Beach townsEcuador2026
Ecuador Beach Towns
Salinas, Manta and Tonsupa were the most booked of the 15 beach towns in Ecuador on Airbnb in the 12 months to October 2026, with an estimated 9,966, 9,611 and 8,896 stays. August is the busiest month across them, and the typical stay is 3.8 nights.
Figures are AirROI estimates. How they are made
Among the 11 towns with 200+ homes
- Most booked of these 11
- Salinas 9,966 stays
- Highest revenue per home of these 11
- Tonchigüe $10,437 a year
- Highest rated of these 11
- Salango 4.83 out of 5
- Lowest nightly rate of these 11
- Puerto Baquerizo Moreno $64 a night
- Longest typical stay of these 11
- Salango 5.3 nights
Ranking
Ecuador Beach Towns Ranked by Airbnb Stays
Every one of the beach and coastal towns in Ecuador with 100 or more Airbnb homes and recent stays, most booked first.
| 1 | Salinas, Santa Elena | 9,966 | $122 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Manta, Manabí | 9,611 | $92 |
| 3 | Tonsupa, Esmeraldas | 8,896 | $111 |
| 4 | Puerto Ayora, Galápagos | 7,932 | $97 |
| 5 | Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, Galápagos | 7,574 | $64 |
| 6 | Santa Elena | 4,176 | $170 |
| 7 | General Villamil Playas, Guayas | 3,630 | $137 |
| 8 | Montañita, Santa Elena | 3,568 | $99 |
| 9 | Puerto Villamil, Galápagos | 3,367 | $103 |
| 10 | Tonchigüe, Esmeraldas | 2,873 | $179 |
| 11 | Olón, Santa Elena | 2,660 | $168 |
| 12 | Salango, Manabí | 2,607 | $105 |
| 13 | Puerto López, Manabí | 1,448 | $61 |
| 14 | Crucita, Manabí | 907 | $139 |
| 15 | Atacames, Esmeraldas | 839 | $85 |
Figures are AirROI estimates for the 12 months to October 2026, and stays count Airbnb bookings only. Typical stay is a booking's length, occupancy the share of available nights booked, and revenue the yearly average per home, before costs. Guest rating is out of 5.
All money figures on this page are in US dollars.
By region
Stays and Top Town by Region
| Region | Stays | Top town |
|---|---|---|
| Santa Elena | 20,370 | Salinas |
| Galápagos | 18,873 | Puerto Ayora |
| Manabí | 14,573 | Manta |
| Esmeraldas | 12,608 | Tonsupa |
| Guayas | 3,630 | General Villamil Playas |
Town by town
Where the Top Towns Stand Out
4 of 8 are busiest in August. Puerto Ayora peaks in May, Puerto Baquerizo Moreno in March, General Villamil Playas in June, and Montañita in April. Among guests who left a review, Guayaquil is the top home city in 4 of the 8. Apartments and condos are the largest home type in all 8. The lines below add what the table can't show, where one of the 8 most booked towns leads its peers or differs from the rest.
- Salinas, Santa Elena
Of the 11 beach towns in Ecuador with 200 or more homes, Salinas (Santa Elena) had the most Airbnb homes, at 910, in the 12 months to October 2026.
- Manta, Manabí
In the 12 months to October 2026, among guests who left a review, Quito was the top home city for Manta, Manabí, at 34%.
- Tonsupa, Esmeraldas
Of the 11 beach towns in Ecuador with 200 or more homes, Tonsupa (Esmeraldas) had the biggest share of apartments and condos, at 79%, in the 12 months to October 2026. Among guests who left a review, Quito was the top home city for Tonsupa, at 67%.
- 4Puerto Ayora, Galápagos
Of the 11 beach towns in Ecuador with 200 or more homes, Puerto Ayora (Galápagos) was booked furthest ahead, about 53 days before arrival, in the 12 months to October 2026. Among guests who left a review, Quito was the top home city for Puerto Ayora, at 6.1%.
- 5Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, Galápagos
Of the 11 beach towns in Ecuador with 200 or more homes, Puerto Baquerizo Moreno (Galápagos) had the highest occupancy, at 37%, and had the lowest nightly rate, at $64, in the 12 months to October 2026.
- 6Santa Elena
Of the 11 beach towns in Ecuador with 200 or more homes, Santa Elena had the biggest share of homes that sleep 8 or more, at 52%, in the 12 months to October 2026.
When to go
Busiest and Quietest Months
August, July and March rank as the busiest months for Airbnb nights across the beach towns in Ecuador, and November and October as the quietest. August is the busiest month in 8 of the 15, while Puerto Ayora peaks in May, Puerto Baquerizo Moreno in March, and General Villamil Playas in June. Across the 15 towns, nightly rates run lowest in November, at about $102, and highest in August, at about $113. Across the 15 towns, stays run longest in July, at 5.2 nights, and shortest in September, at 2.8 nights.
August ranks first, October last
Airbnb months in calendar order. The number is the month's rank, and 1 is the busiest. The bar shows its part of Airbnb nights.
- Three busiest months
- Other months
Month by month: rank, typical stay and nightly rate
| Rank | Month | Typical stay | Nightly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | August | 3.4 nights | $113 |
| 2 | July | 5.2 nights | $111 |
| 3 | March | 3.6 nights | $106 |
| 4 | September | 2.8 nights | $108 |
| 5 | February | 3.6 nights | $105 |
| 6 | June | 4.0 nights | $106 |
| 7 | May | 3.3 nights | $108 |
| 8 | April | 3.3 nights | $108 |
| 9 | December | 4.1 nights | $106 |
| 10 | January | 3.7 nights | $103 |
| 11 | November | 3.6 nights | $102 |
| 12 | October | 3.2 nights | $104 |
Who comes
Where Guests Come From
Among guests who left a review, 69% come from within Ecuador. Among those guests, the largest groups from abroad come from the United States, Canada and Germany. The top home cities among those guests are Guayaquil, Quito and Cuenca. Puerto Baquerizo Moreno (Galápagos) draws the most from abroad, at 86%, among towns with 200 or more homes.
Top countries abroad
Among guests who left a review
Top home cities
Among guests who left a review
69% from within Ecuador
The money view
Revenue, Occupancy and Nightly Rate
Among the 11 towns with 200 or more Airbnb homes, Tonchigüe has the highest estimated revenue per home, at $10,437 a year. Of those 11, Puerto Baquerizo Moreno has the highest occupancy, at 37%, and the lowest nightly rate on Airbnb, at $64. The most booked of the 15, Salinas, earns about $5,621 per home.
Highest revenue per home of these 11
A year, AirROI estimate
- Tonchigüe $10,437
Esmeraldas
- Puerto Ayora $8,958
Galápagos
- Olón $8,725
Santa Elena
- Salango $7,219
Manabí
- Santa Elena $7,004
Highest occupancy of these 11
Nights booked, AirROI estimate
Galápagos
- Puerto Ayora 34%
Galápagos
- Salango 24%
Manabí
- Montañita 24%
Santa Elena
- Manta 23%
Manabí
Lowest nightly rate of these 11
On Airbnb, AirROI estimate
Galápagos
- Manta $92
Manabí
- Puerto Ayora $97
Galápagos
- Montañita $99
Santa Elena
- Salango $105
Manabí
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most popular beach town in Ecuador?
By AirROI's estimates, Salinas (Santa Elena) is the most booked of the 15 beach towns in Ecuador, with 9,966 Airbnb stays in the 12 months to October 2026. Manta is second, with 9,611. This counts Airbnb bookings only.
What is the most affordable beach town in Ecuador?
By AirROI's estimated nightly rate on Airbnb in the 12 months to October 2026, among beach towns in Ecuador with 200 or more homes, the lowest are Puerto Baquerizo Moreno (Galápagos) ($64), Manta (Manabí) ($92) and Puerto Ayora (Galápagos) ($97). That is the average asking price on booked nights, not what it costs to live or buy there.
What are some small beach towns in Ecuador?
By AirROI's count of active Airbnb homes as of October 2026, the smallest of the 15 beach towns it lists in Ecuador are Crucita (Manabí) (109), Atacames (Esmeraldas) (113) and Puerto López (Manabí) (156). AirROI's list starts at 100 homes, so smaller places are not on it.
What beach towns in Ecuador offer the strongest Airbnb returns?
Returns depend on what a home costs to buy and run, which AirROI's figures do not cover. On AirROI's estimated revenue per home in the 12 months to October 2026, among beach towns in Ecuador with 200 or more homes, the highest are Tonchigüe (Esmeraldas) ($10,437), Puerto Ayora (Galápagos) ($8,958) and Olón (Santa Elena) ($8,725). Among the same towns, Puerto Baquerizo Moreno (Galápagos) has the highest occupancy, at 37%.
Method
How These Lists and Numbers Are Made
How a town gets on this list. A town needs 100 or more Airbnb homes with recent stays. A language model then judges the place from its name, state, country and coordinates, not from words in its name: it has to be on an ocean or sea coast with its own beach, seafront or harbour, or on a Great Lake with a public beach, and within about 10 km of the shore. The town's own listings can back that up, with 30% of its homes listing beach access, or 10% with ocean views, waterfront homes or beach in their titles besides. A town whose listings do not gets a second, stricter check, which asks whether people go there for that or mainly for something else. Big cities stay off. Corrections come last: places the checks got wrong are added or taken off, and rows that name one place are joined.
How the figures are made. Stays, occupancy, nightly rate and revenue are AirROI estimates built from Airbnb listing data, and cover Airbnb only. A town's stays are its bookings in the period, and the typical stay and busiest month come from the same data. Guest ratings, home sizes and how far ahead guests book are the latest figures in each town's AirROI data. Month ranks compare each month's part of Airbnb nights. Origin rests on 213,328 reviews and describes guests who left a review, not everyone who stayed. A town needs 1,000 reviews before this page gives its share from abroad.