Cruise Diva Goes Ashore on the
Mexican Riviera
Sights to see & things to do
Manzanillo, Mexico
Manzanillo is Mexico’s busiest industrial port city, but it came to the attention of Americans as the setting for the movie “10” with Bo Derek. While not many cruise ships call here, tourists are warmly welcomed to the resort areas.
Diversions
Everything is quite spread out and taxis are rather expensive due to the distances you’ll need to travel to see or do anything. Manzanillo is a good place to take a shore excursion to visit the stepped pyramids of La Campana, dating from the first century.
If you can’t find a mariachi band to listen to in the central Jardín Alvaro Obregón, there is always the ubiquitous Carlos ‘n’ Charlie’s.
Shopping
Sad to say, most of Manzanillo is shopping-free. Tee shirts and uninteresting onyx chess sets are about the extent of downtown merchants’ wares. Some of the more upscale hotel shops carry crafts but the best place to find them is quite a distance away at Centro Artesana Las Primeraveras at Reforma in Santiago.
Beaches
Owing to ancient volcanic action, Manzanillo’s beach sand ranges in color from gold to brown to black. The best bets here are the beaches at Grand Bay and Las Hadas resorts.
Technically all the beaches are public, but if you aren’t staying at a swank hotel you may have to buy food or beverages to avoid arguing with hotel personnel about your right to be there.
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