Here, in Mancora surrounded by desert on one side and a beach on the other, it's easy to feel both cold and hot at the same time, at least this time of year (Peru's winter). The sun beams down and trust me, will burn you, yet there is always a brisk, cool breeze blowing.

We stayed at the beautiful if rustic Kon Tiki bungalows, which sits high on the hill with an incredible view of the town and beach below. To get to town and the main beach area from Kon Tiki you must walk down a twisting and turning path of steps and dirt until you get to the bottom. About a 2 minute hike down.

Once at the bottom you navigate through a narrow alley, pitch dark at night but is completely safe, as families live all along the alley. The biggest danger was the unpredictable, small and old dogs who couldn't figure out if he liked us or hated us.

What Mancora has going for it, besides its surf and party vibe is its size. It's big enough to offer almost anything a traveller can want… a bus station with frequent service, cheap moto taxis or tuk-tuks to get to surrounding sites, good restaurants and remote beaches.

As a result, Mancora feels really safe and what parts aren't safe for tourist (isolated beaches on the fringes of town), the police warn you away from.

We felt settled at Kon Tiki, slightly up from the main town and overlooking the stunning beach side and behind a massive canyon but still walk able to everywhere. With hammocks and deck chairs outside of our own personal shack bungalow. We had all kitchen facilities communal areas where you can sit and observe the view and the helpful add of really strong wifi.

We had one unexpected guest in our room, a teeny tiny scorpion. Paul caught our self named Sinbad the scorpion in a wine glass until we knew what he was capable of. Sinbad turned out to be harmless or as much as a bee would be,. Paul took him for a flying lesson over the rear canyon while I stood on the bed.

We left late on our third evening in Mancora for the overnight bus to Trujillo. Spending the day on the beach where the UV in extremely strong but with a deceiving constant breeze. There you can eat on the beach side or what the weekend surf competitions, which were really impressive.

Mancora was a nice chilled out break from hustle and bustle.