The village of San Andres de Canoa is an easy-going town, originally a small fishing village, now caters to foreign travelers, surfers and to local tourists and lately expats as well. The Canoa beach, with its long stretches of white sand, has good surf, and a chilled atmosphere.
Dirt roads crisscross through town, running into the Main Street and beach front, lined with restaurants, bars and hostels. During the week, Canoa maintains an unhurried pace which settles nicely with the hushed sound of waves breaking and the palm leafs shifting in the breeze. In the weekend however, Canoa fill to the brim with foreign and Ecuadorian travelers alike.
The village of Canoa is growing, with nationals and foreigners that have decided to move to Canoa to work in tourism or simply enjoy life at their vacation homes. Canoa is receiving quite a bit of investments foreign as well as national mainly in the tourist industry, but also in construction of tourist facilities and homes. Also in infrastructure Canoa has received great benefits. The government has constructed new roads to connect the mountain region, and capital of Quito with the coast. The new bridge between Bahia and San Vicente makes Canoa accessible from the bigger coastal cities to the south. All this will have positive impacts and will bring growth in the tourist industry in the Canoa area.
The village of Canoa (pop. 5,000) is located at the pacific coast just south of the equatorial line, between Pedernales to the north and Bahia de Caraquez to the south. You can get most basic necessities in Canoa. Apart from the tourist infrastructure, it has a gas station, hardware stores, pharmacies and many smaller groceries. There is also a police station and a new medical clinic.
Most necessities can be bought in San Vicente (pop. 20,000) which is 15 minutes from Canoa or Bahia de Caraquez (pop. 50,000) which is 20 minutes away over the newly opened bridge. . There are private bilingual schools in Bahia de Caraquez, which also have medical clinics, a Hospital and a recently opened Shopping Center with a large hardware store and food court.
Bigger cities like Manta (pop. 250,000) or the province capital of Portoviejo (pop. 200,000) is only 1 hour and 30 minutes away. The nearest airport is Manta, and has 7 flights daily to Quito. There are plans for upgrading the airport for international flights in the future. There is an airport in San Vicente which currently only receives charter flights, but the authorities are negotiating with local airlines for opening up for regular flights to Quito.