Swisspoint was beautiful all around -- the rooms were spacious and clean, it was just outside of town so the walk into town was only 3 minutes but we were far enough away to avoid most of the nightlife noise, the air conditioning proved valuable, and the young couple who operated the place were very friendly and helpful. The breakfast was different every day and was delicious, the sound of tropical birds outside the window in the morning made it feel like a paradise! If you are in Montanita during the high season be prepared with earplugs, as the nightlife goes until the break of dawn and two of our nights there we could hear music through the night. But Swisspoint is in the best possible location to avoid the noise -- most of the other hostels in town are located right above nightclubs, so you would be hard pressed to find a quieter place to stay. Overall it was a great time, the beach is about 3 blocks away from the hotel, and everything in town is in walking distance. If we ever go back to Montanita, we know exactly where we will be staying!

We have stayed at the Swiss Pointe twice and both times they have exceeded our expectations. The rooms are very clean. If you stay there, you cannot miss the breakfast. Everyday it is a different cuisine and absolutely delicious! The owners are super friendly and willing to help you out with anything you need. The hotel is a few blocks away from downtown Montanita, so it's a short walk, but yet quiet from the nightlife in town. We will definitely be staying there again and again and again.

Montanita was interesting. Swisspoint was a lovely oasis away from the party. Great European atmosphere that will resonate with Americans as a hospitable break from the adventure of Montanita. Patrick and the breakfasts were almost too large. Great if you were hanging at the beach and didn't desire any activity. Yogurt with fresh fruit, breads and jams, then a main with salad and a starch. We enjoyed sesame pan-fried chicken with curry, shrimp, and a modified egg benedict while there. Very well-prepared. You can see the chef training. Would have loved to been there when the restaurant was open for dinner ( we were just before the season).

We stayed at Swisspoint Montanita for 5 nights at the beginning of November 2010. It was the first stop for us on a 6+ month backpacking trip starting in South America and, in terms of the guesthouse and our generous hosts, Patrick and his wife, Isabella, we could not have asked for better.

We went for one of the Swisspoint packages, advertised on their website, which included a double room, full-board (except lunch) and (for me) surf lessons. We booked and paid for 50% of the cost of this before leaving the UK through Patrick's mother, Sylvia. Sylvia was excellent to deal with by email and answered all our enquiries helpfully and promptly, including for example as to the bus details from Guayaquil and arranging a very early morning private transfer for us back to Guayaquil airport before we flew out to the Galapagos.

Patrick and Isabella were excellent hosts and helped us with various things (including the language!) throughout our stay – meal times were (within reason) changed according to the times that we preferred to eat, a pre-booked surf lesson that I was not getting on with (due to a knee injury sustained 6 weeks before departure) was cancelled for me and replaced with Spanish lessons (at the excellent Mar Azul Spanish school nearby) and, in one of the kindest gestures we have experienced from hotel owners anywhere, both Patrick and Isabella woke up at 4 in the morning to see us off on our private transfer departure to Guayaquil airport and even sent us with a breakfast pack-up to have at the airport!

The meals throughout were excellent. The breakfast was very good and the 3-course meals in the evening, prepared by the Swiss-trained chef, Patrick, who cam e upwith a fantastic variety of options for us each night (langoustines one night, a stir fry another and excellent fish another), even catering around my wife’s quasi-vegetarian preferences. The meals were served with a smile by Isabella in the upstairs (very light and airy) dining room and, perhaps also partly through being fortunate enough to have been the only guests there at the (low-season) time, we were treated tremendously well. The package was excellent value, especially considering the quality of the food: surely some of the best, most varied food that you can find in this part of Ecuador.

The only slightly disappointing things about the stay were, principally, the weather in Montanita (we had perhaps unrealistically expected it to be hot, sunny weather when in fact we had arrived a few weeks before the change from the overcast, cooler weather that we experienced to the warmer, sunnier season) and the fact that the room, whilst clean, did not cope particularly well with the cooler/damper weather that we experienced. For example, it was very difficult to get anything dry and some of our clothes felt a bit damp. Also, Swisspoint would be even better if it is able to offer Wi-fi to guests, something that I understand may have been in train.

Overall it was a fantastic stay and we would highly recommend Swisspoint to anyone planning on heading to Montanita. However, if you do go to Montanita then make sure that you check the seasonal weather patterns first so that you don’t find you are slightly disappointed with the town/beach as we were – I am sure that the place looks a lot better and that the vibe is even better when the sun is shining!! Patrick and Isabella will no doubt look after you exceptionally well come rain or shine, however!