MANZANILLO, MEXICAN OLD WORLD CHARM - A PERFECT 10!

Visitors come because Manzanillo offers a more relaxed holiday than other destinations in the
country and because they can get a more authentic Mexican experience than in other resort
towns that have seen tourism explode.

While resort cities like Puerto Vallarta and Acapulco have 35,000 and 45,000 hotel rooms,
respectively, available for visitors, Manzanillo has a modest 5,000.
Tourism has grown in a more organic fashion in Manzanillo, as opposed to the military-like
precision of developments seen in other parts of Mexico, like the Mayan Riviera.
These days, most visitors to Manzanillo are American and Canadian, accounting for 80 percent
of tourists, while 20 percent is largely from other parts of Mexico.

Hotels have sprouted up between residential areas. Streets are often winding and paved
with cobblestone. One of Manzanillo’s charms as a beach resort destination is its reluctance
to super-size its attractions and development. “Manzanillo is a still-to-be-discovered destination,
which still maintains its typical Mexican flavour and offers a wide range of activities.

The fact that Manzanillo – the Sail-Fishing Capital of the World – is a real Mexican city explains
another part of its charm. It’s Mexico’s biggest port, with one million containers being shipped
here every year. Electronics arrive from Japan, plastics from China, and canola from Canada.
The city of Manzanillo is also home to the Mexican navy, whose members love to display their
topiary skills in their free time by trimming dozens of trees to resemble a variety of shapes and
animals.

“Manzanillo is quieter than the other Mexican tourist places,” says Gerry Szakacs – realtor and
owner of ‘Realty Executives - Mexican Bay’, a successful real estate company based in Manzanillo.
“This is the place to be if you want to really relax, whether it is for vacation or to retire.” Gerry knows
exactly what Manzanillo is all about after living and working for more then a decade in this promising
Mexican town.

But down the beach just a few kilometers from the main dock area, visitors find the tropical
paradises of the hotel zone. Lush, palm-filled jungles cover hills that level out toward the
ocean and turn into sandy beaches. One reason for its popularity could be Manzanillo’s enticing
tropical geography – vast groves of tall palms, abundant mango trees, and successive coves graced
with smooth sand beaches. To the north, mountains blanketed with palms rise along the shoreline.
And over it all lies the veneer of perfect weather, with balmy temperatures and year-round sea breezes.
(Manzanillo has an average of 350 sunny days per year!)

Manzanillo seems to be built for taking advantage of those sea breezes and is largely centered
around two bays, (Manzanillo Bay and Santiago Bay) formed by a breathtaking peninsula that
juts into the ocean. The beaches in the area are unspoiled and seemingly endless – however, the sand
is incredibly hot. (It must explain why the actors in the movie ‘10’ were always running on the beach…)
Despite hot feet, the sand in Manzanillo is beautiful. Due to volcanic rock and the heavy
mineralization of the area, black sand mixes with brown to form patterns that make any walk
along the beach an esthetic delight.

For visitors looking for entertainment: many hotels in the area offer Mexican fiesta shows with
top rated singers and dancers. Tourists who want to explore the area have plenty of other options.
The fishing, golfing and diving expeditions are numerous. Jungle tours, plantation visits and
encounters at a turtle farm also rate high with Manzanillo’s tourists.

One of the most interesting options is to take a day trip to the state capital of Colima. Not only
are there museums and colonial architecture to take in, there’s also a chance to visit the nearby
village of Comala and witness the authentic day-to-day life of the Mexican people.

Take a chance to dine like the locals! One interesting dish worth trying involves taking fresh
watermelon and pineapple, squeezing lime over the fruit and then sprinkling it with salt and
red pepper. Strange? Yes, but when in Comala, why not do as the Comalans do?

A trip inland to Comala and Colima also offers the view of two volcanoes, including the active
‘Volcan de Fuego’ (‘Fire Volcano’) that spews smoke regularly. And importantly, the journey
takes you to ‘La Campana Archeological Zone’, the largest and oldest such site in the state.
Ruins of an ancient city have been uncovered here and a variety of structures, pyramids and
platforms have been restored.

The most well-known pyramid, ‘La Campana’ (The Bell) because of its bell shaped appearance,
allows visitors to look inside a tomb and see handmade figures and instruments buried there
between AD 600 and 900.

Manzanillo has it all. Here you can experience old ancient history and modern day luxury.
It welcomes visitors with open arms but never forgets its roots. Come to this friendly Mexican
town and see it all with your own eyes; we promise you won’t regret it!

Jack & Astrid van der Lee

Beaches
		Playa Las Brisas, along the older tourist zone towards downtown Manzanillo. The name changes from Playa Las Brisas to Playa Azul to Playa Salagua. In total it's about 4 miles of beach.
		Playa Azul, located in the centre of Bahía de Manzanillo.
		Playa Salagua, is the part of the beach on Bahía de Manzanillo close to Soriana's shopping mall.
		Playa Las Hadas, a small beach located on Santiago Peninsula in front of the famous Las Hadas hotel and Puerto Las Hadas Condominiums. This beach will be your view from condo La Vida Libre's patio.
		Playa La Audiencia, a small beach located on Santiago Peninsula. Swimming, diving, kayaks, windsurfing, water skiing, jet skis, snorkling tours, etc.
		Playa Santiago, a 5-mile long curving beach of Bahía Santiago. At the mouth of the Río Colorado creek it becomes Playa Olas Altas.
		Playa Olas Altas, popular with surfers because of the high waves, located just west of Santiago Peninsula in Bahía de Santiago. At some point the name changes to Playa Miramar. Boogie boarding, surfing, swimming.
		Playa Miramar, in Bahía de Santiago.
		Playa La Boquita, located at the end of Bahía de Santiago. Seafood restaurant with palapas, fishing boats, snorkeling, scuba diving, (dive to a ship wreck) manzanillo holidays

Shopping
		You will find shops located in the little mexican streets as well as in hotels and resorts. From jewelry to art and fashionable clothing. There are market places to look around where you can find woodwork and engravings made by local craftsmen. The Plaza Manzanillo, the new and the largest mall in town, has multiple shops if you're looking for jewelry, clothing, shoes, souvenirs, etc. Bargaining is a part of the shopping experience in Manzanillo, mostly among the vendors who you can find on street corners selling T-shirts, hats and clothing. Recently WalMart has opened a big store close to Plaza Manzanillo and there's a new Cinema Theatre.

Waterfun
		There are more then enough water activities to keep you busy. For example: Surfing, boogie-boarding, snorkling, scuba diving, boating, canoeing, water biking, etc. You are able to rent the quipment necessary at either Puerto Las Hadas hotel or at one of the rental companies.

Fishing
		Known as the 'Sailfish Capital of the World', Manzanillo has two sportfishing tournaments each year, a National and a International contest, the first in November and the other in January. It attracts a lot of people and it's an exciting contest. Depending on the season you can expect to catch sailfish, marlin, dorado, dolphin fish, rooster fish, and wahoo. You can book a trip which last about 5 hours at the fisherman’s cooperative or through a travel agency.

Day trips
		If you're not the person to explore on your own then there are many tours to choose from. Explore Manzanillo itself or take a tour to Colima which is only about 75 minutes away. Explore the lagoons, pay a visit to the vulcano or go bird-watching. One of the available eco-tours can take you to the best spots. Even Guadalajara which is more or less a three hour drive or Puerto Vallarta, about 3.5. away, can be done in a day and are more then worth to pay a visit.
		Manzanillo has it's own Museum of Archeology and History. Open since 1996, it has displays of historical spots and it show contemporary Mexican art. Every Friday evening there are free cultural events staged.
		One of the favourites, especially with children is a trip to the Turtle Sanctuary. The Sanctuary is working on fighting the poachers and getting the endangered turtles back into the wild. If you're happen to be there when turtles are being released you might be asked to help our by putting them back into the sea.

Restaurants
		There are a lot of restaurants to choose from. Along the Blvd. San Miguel de la Madrid you can find sea food restaurants, typical Mexican restaurants, Italian restaurants and many more. Along the beaches in Bahia Santiago are several nice restaurants to choose from as well as in downtown Santiago. For the fast food lovers among us, there's a SubWay, Burger King, Kentucky Fried Chicken and Pizza Hut. They recently opened a Starbucks as well.

Golf
		If you you can't do without golf then you won't have any problems finding a course in Manzanillo. Next to Puerto Las Hadas you will find the 18-hole golf course La Mantarraya (18 holes) which was rated by Golf Digest in the world's top 100 best golf courses. Club Santiago, at the north end of Bahia Santiago has a 9-hole course. Isla Navidad has a 27 hole course and El Tamarindo has 18 holes.

Scuba Diving / Snorkling
		Just before the rocky part of the coast on the Juluapan Peninsula (north side of Bahia Santiago) there's a ship wreck which makes a great place for diving. You can book with a professional diving tour or take lessons. Explore the wonderful world below the surface with coral reefs, puffer fish, moray eels, and anything else you will see while diving. The spots along the rocky part of the coast are also great for snorkling.

Other Sports and Activities
		If you're more the type who likes playing tennis, go hiking, exploring wildlife, whale watching, search for dolphins, eco-tourism, etc. then you won't be dissappointed. There's a lot to keep yourself busy if you prefer.

Health and Hospitals
		Manzanillo has several health offices and a brand new hospital to go to when needed: Hospital General B, Hospital Civil, Centro Medico Quirurgico, Clinica del Isste Manzanillo, Sanatorio San Jose Costero.