The most luxurious accommodations are found on the beach of Salinas. Salinas (salt mine) got its name because salt is extracted from this region located on the Santa Elena peninsula, the furthest western point of Ecuador on the Pacific. This site is a corridor for migratory bird and marine species.

The boardwalk of Salinas (Malecón) is a safe place that offers lots of entertainment day and night. There are various choices of restaurants and cafeterias. On the Malecon, just two blocks away from the Barceló Colón Miramar hotel, you can visit the Naval Archeological Museum (open Wednesdays to Sundays). This small museum displays the vast archeological richness of the region with representative samples of the Ecuadorian pre-Hispanic history that goes from 8.000 BC to 1.200 AD. A varied collection of the famous Valdivia Venus (4200 to 1500 BC) is exhibited in this museum. The abundance of these sculptures in the region remains a mystery, but it is known that they represent the fertility of women and land. These figurines hold a close relationship to similar representations in other cultures of the time, such as the Maya or the far Egyptian culture.

The museum also displays a representation of the antique "balsas" made of the wood of the same name (scientific name ochroma piscatoria), with great cotton sails that impressed the Spanish conquerors because these light wood vessels traveled large distances (Mexico-Peru). These balsas were used for commercial exchange with cultures of Mesoamerica. The famous shell "concha spondylus", also called "mullo", was the currency of the time. This shell is found on the Ecuadorian coasts of Manabí and Guayas and also along the Peruvian coast.

The museum displays gold, copper, and silver coins from the Spanish conquest. These coins all have a mark with the Spanish King’s signature. There is also a display of some pieces from the "Lady Captain" galleon that sank in 1.664 by the Ecuadorian Coast.