Kevin K Posted July 20, 2017 Report Share Posted July 20, 2017 Hoping to book a week or so at the beach this winter and we'll have my mother-in-law (whose only Mexico experience was a brief trip to Puerto Vallarta) with us. In our limited experience of Pacific coast beaches La Manzanilla seems to be unique in its combination of small scale, diverse choice of good restaurants, calm surf and uncrowded beaches and very little in the way of hard-core/super noisy partying. The downsides: not easy to get to by bus and high-priced lodging. I'd appreciate recommendations on other options and if La Manzanilla is as unique at it seems any specific decent-value places to stay there. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ComputerGuy Posted July 20, 2017 Report Share Posted July 20, 2017 Both Barra de Navidad, and Melaque, two small beach towns just south of La Manzanilla, are worth checking out. Quiet, great beaches, lots of inexpensive restaurants and Barra in particular has interesting tourist shops. Melaque has a great beach with a few quality restaurants right on the water, and an interesting market alley, but the shops are pretty dull. We generally go up to La Manzanilla for a day at the beach while in Barra; I don't have a lot of experience with the town proper, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomgates Posted August 10, 2017 Report Share Posted August 10, 2017 There are a couple rental agencies in La Manzanilla that advertise in the Guadalajara Reporter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bisbee Gal Posted August 10, 2017 Report Share Posted August 10, 2017 Lots of nice rentals in La Manz, it's a great walking 'elbow' beach. We stayed up high with great views, but it was a steep walk up the hill. Best site for rentals and other info is: http://www.lamanzanilla.info/ We also liked Barra, it seemed to attract an older MXN family crowd and had a decent but limited restaurant scene when we were there. While Barra's downtown is small, part of it is pedestrian-only and easy to navigate. We walked along the beach from Barra to Melaque but took cab back. There are plenty of cabs at Melaque's main plaza. We didn't find Melaque itself that appealing...other than a top notch tapas restaurant (Maya) which has sadly since closed. Visually, La Manz takes the cake. We also liked their eateries better. Been 5 years, so not sure what's still around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mainecoons Posted August 10, 2017 Report Share Posted August 10, 2017 The beaches of La Manzanilla are very superior to those of Melaque and Barra IMO. Very flat and sometimes some good body surfing. It is also pretty close to the snorkeling at Tecacatita. You are right that accommodations there are pretty pricey and limited. A lot of decent and reasonably priced eating out alternatives as well for such a small place. The town is clean, very walkable and completely safe as long as you don't get eaten by one of the crocs from the lagoon there. Our first choice is La Manz, however since we usually go with our missionary family and our Iteso student it is hard to find accommodations to fit 8 or 9 people there. Last trip we rented a pair of condos at a place south of Barra. Not sure what we'll try this time, may go back to Santiago because the body surfing tends to be really good there and the teenagers like the movies and other things in Manzanillo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ComputerGuy Posted August 10, 2017 Report Share Posted August 10, 2017 I wouldn't say superior at all. Depends what you want in a beach, right?. I'd say try them all. Barra has come back to its pre-hurricane state for the most part, and has a steep and a flat section, long and uninterrupted. It has the highest surf, which is still not very high compared to Manzanillo's north end surfing area. Melaque's is always flat and very, very long, with some low surf, great for kids. La Manzanilla is huge and flat with almost no surf, but enough for boogie boards often enough. Melaque gets the most tourists, and can be quite busy on the weekends, but I have never seen crowds like the beaches back home, where sand is like gold. We park our butts on the north end at a favourite (extremely inexpensive) restaurant for the whole day. La Manzanilla can get busy on holidays, but during the week is barely populated, and is beautiful to look out from under an umbrella with a cold one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IMBurnen Posted August 10, 2017 Report Share Posted August 10, 2017 Just North of PV and Bucerias is a lovely community at La Cruz de Huanacaxtle where I rented a 3 bed/2 bath house with own pool, on the beach, for a nominal sum. There is a great marina there with a Sunday market full of unusual foods and crafts. Worth checking out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ComputerGuy Posted August 10, 2017 Report Share Posted August 10, 2017 That's quite a distance north of La Manzanilla, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hensley Posted August 10, 2017 Report Share Posted August 10, 2017 6 hours ago, IMBurnen said: Just North of PV and Bucerias is a lovely community at La Cruz de Huanacaxtle where I rented a 3 bed/2 bath house with own pool, on the beach, for a nominal sum. There is a great marina there with a Sunday market full of unusual foods and crafts. Worth checking out. What day was the food and craft fair? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bournemouth Posted August 10, 2017 Report Share Posted August 10, 2017 Hensley - the post says "a Sunday market". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
el bartman Posted August 14, 2017 Report Share Posted August 14, 2017 Kevin K - I'm sure you're mother-in-law is not a huge fan of bodysurfing. If you want something with a bit of class and nearby nightlife my recommendation is The Grand Bay Hotel in Barra de Navidad. Second choice might be Karmina Palace in Manzanillo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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