Coming from Guayaquil there is a Reina del Camino executive bus that leaves from the Terminal Terrestre around 8:00 am going directly to Bahia de Caraquez.  This is an air conditioned bus that does not stop to pick up roadside passengers.  This is about a six hour trip and costs around $7 dollars.  Reina del Camino can be reached in Guayaquil at (04-214-0757) for bus departure times.  There are also frequent buses operating to Portoviejo where you can switch to a bus to either Bahia or San Vicente but I would recommend buses going directly to Bahia and in particular the early executive bus.  Fast and safe.  Once in Bahia follow the directions as listed under the Quito section.  Also, the Terminal Terrestre bus station is located about 5 minutes from the main airport terminal. 

Coming from Quito there are several options.  There are buses  that leave from the Terminal Terrestre in the old town for the 8 to 9 hour trip.  There are several buses daily to Pedernales where you can switch to a bus that will drop you off directly in Canoa, and there is also a bus from Quito to San Vicente that can also drop you off in Canoa.  Reina del Camino has a satellite bus terminal located in the more modern part of the city on Manuel Larrea.  It has a night bus that leaves at 11pm and arrives in Bahia de Caraquez around 6:00 am.  This is an air conditioned executive bus that does not stop to pick up roadside passengers. Once in Bahia you can take a taxi to the municipal dock “ muelle” for one dollar.  At the dock there are frequent water taxis that will take you across to San Vicente charging 30 cents for the 10 minute crossing.  Once in San Vicente there are daylight buses to Canoa about every thirty minutes that circle the downtown area and cost 35 cents.  Also, across the street from the dock are taxis which charge a set $5.00 fee to take you to Canoa.  The airline Tame has flights to Portoviejo and Manta which takes about 30 minutes.  From there you can take a bus for the approximately 2 hour trip to San Vicente or Bahia de Caraquez.  Taxis are also available for around $25 to a maximum of $30.00.  The best option would be the direct flight from Quito to San Vicente on the airline Icaro which began operating the first part of December of 2006.  There are two flights weekly.  Check with Icaro for updated flight information.  This flight will show that it is operating from Quito to Bahia but the airport is actually in San Vicente.  Below are links to both airlines.  Just click on one of the links to go directly to their site. Tame has an English version available on their web page. 

http://www.tame.com.ec/tame/home/default.asp

http://www.icaro.com.ec/