nicest beach community with lots of cheap rentals

Try Atacames - Tonsupa - Esmeraldas. Plenty of "beach live"

Salinas, which attracts a lot more Expats than those northern towns, also gets plenty of sun during the long high-season, say December to May.

You could do some traveling and visiting of other communities during that six months to find the micro-climate and gestalt that suits ya.

cccmedia

Bahía de Caráquez was attracting a lot of Expats until 2016 when an earthquake offshore in the Pacific Ocean damaged some of the hi-rise condos foreigners had been buying.   Cracks in the walls in some condos were more serious than it first appeared, rendering them unsafe.

Bahía may be coming back with replacement-condo construction, a new casino (Ecuador's first since the casino clausurados circa 2012) and various business expansion projects the casino will possibly attract.

The vote on allowing casinos and other gambling venues in Bahía and Bahía alone .. will apparently take place in March 2019.

Pronouncer:  bah-EE-yah day kah-RAH-kez

cccmedia

Dont leave out Canoas to the north of Bahia........also affected and stunted somewhat by the big quake but still perkin along.........I imagine some pretty cheap rentals can be had there.......its a sweet spot..........

If the clouds in Salinas are keeping you away, you should know that for months at a time there is a cloud cover over the coast. Having said that, perhaps you should try Olón which is near Montañita but far enough away from the hustle and noise of that surfing town. I would not go very far north like Canoa and Bahía de Caráquez since both places have been hit by devastating earthquakes in the past and are likely to be struck again.

Dear Lynda @ Reelwoman,

Welcome to the Ecuador forums of expat.com ...

I've read your early posts and self-intro .. and it's evident you are already making a fine contribution to the site.

cccmedia, also ex-Westchester and New York City
          and ABC Network Radio News (newswriter/ops)

Thank you.
I have lived in Ecuador nearly 5 years.

Ok, then you would probably be in a position to answer my next question Reelwoman. Supposedly the sun all but disappears along the southern and middle coastline beginning in May and continues under the Humbolt Current generated cloudbank until Oct or Nov....Can you verify that? Ive only been visiting in March/April and it was fine......And Olon is the pick of the litter as far as I can tell........ditch your car and ride your bike.......everything close.......and seems to be very friendly and safe......But life with no sun, is no fun...........

Having lived in Salinas for almost 8 years, I can tell you that the cloud cover issues is over-dramatized. It is not complete cloud cover, like London. It does not run 6 months unabated. And I should mention that similar occurs at varying times throughout the year, across all coastal Ecuadorian towns.

As to the OP request, the biggest variable could be defining cheap rentals. On the coast, Salinas is likely to have the most expensive rentals. Although for anything resembling First World expectations, Olón is no longer a relative bargain either. If the OP has realistic expectations as to cheap, Salinas is still the best bet, for everything he desires. Otherwise, he is going to have to settle for smaller town life than I think is his pleasure. Best second option, Atacames/Tonsupa region.