Portoviejo sits at the centre of Manabí province, within easy reach of beaches, craft towns and the coast. All the destinations below are accessible by public bus from the main terminal.
Crucita (30 km north, 30–40 min) — A small beach town on a long sandy bay where the cliffs funnel reliable thermal winds, making it one of the best paragliding and hang-gliding spots in Ecuador. The beach itself is quiet and backed by low-key restaurants serving fresh fish. Far less developed than the beaches further south.
Manta (40 km west, 45 min) — Manabí's largest city and main port, with a lively waterfront, the Museo del Banco Central (good pre-Columbian collection), and the best selection of seafood restaurants in the province. Worth a half-day or a full day.
Montecristi (50 km west, 1 hour) — The village where the Panama hat was born. Skilled weavers here still produce the finest toquilla straw hats in Ecuador — the authentic Montecristi hat takes months to weave and the best examples are extraordinarily fine. The village has artisan workshops, a colonial church, and the mausoleum of Eloy Alfaro, Ecuador's reformist president. This is the most culturally specific day trip from Portoviejo.
San Jacinto and San Clemente (30 km northwest, 1 hour) — A pair of quiet beach villages with cheap cabañas, fresh shellfish and almost no foreign tourists. Good for a day of swimming and eating ceviche without the infrastructure of the bigger beach resorts.