Mexico - Colima

Manzanillo

Recenter Map To This Location

Manzanillo? Never heard of it? Except to the Canadians, who come in droves during their bitterly cold winter, Manzanillo is a relatively unknown destination. It’s located on the west coast of Mexico, about 250 kilometers south of Puerto Vallarta. Manzanillo doesn’t have the pizzazz of Puerto Vallarta’s quaint cobbled streets or Acapulco’s non-stop nightlife: its allure lies in its pristine beaches, near-perfect winter weather, and lack of commercialism. Here you feel you have found the real Mexico, not one prettied up for show. Downtown Manzanillo is a busy port for large cargo ships and has little appeal although an effort has been made to spruce up the central square and the promenade along the waterfront. The popular resort hotels are not in town, but located to the north. In the winter, there is rarely rain, just day after day of sunshine. Summertime is also popular, especially with Mexican families. Frequently there are thunderstorms, but these usually occur in the afternoon or at night. If you enjoy swimming in warm water, you’ll be thrilled to learn that in summer the temperature of the ocean hovers at 90 degrees. Absolute heaven! Manzanillo is famous for its superb golf and is quickly emerging as a key golf destination: two of its courses were listed in the top ten of Golf Digest magazine. Another draw for sportsmen is deep-sea fishing. Designated the “Sailfish Capital of the World,” Manzanillo is considered by many to have some of the best deep-sea fishing in Mexico.If you want to combine a bit of archaeology with your beach holiday, you can drive about an hour east of Manzanillo up into the lush mountains to Colima. This is a clean, attractive working city with a pretty Colonial plaza where you find the excellent Museum of Archaeology. Originally, this exhibit of magnificent pre-Columbian objects was a private collection housed in a rather rundown building. At the owner’s death the collection came under the auspices of the Mexican National Institute of Archaeology and History, and today a beautifully executed, small museum displays in great style this immense collection made over a lifetime by the original owner. The pieces, mostly of ceramic, came from burials throughout the state of Colima. Most were found by local farmers in the course of working the land and were brought to Colima for sale. Details of origin are lacking for most of the items, but the artistic value is obvious and the museum enables visitors to see a wide range of objects and styles of ancient indigenous craftsmen.