Hidden Vacation Spots in Mexico

The current economic upheaval and the rest of the daily stress in your life may have you daydreaming about getting away from real life, taking a step back and just relaxing. Now that the leaves are off the trees and a nip is in the air, you may dream about warm weather and sipping margaritas on a beautiful beach in Mexico, but not a beach where every other tourist is doing the same thing.

We've all heard about the big cities, Cancun, Guadalajara, Puerto Vallarta and many other major tourist destinations that really are absolutely beautiful and exotic. I've been to those cities and they're all pretty Americanized. They all have those conveniences like fast food and movie theaters, 5 star hotels and fancy resteraunts.

Mind you, these things are all wonderful, but having them handy isn't really getting away from it all, now is it? Like most Americans, you probably have a Starbucks, McDonald's and Burger King all within a three mile radius of you, unless you're out in the middle of nowhere, then these things may be a bit further away. So, really, why would you want to go someplace that already has these things when you're looking for an escape?

Where to Go:

Roughly three hours drive south of Puerto Vallarta and roughly one hour drive north of Manzanillo (mon-zuh-nee-oh) along Mexico's Pacific Coast (also known as the Costalegra, or Happy Coast) you will find, or pass, a small village nestled on the south side of the Bay of Tenacatita. This small village, quiet in the summer, bustling at Easter and busy in the winter is called La Manzanilla(mon-zuh-nee-yuh). Note the difference in spelling between this village and the larger city to the south. They are not the same and often even those from Mexico will get them confused, as La Manzanilla isn't on many maps.

Do not be too dismayed, though, La Manzanilla is not entirely un-Americanized. You will find many ex-pats who live there year round and many who go for the mild winters then return home during the hot summers. La Manzanilla is full of people from both the US and Canada, so you are sure to run into plenty of people who speak English, even during the quiet summer season. As well, the people who take care of rentals, resteraunts and hotels speak English. It's more the village itself, as well as the people, that take you a couple steps away from Reality.

La Manzanilla is absolutely beautiful. I've been there for Semana Santa, the week before Easter, as well as the hot and humid, rainy summer season. Personally, I prefer the rainy season as I enjoy the thunderstorms, which I seldom get where I live. The entire village is built in the usual Mexican style, concrete buildings that are in various stages of colorful dilapidation, but are still beautiful. The pace of living is slow and kicked back, people smile and greet you whether they know you or not and everybody is nuts. Not nuts in a bad way, though, in a very good way. The pace of living is so slow and laid back that nobody needs to have a concept of time and nobody cares. Time is not that thing ticking on your wall that tells you where you needed to be 5 minutes ago, time is... well, whatever you want it to be at that moment. Time to eat, drink, play... doesn't matter. In fact, the only time you will have to check back into reality is when it's time to catch your plane home.

You can go on Google, enter La Manzanilla or Costalegre and find websites with various resources for rentals and places to stay. Often times there will be houses you are able to rent, instead of just staying in a hotel. You can go anywhere in the world and stay in a hotel, try renting out one of the houses for a change.

OK, so other than a rough hourly approximation of distance from other cities, where exactly does one find La Manzanilla? It's fairly easy, yet sort of tricky. Highway 200 (and I use the term highway very loosely) is the only north/south highway along Mexico's Pacific Coast. This highway meanders it's way through mountains and jungles and depending on the season you choose to travel can be either surrounded by brown or brilliant green. Don't get too distracted by the beautiful scenery around you, though, or you will miss the sign that warns you of the upcoming turn off to La Manzanilla. The turn off will come up just as quickly as it passes and it's easy to get distracted with peek-a-boo views of ocean and rolling jungle.

How to Get There:

If you've done some homework, and you will have to, you will find that the closest airport with international flights is the Manzanillo Airport (ZLO). However, this airport is small and not all airlines go there. You will need to call airlines directly in order to ensure you are able to get a flight into this airport. You will also need to decide, ahead of time, in which season you'd like to visit. During the 'off' season, only a couple airlines fly in and only then on certain days. Occasionally, the airline WILL change the days it flies in and out and they won't necessarily tell you ahead of time.

In July of 2007, I had reservations to fly down on Thursday and fly home the following Thursday. At some point between my making reservations and my flight, the airline decided it wasn't going to fly in or out on Thursdays. Well, either the airline decided or the airport decided, I'm not sure which. This actually worked to my advantage, as the days it switched to were Wednesdays and Fridays, thus giving me two extra days in Mexico. However, the airline agents weren't exactly all on the same page and when I arrived at the airport Wednesday, the ticket agent was confused, asking me why I was there a day early. I did have to explain to them that they were no longer flying to ZLO on Thursdays and my reservation had been changed to Wednesday instead. After some confusion and checking, the agent understood and gave me my ticket.

Flying into ZLO is like flying to a distant planet. The airport is practically on the beach and almost entirely surrounded by jungle. As you're flying in, you will see ocean out one side of the plane and jungle out the other. It will appear, for a short time, that you are landing directly on the sand. When I first flew into ZLO, it was a small building with no air conditioning and the customs counter was more like a couple of podiums standing next to each other. All your checked luggage was tossed into a pile in the center of the room and you were left to fend for yourself in getting it. Now, you will be happy to hear, there is air conditioning and a conveyer that will leave you feeling as if you haven't entirely left reality, yet. Though, there is still the little stop light that's going to decide whether your luggage gets searched or not. Push the button, if the light turns green you're free to go and if it turns red, head directly to the nearest table and smile pleasantly as the customs agent questions everything you've got with you.

In July of 2007, customs questioned me relentlessly about two large jars of Jif Creamy peanut butter I'd brought down for my mother. It took some time to convince him it was only peanut butter, which she can't get down there (Jif Creamy is hard to come by, but you can generally find the Mexican version of peanut butter) and could not have cared less about the various other items I'd brought down for other people living in the village. Any of which could have actually been an explosive or dangerous drug. And, by the way, if you do plan on going it is always nice to take a jar of said peanut butter, which can be dropped off at almost any location in La Manzanilla. They'll know who it's for.

So, now that you've arrived safely in Mexico and managed to get your way through customs, it is possible to rent cars at ZLO. Hopefully, you've made arrangements for this before you've flown down there. Getting into your car and getting to La Manzanilla from here is the easy part. Get to the highway and turn left. That's it. Simple, right? Well, yes. Continue going north. You will come to an intersection where another highway will take you east, but there is plenty of signage to keep you headed north, towards Puerto Vallarta. After this intersection, La Manzanilla is not too far, maybe 6km? 7km? Keep an eye out for the sign and the turn off, which will be a lane that veers off to the right of the highway, then comes back around so that you have a straight shot to cross the highway, as La Manzanilla will be on the left side.

Whomever you talked to to make arrangements for a place to stay should have given you directions to get to their office or home to sign all the necessary paper work and pick up the key. If they told you there was only one road in, they weren't kidding. There is only one road and it is paved. As I'm writing this, they are working on paving the main road through town, which you will find at the end of the paved road in from the highway. That's it. Get to where you're staying and relax. Since you're getting away from it all, you should worry about nothing more than where to eat and what to take with you to the beach.

What's There:

Well, not much. It isn't a big city, it's a small village. There are plenty of resteraunts, bars and beach. Like any place you go, each resteraunt will have it's own ambiance and choice of foods. Ask whomever you've made your arrangements through where they recommend to eat or where to go for some shopping. Actually, you could ask just about anybody you come across as most people will be more than happy to tell you about where they enjoy spending some time when they're out and about.

My favorite place, personally, is Palapa Joe's, but like other resteraunts, it is not open year round. If you'd prefer someplace on the beach where you can people watch, near the lagoon is my second favorite place, Quinta Valentina's. The staff are friendly, the food is wonderful, the beach is beautiful and there will more than likely be plenty of venders walking around and showing you what hand made trinkets they have to offer. Honestly, what could be better? Drinking, eating and shopping all without moving.

Again, ask around and find out where the locals like to hang out. I haven't eaten at every resteraunt and I'm sure there are quite a few that are just as good as the two I've mentioned.

What's Nearby:

There are places nearby that are just as interesting and laid back, or more fast paced than La Manzanilla. To the south you will find Melaque and Barra de Navidad, both of which have plenty of food, shopping and beach to offer. You will find more shops in these two cities than you will in La Manzanilla, since they're both larger cities. Melaque also has a bank, post office, currency exchange and general store that offers select American food.

Further south is the big city of Manzanillo. Manzanillo has everything you could need, including the newly built casino and Wal-Mart with an ocean view and magnetic shopping cart escalator. Also in Manzanillo are all-inclusive resorts, a Burger King and Subway. But, if you're there on vacation, I suggest you eat where the locals eat. This will provide for a better vacation and you can stop at the Burger King and Subway on your way home.

To the north, on the other end of the Bay of Tenacatita you will find the small village of Tenacatita. Tenacatita has beautiful beaches, great fishing and excellent resteraunts. As well, if you're looking to go snorkeling, I have heard there is a great place to do this in Tenacatita. My July 2007 trip to Mexico included plans to go snorkeling, but the thunderstorms prevented me from actually getting in the water.

If you don't mind the long drive, Puerto Vallarta is roughly three hours north and offers all the amenities one could possibly want. A little known place just south of Puerto Vallarta is Yelapa. Yelapa is more than two steps from reality with a few resteraunts and little electricity. To reach this tiny getaway, you will need to go to Boca de Tomatlon, which is roughly 30 minutes south of P.V. and catch a water taxi to Yelapa, as this is the only way to reach the village. Ask your local in La Manzanilla about this little getaway.

If you're truly seeking adventure, you can head to Guadalajara for a day or two. Guadalajara is another major city that offers all the amenities of home, but with a very rich and beautiful Districo Historico. The buildings are old, inviting and beautiful. As well, the shopping is over abundant and there is plenty to see and do.

And that's it! This is about getting away from it all, leaving reality behind and just being in touch with yourself. Once you've done the research on which season you're going to visit in, where you're going to stay and how you're going to get around, the rest should come at it's own pace. You shouldn't be worried about how much shopping you're going to get in, or where you can rent those jet-skis... it should be about eating when you're hungry, drinking when you're thirsty and relaxing the entire time. The rest will come when it comes and you will never be far away from shopping or good times.