The Cabalonga hostel and the Olas del Mar restaurant have felt the impact of the health crisis, but with effort they come out renewed.
The cabalonga is a small tree, up to 10 meters high, whose seed has the peculiarity and strength of germinating even in the sand. In the same way, as if it were part of the vegetation of the area, the Cabalonga EcoAdventure hostel was born eight years ago in Puerto Cayo to fulfill the dream of a kind and young couple determined to get involved in the tourism business: Diego Lozada and María Elena Alvarado.
This is how I discovered it on my most recent trip to that area of Manabí that brings together hotels such as Equus Erro, Los Frailes, Casa Amarilla and, the most prestigious of all, Las Tanusas.
But it is always pleasant to meet establishments with a particular personality that has been forged over time.
Diego comments that the easiest way to start with Cabalonga was through the glamping, as it is known camping with glamor, that is, accommodation in tents but with special services such as comfortable beds, however it has shared bathrooms. “It has been a super strong job with María Elena. The idea was to give work to the community… At the beginning we decided to hold a meeting with the residents to tell them about this project and they welcomed us very well. They told us that it was the first time – and perhaps the last – that someone approached them to let them know that something would be undertaken and that we were going to include them ”.
Indeed, all Cabalonga staff comes from the community, so they help to form an offer that suffered the pause in tourism caused by the pandemic, but the owners took advantage of that time to conduct a survey among their clientele to determine what other service they would like. to be included. The answer was rooms with private bathrooms, for which they built two-story cabins.
These rooms helped to create special packages for couples that can include special decoration with candles and rose petals, as well as a bottle of white wine, a highly requested offer for Proposals and romantic getaways.
More Cabalonga services are the tours to Isla de la Plata or Los Frailes beach, which include snorkeling. Rates range from $ 10 per person (in tents) to $ 50 per person (in rooms with ocean view and private bathroom). The rates, which must be increased by 12% VAT, include breakfast and a night of bonfire in the interior patio of the hostel.
The seafood move
The visit to Puerto Cayo also had the gastronomic component through the Gisella Recalde Castillo’s restaurant It has been operating for five years on the main street of the town, Guayas Avenue. She is well recognized by legions of frequent tourists who for years have sought the good flavor of her little wooden place called Nicole.
But in the previous beach season something changed. “We went to his place, but it was closed. We were afraid that something serious had happened to that family during the pandemic, ”says Álex, a traveler from Guayaquil who then chose to enter a new, much larger restaurant, with two concrete floors, which they observed open on the same street, at a block from the beach, called Waves, in the Brisas del Mar neighborhood. “We felt that the seasoning was similar to that of Gisella, so we thought that perhaps it was the business of a relative of hers.”
But greater was their joy when they saw her approach to greet them. “During the pandemic we opened this new store,” she explains, for which she had to borrow through a loan. And the joy of having a larger space compensates for that effort that is accompanied by its specialties, such as cebiches, camotillo (Manabí’s emblem fish), mixed sweat, garlic prawns, encocados, grilled fish with seafood sauce …
“We work with my family, so it is a joy to see that we are growing,” says Gisella, a native of Montañita and whose husband is a fisherman. “Now our life is in Puerto Cayo.”
Contacts: Cabalonga EcoAdventure Hostel, 099-986-3362; Olas del Mar restaurant, 098-795-4949.
Paul is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment and general news. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established herself as a respected voice in the industry.
