juan
- tied with Pocna Hostel in Isla Mujeres as the best hostel I've ever stayed at
- big pool
- party every night in the bar area
- has restaurant with pretty good food: breakfast, lunch & dinner
- try the paella (S15)
- do not do the BBQ. got food (salmonella) poisoning from the chicken. after cooking the chicken they use the same tray that held the uncooked chicken. other people also got sick
- room 122 is the best dorm since it's the closest to the beach and has several balconies & the best views
- room 135 is the best private since it faces the beach & has the best views

The Point
- a little bit out of town, you'll have to mototaxi in
- not a party hostel, more chill
- very good beach in front of hostel
- has bungalows: S80 per night. a bit romantic
- has Full Moon Party every month
- nice pool

Las Olas
- upper midrange hotel with a very nice rustic/native theme
- wood theme construction
- right on the beach overlooking the ocean
- 3 floors
- from S70-140 per night for single rooms
- from S180-240 per night for suites (no kitchen)
- http://www.lasolasmancora.com
- about 200 meters south of Loki
- coming north on the PanAmericana, make a left right after the puente/bridge

California Beach Hospedaje
- right on the beach overlooking the ocean
- from S30-35 per night for singles and S30 for doubles
- has pool and some gym equipment: free weights & nautilus type machines
- http://www.californiabeachmancora.com

Casa Blanca
- has party on its terrace/terraza on Wednesday nights
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lw0R4Rm8nWE

Arena Blanca
- a low budget hospedaje
- S35 for a single, S60 for a double
- less than half a block to the beach (about 20-25 meters)
- low priced restaurants and bars next to it
- mostly locals staying

Mancora Marina
- high end, expensive
- $185 per night single or double, $165 for 3 day stay, $1048 for 7 night/8 day package
- includes breakfast
- has nice restaurant
- http://www.mancoramarina.com

DCO Hotel, Lounge & Spa
- in Las Pocitas, south of Mancora
- high end, expensive
- $350+ per night
- http://www.hoteldco.com/english/index.html

If you decide to stay in the hotels in the Los Organos area, the bus stop is right before Mancora. Since the stop is on the highway which is a bit aways from the beach, you would have to take a mototaxi/tuk-tuk. Fare should be around S15-20. For Mancora Marina and DCO, you take a mototaxi from Mancora.

Restaurants
Tao
- one of the best, if not the best restaurant in town
- excellent Thai seafood curries
- choice of green, red & yellow curries
- Octopus red curry w/ veggies, peanuts, & coconut milk - S28
- open Tues - Sunday, 1pm-11pm
- very spacious & clean dining area
- plays good ambient & mellow house music
- good cocktails
- right on main highway (Av Piura) just north of the bridge

La Sirena d' Juan
- good gourmet restaurant
- excellent seafood dishes from $7-13
- across the street from Loki Del Mar
- Ave Piura 316

Hermanos Lama
- very good local seafood restaurant
- very good mixto ceviche (fish, mussels, shrimp & octopus) for S18
- has filets of swordfish, barracuda, conger eel, marlin, etc. also for S18

Walaks
- on the Malecon/Paseo Playa
- grilled octopus on a stick: S16. not so good - looked like it was heated up and not fresh
- seafood with huancaina sauce: S17
- located in the shops that line the Malecon/Paseo Playa

Rico Mancora
- S8 for menu economico
- good Lomo Saltado
- located in the shops that line the Malecon/Paseo Playa

Mochilerros Larr
- S8 for menu economico
- good Lomo Saltado
- located in the shops that line the Malecon/Paseo Playa

Street Vendors
- grilled meats
- anticuchos (cow heart)
- chicken
- chinchulin (tripe)
- hamburger
- usually S5 and comes with baked/grilled sliced potatoes


Nightlife
Loki
- nightly theme parties; cool themes such as 'Dress as your favorite superhero' to 'Jungle' theme
- starts around 7-8 and ends 11-12

Casa Blanca Terrace
- wednesday nights
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lw0R4Rm8nWE

Kites Mancora
- thursday nights
- open air setup next to a pool

bar on the Malecon/Paseo Playa, right beside Los Mochileros restaurant
- open 5 to 6 nights a week

The Point Hostel
- monthly Full Moon Party

Since I stayed at Loki, its nightly theme parties served as the backbone to my nightlife activities. Each night started at Loki and when it winds down, everyone gathers right beside the pool in front of the bathrooms and suggestions get tossed as to what to do next. Options somewhat depend on the day of the week. When I was there, Casa Blanca had parties on its terrace on wednesday nights and Kites Mancora on thursdays. Kites was a bit of a walk aways from Loki thru dark streets. The Point was pretty far away. Most people - me and my group included - usually just ended up making our own party right on the beach in front of or down the beach from Loki. Beware of local thieves or corrupt cops with any valuables that you bring to the beach. That said, one can get a good little party going on the beach. The girls we were with stripped naked, ran down to the water, and went skinny dipping.

If you aren't hooking up yet at the end of the night, head to 'The Jungle'. This is a dorm room in the bowels of Loki where everyone hangs out and everything goes. I heard that one of the nights there were 8 couples having sex all at once in there.

Talent
Locals - mostly unattractive but there are some cute/pretty spinners once in a while. Non-local peruvians are a mixed bag but there are some pretty 'pitucas' from Lima that vacation here. They stay usually in the mid to upmarket hotels or with nice houses with friends/relatives. These houses are located outside of Mancora, usually with their own private beach or up on the hill that overlooks the town. The upmarket hotels I mention above are also a place to meet them.

Turistas - since I was at Loki, I was relegated to them. When I was there, the majority of the girls were British, Dutch and Israeli. Loki tends to attract more girl than guys to the ratio was better than 50/50. I did meet girls from Brazil, Norway, Singapore, etc. so there's some variety.

[thegmanifesto]

Nice sheet. Great work.

I remember someone mentioning there is some crime in the area?

True?

What type? Muggings, shankings, or just theft?

[Hencredible Casanova]

Thank you for this sheet because it confirms that I picked the best place to stay at and didn't miss anything in Mancora. Loki is probably the nicest hostel I've ever stayed at in my life. Definitely no. 1 in Latin America. You honestly don't need to leave that place to have a good time. And the beach is literally at your doorstep. The price per night is retarded cheap. Like $9/night. I had a blast staying there. And all the girls were in full on party mode. I mean some of these folks were really off the deep end with their party game. I met decent looking chicks who were staying there for like a month and drinking every single day. It was nuts.

[thegmanifesto]

(03-25-2013 05:57 PM)Hencredible Casanova Wrote:  

Thank you for this sheet because it confirms that I picked the best place to stay at and didn't miss anything in Mancora. Loki is probably the nicest hostel I've ever stayed at in my life. Definitely no. 1 in Latin America. You honestly don't need to leave that place to have a good time. And the beach is literally at your doorstep. The price per night is retarded cheap. Like $9/night. I had a blast staying there. And all the girls were in full on party mode. I mean some of these folks were really off the deep end with their party game. I met decent looking chicks who were staying there for like a month and drinking every single day. It was nuts.

What nationalities?

[lurker]

(03-25-2013 03:51 PM)thegmanifesto Wrote:  

Nice sheet. Great work.

I remember someone mentioning there is some crime in the area?

True?

What type? Muggings, shankings, or just theft?

Yes. In a space of a couple days during my Mancora trip, two of my fellow hostel mates were robbed while drunk and a girl was raped on the beach. It's not particularly safe to be on the beach at night there, although right outside Loki is probably fine. One of the robbery victims was in a mototaxi, so that's not a guarantee of safety either - but he was basically comatose drunk and unaware of his surroundings.

The cops, on the other hand, are friendly and will show you around.

[lurker]

Day life side trip - get out to the mud baths. You'll have to hire a mototaxi for the day; it costs around $20 USD for the whole thing. Load it up with some girls from the hostel. Bring food and water. The place is a small pit, but it's rejuvenating as hell.

Best food in Mancora - the spot just up the alley from the beach that serves concha negra ceviche at S10 a bowl. Old man cracks the clams, old wife mixes the bowls fresh. Daily grind. No idea what it's called.

I rented a bungalow at the Point. It was well worth the experience. Solitude in the midst of partying, with an unbeatable oceanfront bedroom.

[lurker]

Also, flying Star from Lima to Talara is preferable to the cama bus. First class tickets are under $100 USD. Flight was an hour instead of 12, the scenery out the window is beautiful as you go over the mountains, and I was seated next to a hot heiress deeply involved in the surf industry...

Her Barranco apartment was lovely.

[Fenix]

(03-25-2013 03:51 PM)thegmanifesto Wrote:  

Nice sheet. Great work.

I remember someone mentioning there is some crime in the area?

True?

What type? Muggings, shankings, or just theft?

Thank you.

I was there for 2 weeks and I only heard of theft: hanging out on the beach at night and stuff goes missing after a group of locals had just passed by and police corruption: asking for bribes, confiscating stuff that somehow becomes missing, etc. Didnt sense a 'thug vibe', but this is still Peru, so I'd still advise to keep your wits about you.

[Fenix]

(03-25-2013 05:57 PM)Hencredible Casanova Wrote:  

Thank you for this sheet because it confirms that I picked the best place to stay at and didn't miss anything in Mancora. Loki is probably the nicest hostel I've ever stayed at in my life. Definitely no. 1 in Latin America. You honestly don't need to leave that place to have a good time. And the beach is literally at your doorstep. The price per night is retarded cheap. Like $9/night. I had a blast staying there. And all the girls were in full on party mode. I mean some of these folks were really off the deep end with their party game. I met decent looking chicks who were staying there for like a month and drinking every single day. It was nuts.

For a single guy looking to party in Mancora, Loki is definitely the place. Most of the staff that I met were basically there to get free room/board and party.

[Hencredible Casanova]

(03-25-2013 09:47 PM)thegmanifesto Wrote:  

(03-25-2013 05:57 PM)Hencredible Casanova Wrote:  

Thank you for this sheet because it confirms that I picked the best place to stay at and didn't miss anything in Mancora. Loki is probably the nicest hostel I've ever stayed at in my life. Definitely no. 1 in Latin America. You honestly don't need to leave that place to have a good time. And the beach is literally at your doorstep. The price per night is retarded cheap. Like $9/night. I had a blast staying there. And all the girls were in full on party mode. I mean some of these folks were really off the deep end with their party game. I met decent looking chicks who were staying there for like a month and drinking every single day. It was nuts.

What nationalities?

A mixed bag. I'll have to check my notes but there were Peruvians, Israelis, Western Europe and Australia.

[kazz]

This place definitely looks worth a visit for some r&r as much as anything. What are the age ranges for the single crowds around these places; Loki for example, Im late 30s and like to party, but hate going to places with only young crowd (well, the young women are good). Mixed crowd is good, but to many young pisshead, brits, aussies and the like does the head in.

[Hencredible Casanova]

(03-26-2013 05:51 AM)kazz Wrote:  

This place definitely looks worth a visit for some r&r as much as anything. What are the age ranges for the single crowds around these places; Loki for example, Im late 30s and like to party, but hate going to places with only young crowd (well, the young women are good). Mixed crowd is good, but to many young pisshead, brits, aussies and the like does the head in.

I agree. I wouldn't book a trip to Peru strictly to go to Mancora. But if you're going to be in Peru and want to do some surfing and get some relaxation (along with some chicks), Mancora is the best place. Def a young party kind of crowd. Same vibe as Spring Break. It's a chill town but Loki really promotes partying.

[thegmanifesto]

When is the best time of year for this joint?

Which week/month?

Wave wise, but more importantly, girl wise?

[lurker]

Wave-wise, you have two options. For Cabo Blanco and Mancora itself, you're going to want the meat of the Northern Hemi winter - Dec-Jan. Don't know how the partying and girls stack up in (Peruvian) summer there, as I believe those months are the rare few when Lima isn't overcast and nobody needs to travel to get a sun fix. This may be a good bet for northern European girls, who are dying to get out of the snow.

Your other option is to go during winter, accept that the surf is an hour away in Lobitos, and just hit Mancora to party. I was there during Peruvian Independence Day - the whole town was buzzing solid with outdoor parties/makeshift bars/dance areas, but most of the folks there were Peruvian couples. It was a great time, but not target-rich.

[Hencredible Casanova]

Yeah I was there like the second to third week of November. Just as summer was approaching.

[InternationPlayboy]

I passed through Moncora but only spent an hour there waiting for my bus. I had to take a moto taxi from one bus terminal to another and I can say it looked like it definitely had potential to be dangerous. Really, anywhere in Peru is pretty damn grimy outside of the nice areas in Lima (And probably Cusco and maybe some areas in Arequipa, but never been). I was surprised when driving from the border of Ecuador all the way to Lima that I didn't really pass through any large cities at all (Largest was Trajuillo but still didn't seem too big) and everywhere we did pass through looked run down and grimy as hell. I used Cruz Del Sur, and the buses are great. The only criticisms I have is their internet doesn't work 98% of the time, even though they advertise having on board wifi. The meal was also pretty sub par and I was on a 27 hour bus ride with no food stops, that sucked.

I can also say that I stayed at the Loki in Lima and it was fucking awesome. Non-stop party. I usually hate staying at hostels (To be honest Loki was only the second one I've ever stayed at), but didn't mind Loki. There was a good group of people there and surprisingly a lot of good looking DTF girls, especially for a hostel. I hear the Loki in Moncura is even better, I've seen pics and can say it looks pretty fucking awesome. I can imagine why these guys are praising Loki, it's a guaranteed good time. I hear the one in Cusco is off the hook too.

[gsinplaya]

I'm not a hostel guy at all but all this talk about Loki might make me break my no hostel rule when i end up in peru for a trip.

Did any of you talk to the guys who work there as to how they find it? Do you know if they get a private room for free?

Seems like a cool option would be a few months working behind the bar at one of these hostels and would give you access to a huge amount of women

It says on the website -

"In return for 4 shifts a week on the bar, we offer you free accomodation, free dinners and a huge discount on all hostel services"

[InternationPlayboy]

(03-26-2013 07:08 PM)gsinplaya Wrote:  

I'm not a hostel guy at all but all this talk about Loki might make me break my no hostel rule when i end up in peru for a trip.

Did any of you talk to the guys who work there as to how they find it? Do you know if they get a private room for free?

Seems like a cool option would be a few months working behind the bar at one of these hostels and would give you access to a huge amount of women

It says on the website -

"In return for 4 shifts a week on the bar, we offer you free accomodation, free dinners and a huge discount on all hostel services"

The staff at Loki Lima was cool enough to let me work there for my last week staying there since I missed my flight and was short on money. Usually they only hire staff for a minimum of two weeks. It was fun working there and the discount is 40% off everything (Including smokes!). Staff (At least at the loki in Lima) have a separate staff room, which I think has 8 beds. At the time they were also cool enough to let me just stay the room I had been staying in, I believe it had to do with some type of problem in the staff room. This was cool because the room I was in was only a 4 bed dorm. I only ended up working something like 21 hours that week. It's a great way to get by on a low budget trip. Also, not sure about the food at the Loki in Mancora, but the one in Lima actually had excellent food and cheap at that. It was S13 (about $5) for bomb ass chicken skewers, rice, salad, and fries. That's pretty good when the same quality of food in Kennedy Park is gonna run you around S30. I give mad love to Loki hostels and would recommend them to anyone who's passing through at any of their locations.

[thegmanifesto]

(03-26-2013 07:37 PM)InternationPlayboy Wrote:  

The staff at Loki Lima was cool enough to let me work there for my last week staying there since I missed my flight and was short on money. Usually they only hire staff for a minimum of two weeks. It was fun working there and the discount is 40% off everything (Including smokes!).

Sh*t.

I may move there permanently.

[InternationPlayboy]

(03-26-2013 08:00 PM)thegmanifesto Wrote:  

(03-26-2013 07:37 PM)InternationPlayboy Wrote:  

The staff at Loki Lima was cool enough to let me work there for my last week staying there since I missed my flight and was short on money. Usually they only hire staff for a minimum of two weeks. It was fun working there and the discount is 40% off everything (Including smokes!).

Sh*t.

I may move there permanently.

Haha yeah man it's a good gig. I couldn't see the G staying in a hostel, but if there was one for G, this would probably be it. I haven't seen so many cute girls staying in a hostel in my life. Every couple nights there was a new group with at least a couple fly girls rolling in. And they were all down to party. The talent at the hostel was better than most the talent on the streets in Lima. I would imagine it would probably be the same case in Mancora, Peruvian girls are ugly.

[thegmanifesto]

(03-26-2013 08:07 PM)InternationPlayboy Wrote:  

(03-26-2013 08:00 PM)thegmanifesto Wrote:  

(03-26-2013 07:37 PM)InternationPlayboy Wrote:  

The staff at Loki Lima was cool enough to let me work there for my last week staying there since I missed my flight and was short on money. Usually they only hire staff for a minimum of two weeks. It was fun working there and the discount is 40% off everything (Including smokes!).

Sh*t.

I may move there permanently.

Haha yeah man it's a good gig. I couldn't see the G staying in a hostel, but if there was one for G, this would probably be it. I haven't seen so many cute girls staying in a hostel in my life. Every couple nights there was a new group with at least a couple fly girls rolling in. And they were all down to party. The talent at the hostel was better than most the talent on the streets in Lima. I would imagine it would probably be the same case in Mancora, Peruvian girls are ugly.

Hell yeah.

This would be a good spot to post up with a huge stack, swoop, surf, party and just get discounted smokes. (Serious here).

Quote:

Peruvian girls are ugly.

I see that all the time on here.

InternationPlayboy, you know Miami.

Did you see fly Peruanas in Miami?

I have met a few fly ones in Miami, Palm Beach and some in LA.

Did you?

[InternationPlayboy]

(03-26-2013 08:12 PM)thegmanifesto Wrote:  

Quote:

Peruvian girls are ugly.

I see that all the time on here.

InternationPlayboy, you know Miami.

Did you see fly Peruanas in Miami?

I have met a few fly ones in Miami, Palm Beach and some in LA.

Did you?

It's funny you ask, because I noticed the same thing as well. I always heard Peruvian girls were ugly, but I met plenty of good looking Peruvian girls in Miami and Colorado. I figured people were just comparing them to Argentine, Colombian, or Brazilian girls and they couldn't be that bad. But once you get to Peru, you realize, it's true, they really are ugly. I don't know what it is, I guess just the cute ones make it to the states. I guess it also kind of makes sense though because it takes money to get to the states, and guys with money marry good looking women, in turn often making good looking babies. I also noticed a lot of Chilean girls I met while traveling looked pretty good, but I also hear they're ugly in Chile. Probably for the same reason.

[Soma]

(03-26-2013 08:17 PM)InternationPlayboy Wrote:  

I also noticed a lot of Chilean girls I met while traveling looked pretty good, but I also hear they're ugly in Chile. Probably for the same reason.

The ugliness of Chilean birds is overblown around here. Plenty of cute girls in Santiago and Valparaiso, but they don't usually dress sexy like other latinas.

[InternationPlayboy]

(03-27-2013 10:52 AM)Soma Wrote:  

(03-26-2013 08:17 PM)InternationPlayboy Wrote:  

I also noticed a lot of Chilean girls I met while traveling looked pretty good, but I also hear they're ugly in Chile. Probably for the same reason.

The ugliness of Chilean birds is overblown around here. Plenty of cute girls in Santiago and Valparaiso, but they don't usually dress sexy like other latinas.

I've definitely seen some real good looking Chileans on my travels. A lot of the good looking girls coming through Loki were Chilean, but even the Chilean guys would admit that the Chilean women were ugly for the most part. They said it's usually only the upper class Chileans that look good, which usually means higher bitch shields. I found the same to be true in Peru. But I would be interested to find out myself. I've wanted to snowboard for some time now in Chile, hopefully I can make the winter after next. There are good looking Peruvians obviously, as there are good looking people from every country. They are just few and far between. American girls look better than Peruvian girls IMO, even in an average US city.

Peruvian girls are thick where they shouldn't be, though I do have to admit, a good number have big tits. A lot of them will have thick legs. You walk by them expecting to see a fat ass to go with them big legs, but when you turn around to get a peep, nothing, just pancakes with an outline of granny panties through her shorts. Many have wide shoulders, similar to a line backer. They just weren't my style. I've seen people say that Peruvian girls are under rated a couple times in the forum, and to those people I say, my friends, you have very strange taste in women. Whenever I met foreign men living in Lima or spending months at a time there, I always had to ask them, "Have you been to Colombia or Brazil?" 90% of the time they hadn't, and I would suggest checking either country out. Usually the guys would say something to the extent of, "Nah man, I like it here. Lima's awesome" More power to them. That leaves less gringos in Colombia and Brazil for me to plow. To be honest though most of them probably wouldn't have done well in either country. It's a different kind of man that lives in Peru compared to the type of man that lives in Colombia or Brazil. Most of the foreigners I met living in Lima were bums, barely getting by and banging 4-6's and stoked about it. A lot of the foreign men I met in Medellin had their shit together, were making money and banging fly honeys (Though many were paying for them). It's all perspective though. I guess if Peru is the only place you've been outside of the US, the girls aren't so bad when compared to American girls. They are uglier but still have better attitudes. The real good looking Peruvians however can have just as bad of attitudes as the hot American girl, while the mediocre ones are super easy and almost 0 bitch shield, but who wants to bang mediocre girls all the time?

[Nalgas]

I have spent the last few days in Mancora. I came with a girl I met in Lima, but overall I would say there are some solid 6's from Argentina with a few springlings of 7's from Colombia. I wouldn't come here as the primary location, but if you are already close by, it's worth checking out. Even a 6 with a nice ass is better than most gringas.