Hi Ray, and congratulations on your decision to investigate Ecuador. Pre-move visits are always a good idea. My personal view is that the more, the better – especially visiting during different times of the year. It all comes down to logistics, how often you can get away, how much time and money you can spend exploring, etc. My wife and I made our preliminary visit in January of 2013, and by March that same year we had purchased a condo on the Pacific coast in Salinas. By November, we had our residency visas and cedulas, and by January 2014, we had made the move. If you have not settled on an area yet, it would be a very good idea to start looking as soon as you can. Ecuador has a variety of beautiful places in a range of climate choices from which to choose.
You may want to look at https://internationalliving.com/country_clubs/ecuador/travel-itineraries/ for suggested itineraries, and if you have more specific questions, feel free to ask them here, or contact me directly at salinas@internationalliving.com
Saludos!
-jim