What it’s like to live in Puerto Cayo, Ecuador

Life in Puerto Cayo: Our Slow, Serene Chapter in Ecuador

You’ve probably never heard of Puerto Cayo.
Don’t worry — most people haven’t.

Puerto Cayo is a sleepy fishing village on Ecuador’s Pacific coast, offering little more than long stretches of sandy beach sprinkled with seashells and colorful pebbles.
Yet, it’s where we chose to settle for the largest chunk of our four-month stay in Ecuador earlier this year.

We loved our calm beach life.
And even though there was absolutely nothing going on, we were sad to leave.
Living in Puerto Cayo was life at its simplest — and it was wonderful.

So, what’s it like living in a remote Ecuadorian beach village as a digital nomad?

As usual, we rented a furnished house — Pasatiempo del Sur.
This time, it was a beautiful apartment right by the beach, with a pool, a garden, and a killer view of the sun melting into the ocean each evening.

A typical day looked something like this:

WAKE UP SLOW – coffee and breakfast on the terrace

One of the things I love — and miss — most about tropical life is how naturally early the days start.
Your biorhythm syncs with the sun, which rises and sets at roughly the same time every day. At least on the equator.

There was no need for an alarm clock.
We’d wake up naturally around 7 AM as the sky brightened, feeling refreshed and energized enough to make fruit salad and coffee for breakfast on the terrace.

WORK-WORK-WORK

Mornings were the coolest part of the day, so we’d dive straight into work to make the most of the bearable temperatures.

LUNCH BREAK + SIESTA

By 11 AM, the sun would burn so fiercely that it became impossible to function outside.
The entire village would shut down — not just for lunch, but to escape the full fury of the equatorial sun.

We’d either whip up a simple lunch at home or catch a moto-taxi to one of the handful of beach restaurants (if you could even call them that).
But honestly, only a mad dog would willingly roam Puerto Cayo around noon.

After lunch, it was siesta time — not necessarily to sleep (though sometimes we did!) but simply to unwind, digest, and hide from the midday heat.

BACK TO WORK + BEACH BREAK

By 3 PM, it was still steaming hot but slowly becoming tolerable.
We’d squeeze in a few more hours of work indoors.

Then, around 4 or 5 PM, when the worst of the heat had passed, we’d grab our swimsuits and head for the ocean — a beach entirely to ourselves.
We’d splash in the waves, swim, and paddle around for about 30 minutes before returning to our work.

Afterward, Douglas would work on his laptop outside, while I tended to the pool, watered the plants, or tackled some housework.

APERO WHILE WATCHING THE SUNSET

We’d close our workday with an apero (a pre-dinner drink) while watching the sunset.
With nothing else pulling at our attention, we could simply sit back, sip, and admire nature’s nightly spectacle.

Whether at home or in a beach shack with a cold beer in hand, we never missed the show!
Sunsets in Puerto Cayo were pure magic.

DINNER

Some evenings, we’d cook at home.
Other times, we’d head into town, where the menus offered a simple choice: fish, fish, seafood, or… fish.
Meat was a rare commodity in Puerto Cayo.

On weekends, we took it even easier — lounging by the pool, taking long barefoot strolls on the beach, playing with the dogs, brunching in neighbouring towns.

We learned to be content with uneventful weekends, letting the days drift by without hurry.

Living in Puerto Cayo was the perfect setting to get work done and save money — as there were no distractions.
But it was also  a profound lesson in being.

We lived in the moment.
We laughed and played like children.
We created our own joy and excitment.
We let go of worries we didn’t even realize we were carrying.

In a way, living in Puerto Cayo felt like being on one of those “find yourself” retreats — but better, because it happened naturally, without trying.

Another beautiful enrichment in our lives.

Could you see yourself living in a tiny town where there is nothing to do? Do you think you could find happiness in a place like Puerto Cayo? 

The post “what it’s like to live in Puerto Cayo, Ecuador” first appeared on Travel Cake.