Olon

Olon is a small town on the Ruta del Sol.

Like Montañita, just to the north, Olon is known for surf and has the requisite schools and instructors available for lessons or just surf boards available to rent. And that’s where the comparisons end. Olon is quieter. Its beach is broader and longer and seems to go on forever. The streets are not full of stalls but that doesn’t mean you can’t find a good restaurant or a shop to buy the beach cover-up you forgot or the tagua necklace you want to take home for your sister. And you can still find a vendor or two selling snack food and drinks beachside so you never have to actually leave your deck chair.

Although we only stopped for a few hours, this is one of our favorite beaches and would make a good home base for travel along this part of the coast. It’s close to many great tourist sites but it provides an escape from the hectic crowds found in so many other beach towns. Granted, on the weekends, it’s busy too, but not with the same frenetic energy of its neighboring big sister.