Manzanillo is a major tourist and sea port destination in Mexico, located in the state of Colima on the Pacific Ocean coast. Manzanillo is the largest and most important municipality within the business and tourism sectors of Colima. Manzanillo has become one of Mexico’s most important tourist resorts, and has excellent hotels and restaurants that continue to meet the standards of both national and international tourism.
Manzanillo is a great gateway to famous beaches, great restaurants, and many activities, as well as festivals. There are many things to do and see here. Manzanillo has also become world famous as a fishing destination. The city is known as a Sailfish Capital of the World.
There are two main sections of the city, El Centro or downtown, and Zona Hotelera or hotel zone. In El Centro, the most popular place to enjoy and see the sights is El Malecon, the boardwalk, which is about a mile long hugging the coast. There is also El Jardin, the garden, that makes up the town square. This is a great place to relax and see bands play in the evening after a day at the beach or shopping.
The hotel zone is about 3 miles north of Manzanillo that stretches for about 4 miles. This area is home to most major hotels as well as a variety of fine restaurants. The hotel zone has been renovated with new benches, sidewalks, big trees and plants. The street is called Blvd. Miguel de la Madrid, or Blvd. Costero.
Getting around Manzanillo
The least expensive way to get around town is either by bus or taxi. The bus system is very good with clearly marked destinations as well as frequent stops. You seldom need to wait more than 10 minutes for a bus. To get to downtown take the bus labeled “El Jardin” or “El Centro”. A bus ride will be around 10 pesos (taking into account inflation). A taxi is also relatively inexpensive but it is wise to ask the price before getting in. The average price for most destinations in the city is 50 pesos. It will be more expensive to get to the hotel zone or to and from the airport.
Make sure you always carry with you small change as most bus and taxi drivers will not have change for larger bills. Also it may be difficult to get change for even 200 peso bills in a store.
