Manzanillo travel guide
Sailfish, two bays and the white domes of Las Hadas
Mexico's busiest Pacific port, with beaches, diving and sport fishing on Manzanillo and Santiago bays and the Las Hadas resort on the peninsula between them. November to May is dry and sunny; four to six days suits a beach stay with a trip to Colima or Barra de Navidad. Costs are moderate, and many passports need no visa.
Container cranes and resort pools share the same coastline in Colima's biggest city. Manzanillo handles more cargo than any other port in Mexico, most of it bound for the capital, yet a few kilometres north the two bays of Manzanillo and Santiago curve away in a long run of beaches, coves and hotels on the Santiago peninsula.
Anglers know it as the sailfish capital of the world, and it has staged international fishing tournaments since 1957. Divers come for warm, clear water, rocky reefs and a shipwreck within swimming distance of the sand. Everyone else comes for sun from November to May, when barely any rain falls.
Hollywood found it in 1979, when Blake Edwards filmed 10 with Bo Derek at Las Hadas, the white Moorish-style resort on the peninsula. Cruise ships call at the old port, and the downtown malecón, with its huge blue sailfish sculpture, feels nothing like the hotel strip.
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Top things to do in Manzanillo
Sport fishing, wreck snorkelling, two bays of beaches, the Las Hadas resort, a working port downtown and coastal day trips north and south.
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Best time to visit Manzanillo
Month by month, so you can pick the weather and the crowds you want.
Highs of 30 to 31 C, warm 20 to 24 C nights and only 0 to 41 mm of rain a month; the high season for snowbirds, cruise ships and fishing charters.
Heavy tropical rain builds from about 110 mm in June to 252 mm in September, with highs of 32 to 33 C and Pacific hurricanes possible; fewer visitors and greener hills.
Sailfish and marlin tournaments fill the marinas and resort rooms during their dates; check the calendar if you want, or want to avoid, the fishing crowd.
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Getting there
Playa de Oro airport on Highway 200 and the coach terminal
Manzanillo's Playa de Oro International Airport sits by the beach about 32 km west of town, off kilometre 42 of Highway 200, with year-round Mexico City flights and a short list of US and Canadian routes, several winter-only. With no public transport, take a taxi, shuttle or hire car. Many visitors fly into Puerto Vallarta instead, 273 km north, for wider choice and lower fares, then take a coach or drive about four hours down the coast; read current travel advice first, as the UK Foreign Office advises against all but essential travel in Colima state, exempting Manzanillo only when reached by air or sea. Long-distance coaches use the Terminal de Autobuses de Manzanillo, served by ETN and other first-class lines, with routes inland to Colima and Guadalajara. Drivers from Guadalajara follow the four-lane toll highway via Colima.
- Taxi or shuttle from ZLO
- Santiago and the hotel zone in about 35 to 45 minutes
- Puerto Vallarta (PVR)
- Wider choice of flights, about four hours north by coach or car
- Coach terminal
- ETN and other first-class services to Colima and Guadalajara
- Cruise pier
- Ships dock at the port beside the downtown malecón
- Book the airport transfer ahead in high season; the few flights land in clusters and taxis run short.
- If you rent at the airport, the drive south on Highway 200 passes the turn-offs for Barra de Navidad, worth a stop on the way back.
Where to stay
Santiago peninsula, Playa Azul, La Boquita and the Centro
Manzanillo stretches a long way along two bays, so your base decides the trip. Most visitors choose a beach base on the north side, on the Santiago peninsula, Playa Azul or near La Boquita, and visit the port district and Centro by taxi or bus.
- Península de Santiago
- Las Hadas and the all-inclusive resorts on La Audiencia cove; calm water and sunsets, but isolated from local life and reliant on taxis
- Playa Azul and Salahua
- Long beach on Manzanillo Bay with condos, mid-range hotels and easy buses along the boulevard; the surf can be strong
- Santiago and La Boquita
- Smaller hotels and rentals near Santiago Bay, the shipwreck snorkel and beach restaurants; quieter evenings
- Centro
- Simple hotels by the port and malecón, close to the market and cheap seafood; little beach and some cargo traffic
- The surf on Playa Azul and Olas Altas breaks heavily; families with small children are better off on the sheltered La Audiencia and La Boquita beaches.
Getting around
Boulevard Miguel de la Madrid buses, taxis and charter boats
Manzanillo strings out for more than 20 km between the port and Santiago Bay along the Boulevard Miguel de la Madrid. Local buses run along it all day between the Centro, Playa Azul, Salahua and Santiago, taxis wait at hotels and ranks, and charter boats leave from the marinas. A car makes day trips easy: Highway 200 heads north to Barra de Navidad and south past the Cuyutlán lagoon, and the toll highway climbs inland to Colima. On the water, fishing charters and dive boats leave from the marinas at Las Hadas and around the bay.
- Local bus
- Centro to Santiago along the boulevard in roughly 30 to 40 minutes
- Taxi
- Hotel zone to the downtown malecón in about 20 minutes
- Charter boat
- Sport fishing and dive trips from the marinas on the peninsula
- Ask your hotel for the going taxi rate to the Centro and agree it before you set off; fares at resort ranks run higher than street taxis.
Know before you go
What makes Manzanillo worth the trip, and what catches visitors out.
Why travelers love it
- Smoked sailfish on a tostada from a downtown seafood stall, the city's emblem fish turned into a snack.
- Watching for the green flash as the sun drops into the Pacific from the Santiago peninsula.
- A dawn start after sailfish with a charter crew out of the Las Hadas marina.
Good to know
- There is no bus from the airport: budget for a taxi, shuttle or rental car.
- June to October is wet and steamy, with September the rainiest month and storms coming in off the Pacific.
Trip fit
BookingMentor editorial ratings out of 5, based on a first-time visitor's experience.
Weather in Manzanillo, month by month
Manzanillo is warm all year, dry from November to May and wet and humid from July to October, the hurricane months. Tap a month for averages.
Climate figures are approximate long-term averages for Manzanillo (Servicio Meteorológico Nacional, via Wikipedia).
Las Hadas marina, La Boquita wreck and the port malecón in three days
Spend your first Manzanillo day on Santiago Bay at Playa La Boquita, where a cargo ship sunk by the 1959 hurricane lies in shallow water a short swim from the sand. Hire a mask and fins from beach vendors or join a dive shop boat, lunch on grilled fish, then watch the sunset from the end of the Santiago peninsula.
Day two, the sea. Be at the marina at Las Hadas for a dawn fishing charter; sailfish, marlin and dorado run offshore much of the year, and most crews practise catch and release for billfish. In the afternoon, take a look at Las Hadas itself, the white-domed resort where 10 was filmed, and swim at the sheltered cove of La Audiencia next door.
Day three, downtown. Head south along the boulevard to the Centro. The malecón by the port is anchored by a giant blue sailfish sculpture, and from the waterfront you can watch container ships and cruise liners work the harbour. Walk the streets around the Jardín Álvaro Obregón and the market for a cheap seafood lunch. For the afternoon, drive south to Cuyutlán, a quiet black-sand beach village with a turtle camp, or north for an evening in Barra de Navidad on its lagoon.
Ceviche colimense, sailfish tacos and tuba from the palm groves
Manzanillo is built on fishing, and Colima-style ceviche is the first order: fish chopped very finely and mixed with grated carrot, tomato, onion and lime on crisp tostadas. Pescado a la talla, a whole fish split, rubbed with chilli paste and grilled over coals, smoked sailfish tacos and fiery shrimp aguachile complete the beach menu.
The state's inland dishes turn up too. Tatemado, pork marinated in a dark chilli and vinegar sauce and slow-roasted, is a Colima speciality worth ordering in any family restaurant, and sopes topped with beans, meat and cream make a cheap supper.
Look out for street vendors with large clay jugs selling tuba, a sweet, lightly fermented drink tapped from coconut palms and served with chopped fruit and nuts. It is the region's signature refresher on a hot afternoon.
Where to eat follows the map. The beach restaurants of La Boquita and Santiago do grilled fish with your feet in the sand. Downtown, the stalls around the market and the port feed dock workers at local prices. The resorts on the peninsula serve buffets and international menus, with prices to match.
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How we research our Manzanillo travel guide
Manzanillo's flights, fishing season and beach notes are checked against the official Manzanillo website and the city's Wikipedia record, with entry rules from Mexico's Instituto Nacional de Migración.
Last updated . Spotted something out of date? Tell us.
Checked against trusted sources:
Official website of ManzanilloInstituto Nacional de MigraciónUNESCO World Heritage Centre
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Quick answers to the questions travelers ask most before visiting Manzanillo.
Getting there
By authorised taxi, pre-booked shuttle, hotel transfer or rental car, since no public bus serves the airport. The drive takes about 35 to 45 minutes.
The toll highway inland covers the roughly 100 km to Colima city in about an hour and a half, and coaches run from the bus terminal. Check current advice before going, since the UK Foreign Office warns against all but essential travel in the state outside Manzanillo.
Prices & payment
Often yes, as PVR has far more flights. The trade-off is a coach or drive of about four hours south along the coast.
General
Off Playa La Boquita on Santiago Bay. A cargo ship went down there in a 1959 hurricane and now lies in shallow water close to the beach.
Big numbers of sailfish feed offshore, and the city has hosted international billfish tournaments since 1957.
Yes. The 1979 Blake Edwards comedy with Bo Derek and Dudley Moore was filmed at the Las Hadas resort on the Santiago peninsula.
A brief green glint on the horizon at the moment the sun sets into a clear Pacific. Dry-season evenings from the peninsula give the best chance.
A sweet drink made from coconut palm sap, sold from clay jugs by street vendors, usually topped with fruit and nuts.
Manzanillo strings out for more than 20 km between the port and Santiago Bay along the Boulevard Miguel de la Madrid. Local buses run along it all day between the Centro, Playa Azul, Salahua and Santiago, taxis wait at hotels and ranks, and charter boats leave from the marinas. A car makes day trips easy: Highway 200 heads north to Barra de Navidad and south past the Cuyutlán lagoon, and the toll highway climbs inland to Colima.
Manzanillo is best known for:
- Smoked sailfish on a tostada from a downtown seafood stall, the city's emblem fish turned into a snack
- Watching for the green flash as the sun drops into the Pacific from the Santiago peninsula
- A dawn start after sailfish with a charter crew out of the Las Hadas marina
Families & accessibility
La Audiencia cove on the Santiago peninsula and La Boquita on Santiago Bay are sheltered. Playa Azul and Olas Altas have heavy surf.
Timing & weather
It is the wettest month, averaging about 250 mm, and the peak of the Pacific storm season. Most dry-season months see under 40 mm.
The best time to visit Manzanillo is Nov to May. Dry and sunny with highs of 30 to 31 C; from March to May almost no rain falls.
- Dry season: November - May (Highs of 30 to 31 C, warm 20 to 24 C nights and only 0 to 41 mm of rain a month; the high season for snowbirds, cruise ships and fishing charters)
- Rainy season: June - October (Heavy tropical rain builds from about 110 mm in June to 252 mm in September, with highs of 32 to 33 C and Pacific hurricanes possible; fewer visitors and greener hills)
Visa & documents
Tourist stays in Mexico are visa-free for citizens of the US, Canada, the UK, the EU and many other countries. Immigration officers decide how many days you can stay (up to 180) and stamp your passport or issue a digital record. Holders of valid US, UK, Canadian or Schengen visas may also be exempt.
Health & safety
Most tourist areas are visited without problems, but violent crime linked to organised crime is high in some states. Governments advise against travel to parts of several states. Petty crime and scams occur in tourist areas.
