Santa Marianita

is the home of The Shangri-La Condominiums, our flagship property overlooking the beautiful beach and Pacific ocean.  Santa Marianita is a small and friendly fishing village about 15 minutes south of the city of Manta.  It is a beach lovers paradise.  The beach here is sandy at 300 meters wide and 4 km long.  The area of Santa Marianita is a dry tropical forest with little rainfall.  The strong equatorial sun makes the interior heat up quickly combining that with the cooler air over the sea makes for ideal conditions for thermal updrafts and winds suitable for kite surfing.  Santa Marianita has a population of an estimated 3,600.  The locals are mainly fisherman and take pride in keeping their local beaches clean.  Tourism is becoming more popular as the area is becoming reknown for kite surfing.

From May to January you can experience the best kite surfing at Santa Marianita that Ecuador has to offer.  You will have plenty of time to relax and enjoy your breakfast as the wind starts picking up around 11 a.m. and reaches its peak gusts at around 2 p.m. From November to January you can ride 1.5 to 2 meter waves if you want to try your hand at surfing.  You can leave your wetsuit at home as the water temperature here are 25-28 celsius in the summer and 21-24 celsius in the winter months.  Santa Marianita is warm year round with average temperatures 25-30 celsius (77-86 F.)

Santa Marianita

Has numerous facilites such as:

• Kite Surfing Schools 
• Restaurants
• Gear Rentals 
• Hostels
• Fishing
• Spanish Classes 

10 Reasons Why The Locals Think Santa Marianita Is Awesome!

Kite Surfing

Santa Marianita

is also known as Playa Bonita to the locals.  The wind conditions here are excellent for beginners and advanced kiters.  You can be sure that every condition will occur to allow even beginners to learn how to kite surf on this long open stretch of beach.  Advanced kiters won’t be disappointed as some of the best kiting is found at Santa Marianita.  Nick Obea, the co-founder of the kitehouse says it the best stating “it was my first time I kiteboarded and surfed with dolphins and whales at the same time!”

From May to September during the windy season you can experience cross onshore winds nearly every single day.  The winds blow over the flat choppy waters at 14-22 kts.  Ecuador Kitesurf  will be installing a wind meter this season at their kite surfing school at Santa Marianita Beach.  There are several local kite surfing schools that can provide you with professional lessons and gear for a very inexpensive price.

Kite Surfing Schools in Santa Marianita

Humboldtkites

Kitehouse

San Mateo

The village of San Mateo is just 10 minutes up the newly paved 4 lane highway north of Santa Marianita.  Here you will find a newly built fishing port that is nearly completed.  Ecuador’s government is committed to the future development and modernization of infrastructure and facilities to further improve Ecuador’s place on the global market.  San Mateo is a fishing community with a growing tourist trade.  The area is very popular for surfing as the San Mateo surf break is known for great surfing in the region.  San Mateo provides you with fresh fish from the sea from local fisherman.  Be sure to visit San Mateo and stock up on the fresh fish to cook at your condominium at Santa Marianita.

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Whale Watching

As if the beautiful ocean views from your condominium at The Shangri-La was not enough, how about you add whale watching off your patio to the list!  Each and every summer Ecuador’s coast turns into the breeding grounds for the migrating Humpback Whale.  The whales swim and play right off of Santa Marianita’s beaches.  These magnificent animals migrate over 7,000 km. every year from the frigid waters of Antarctica.  These wonderful mammals swim up to the warm waters off of Ecuador’s coast to give birth to their cubs.  Food is plentiful here as they follow the nutrient rich Humboldt current.
First to arrive to Ecuador are the male humpback whales, then shortly thereafter the pregnant females make their journey to give birth to their young cubs.  Whale watching occurs from June to the latter portion of September.  It is estimated that anywhere from 400 to 2,600 whales come to Ecuador every year, making this a popular tourist attraction for those who want to experience whale watching at its finest.  The big males are seen to jump out of the water frequently to attract a mate, while making unusual sounds during the routine.
If you would like to take a whale watching tour to get up close and personal with these wonderful mammals, you can take a taxi or bus to Puerto Cayo where many locals offer whale watching tours.  Puerto Cayo is around a 30 minute drive from Santa Marianita.  You can be sure that the experience you have will stay with you forever, so come and visit Santa Marianita soon.