thanks Raymond Benn for this
Long Post – Our Two Weeks Trip Summary
We recently took a two week break travelling along the beaches of Ecuador. We drove to Quito with Guillermo, flew to Guayaquil, then took the bus for the rest of the trip. We stayed in Salinas one night, Montanita three nights, Puerto Lopez four nights, Canoa for two nights, Bahia Caraquez for one night, and San Clemente for three nights. Then we took the bus home via Portoviejo, Santo Domingo, Quito, and Otavalo.
At the beginning we set a budget of $70 per day for the two of us – $30 for accommodation, $20 for food and drinks, and $20 for land travel and entertainment. Very modest budget, really. I remember reading travel books over 20 years ago saying “Europe on $40 a day” etc. Well twenty years later, we’re trying $35 per day each.
For the most part, we stuck to budget. Our rooms varied from a cabana with a palm leaf roof we could see through, to a triple room with private bath, aircon, pool, and breakfast. For the first 10 days we averaged $28 per night. For the last three days we deliberately blew it and paid $60 for a luxury cottage.
We went over the budget for food and drinks on three days, and averaged around $20 per day on the other days. Breakfast of crepes, fruit or coffee and rolls most days, or American breakfast where it was included in the room rate. Three course Almuerzo fixed lunches where we could get them, pizza a couple of times, seafood when the price was right. Evening was something light, burgers, empanadas, things from the street vendors I can’t spell or pronounce. We kept the drinks to one beer for me, and two cocktails for Jill at Happy Hour.
The travel and entertainment was easy. Our airfare from Quito to Guayaquil was $35 each. Buses only needed coins for most fares, taxis at around $1 to $2. Our final bus trip home was under $12 each. We paid $5 entry fees once at Agua Blanca, and spent $40 each on the boat trip to Isla de la Plata.
Two wonderful weeks holiday, and we didn’t come home broke. Gotta love Ecuador