We decided to take short trip (this week) out of lakeside to see the Pacific Ocean, and we chose the port of Manzanillo (Mahn-zah-NYEE-oh) in the state of Colima. Mexico’s Pacific coast is full of promising locations to visit, from Los Cabos on the tip of the Baja Peninsula to Mazatlan, Puerto Vallarta, Manzanillo, and finally Acapulco. While Acapulco was the first of these to breakthrough as a tourist destination in the 1940s, Puerto Vallarta is undoubtedly the most popular today. Why Manzanillo? Why not?
What makes Manzanillo different from the other tourist destinations mentioned above is its status as Mexico’s largest port, and the main hub for Mexican trade across the Pacific. This gives the town a working-class patina that probably would never let it turn into a full-scale tourist town. Still, it does have a fair number of tourists, especially Canadians and Mexicans (we arrived on Constitution Day, a federal holiday in Mexico, and many Mexican families were ending a long weekend visit at the condominio where we stayed).
What’s the draw? It is easy to reach from Guadalajara, with only a four hour drive from lakeside (assuming I’m driving! “Your mileage may vary” as they say.). The weather is beach classic: averaging around eighty-five degrees Fahrenheit in February, with lows in the mid-sixties. It is much less crowded: no cruise ship stops, and fewer direct flights from the States (four) or Canada (only one), and more than a days drive from the border. For these reasons, Manzanillo is far less expensive than other Pacific resorts, especially Puerto Vallarta. Both have restaurants, resorts, hotels, and attractions across the price range, but generally they will be less expensive in Manzanillo.
We’re not big on water sports, but Manzanillo is. It fancies itself as the sail-fishing capital of the world, and holds an annual contest to back up the claim. There’s a near-shore shipwreck for scuba and snorkel fans, plenty of public beaches (all are in Mexico), and fishing and whale-watching boat charters galore, with options to drink enough to see whales whether they’re there or not!
As one would expect, the food in general–and the seafood in particular, has been very good:
Two large appetizers, two full main plates, two glasses of wine ran us under $50 USD (beats Red Lobster, no?). We regularly drove out of our condominio and visited places along the main drag in town and found it easy to navigate and perfectly safe. We especially liked a small local restaurant called Juanitos, which was packed with locals for breakfast.
One final note. If you’re like me, you might have confused Manzanillo with La Manzanilla (both are named for the Manzanilla tree, used by Spanish explorers in Mexico to build ships to cross the Pacific as early as 1522!). La Manzanilla is a much smaller fishing village north of Manzanillo. If you’re trying to get totally away from the tourist vibe, you’ll want to try La Manzanilla. Both are worth a visit, based on what friends have told me.
Final verdict: Manzanillo is budget-friendly, easy to reach (for expats), with great beach weather and ample beaches, and excellent water sports. I would recommend it for those who find large tourist destinations too crowded or expensive, but who still seek the classic Mexican beach vacation on the Pacific side.
Hi Pat, Manzanillo seems to be a worthwhile destination. I’ve been virtually visiting 19th century Mazatlán while working on my next novel. Maybe someday, I’ll actually visit both. Let us know when you get to Mazatlán, you can do some scouting of old town.
Sounds lovely . . . thanks for sharing.
Love this – thanks for sharing!