Hostal Surf Olón — Hotel in Parroquia Manglaralto

Hostal Surf Olon has been one of our favourite places to stay on this trip (and we've stayed in many places!). We stayed here hoping to meet other travellers though we were the only guests as it was low season. We thought we might just stay one night but we fell in love with the hostal and Olon and stayed for a week! The family that run the hostal are so lovely and spent lots of time helping us practise Spanish and chatting to us. ||We stayed in two different rooms - one more basic with only a cold shower but there's a communal shower with hot water (I just had cold showers). The beds were comfortable, the rooms were quiet, they provided shampoo and soap which was nice! There's a great rooftop with hammocks where we spent the afternoon most days and you can see part of the sunset from up there. The kitchen is huge and well-equipped. There is a huge common area with games and a pool table. We wished we'd been there with other travellers to make the most of all this!||Their son Kaiko (spelling?!) has just opened a cafe next to the hostal and he makes the most delicious empanadas and corviches which we ate several of everyday! You have to try his hamburgers too. ||The hostal is on the main road, but perfectly quiet, and Olon is tiny so you can walk everywhere easily. ||We decided to stay in Olon instead of Montañita because all the reviews of hostels in Montañita said it's really noisy and you can take the bus there easily from Olon if you do want to party. We did take the bus in once but Montañita is so dirty and, as it was low season, completely dead we left straight away and didn't go back - Olon was way nicer! There's a big square where teenagers practise their dance routines every night which is fun to watch. Plus plenty of cafes and restaurants in Olon which are cheaper. Ceviche on the beach everyday was a highlight!||You won't regret...

Hostal Surf Olon has been one of our favourite places to stay on this trip (and we've stayed in many places!). We stayed here hoping to meet other travellers though we were the only guests as it was low season. We thought we might just stay one night but we fell in love with the hostal and Olon and stayed for a week! The family that run the hostal are so lovely and spent lots of time helping us practise Spanish and chatting to us.

We stayed in two different rooms - one more basic with only a cold shower but there's a communal shower with hot water (I just had cold showers). The beds were comfortable, the rooms were quiet, they provided shampoo and soap which was nice! There's a great rooftop with hammocks where we spent the afternoon most days and you can see part of the sunset from up there. The kitchen is huge and well-equipped. There is a huge common area with games and a pool table. We wished we'd been there with other travellers to make the most of all this!

Their son Kaiko (spelling?!) has just opened a cafe next to the hostal and he makes the most delicious empanadas and corviches which we ate several of everyday! You have to try his hamburgers too.

The hostal is on the main road, but perfectly quiet, and Olon is tiny so you can walk everywhere easily.

We decided to stay in Olon instead of Montañita because all the reviews of hostels in Montañita said it's really noisy and you can take the bus there easily from Olon if you do want to party. We did take the bus in once but Montañita is so dirty and, as it was low season, completely dead we left straight away and didn't go back - Olon was way nicer! There's a big square where teenagers practise their dance routines every night which is fun to watch. Plus plenty of cafes and restaurants in Olon which are cheaper. Ceviche on the beach everyday was a highlight!

You won't regret...

Brace yourselves for this review. I would never try to stay here again.

I was on a surf trip to Ecuador, and needed a "home base" while traveling the coastline. I setup a reservation that would be good for 10 days. I checked in to the hostal, grabbed the key to the room, and made my way back out along the beautiful Ecuadorian coast. Midway through my trip, I got a nasty gram from the third party travel-booker website. Surf Olon had reported me as a no-show and all of the money that I had paid up front was lost to the booking website (still trying to get that back). After contacting Surf Olon to find out what the problem was, I was told that because I left the room that I would not be allowed to stay there. This owner is by far and away one of the most rude people I have ever met. He continuously spoke down to me and used an accusatory tone at all times. After trying to explain my situation to him, it came to my attention that he didn't care even if he was getting his money from the website. I was forced to drive 9 HOURS to try to resolve the conflict, but to no avail. He made me return the key to the room, and rather than attempting to get another room from him I left. The man wasn't going to get another penny from me.

I would not, for any reason, advocate for this place. The hostal is cramped, slightly dirty and up along the main road (busy and loud). Take your money down the street to Montanita, where you can get the same prices at a world class beach break.

If I could give it 0/5...