Mompiche may have the surfers' hearts and Atacames the party crowd, but Canoa is the one that makes people stay longer than they planned. A long, wide stretch of dark volcanic sand backed by a small, easy-going town on Ecuador's northern coast — it is not uncommon for travellers to arrive for a night and end up spending a month.
The surf is gentle enough for beginners, the beach long enough that it never feels crowded, and the handful of beachfront bars and restaurants run on a pace that discourages any kind of hurry. Canoa is also a good base for paragliding from the nearby cliffs — one of the best launch sites on Ecuador's coast — and for visiting the Isla de la Plata, sometimes called the "poor man's Galápagos." A walk north along the beach at low tide takes you to the ancient stone fish traps at Monkey Beach, built by a pre-Columbian civilisation and still largely intact. The Rio Muchacho organic farm a few kilometres inland runs excellent day tours for those who want to see something beyond the beach.