Jose Joaquin de Olmedo International Airport (GYE) is Ecuador's busiest gateway after Quito, serving Guayaquil, the country's largest city and main commercial port on the Pacific coast, and a rental car here opens routes to beach towns, agricultural lowlands and the Andean highlands within a few hours' drive. The airport sits close to central Guayaquil, with counters from international and local rental companies inside the terminal, and picking up a car is typically quick given the airport's steady but manageable traffic through arrivals.
Heading west from Guayaquil, the coastal town of Salinas and its beaches are roughly two hours away along a well-traveled highway through the coastal plain, a popular weekend escape for locals and visitors alike. Closer beach and resort areas along the coastal route can be reached in somewhat less time depending on the exact destination. Heading the opposite direction, inland and upward into the Andes, the colonial city of Cuenca is a considerably longer drive, often four hours or more, climbing through changing terrain and elevation as the flat coastal lowlands give way to mountain roads.
Driving is on the right throughout Ecuador, and the main highways connecting Guayaquil to the coast are generally well paved and heavily used, so allow for traffic, particularly near the city and around holiday weekends when coastal traffic swells. Roads climbing into the Andes toward Cuenca involve real mountain driving, with switchbacks, fog and temperature swings as elevation increases, so those routes deserve extra time and caution compared to the flatter coastal legs. Fuel stations are frequent on the main highways but less so on smaller rural roads, and it is worth filling up in Guayaquil or at a major town before a long highland or coastal leg. A standard sedan suits coastal driving well, while a vehicle with a bit more power helps on the sustained Andean climbs toward Cuenca and back.