Mexican Riviera: Manzanillo

[rbslos18]

We will be on the Grand in January. Has anyone done the Princess Family Beach Getaway? Is it worthwhile? DW loves beaches.

Thanks.

[Cruise Raider]

We will be on the Grand in January. Has anyone done the Princess Family Beach Getaway? Is it worthwhile? DW loves beaches.

Thanks.

 

I've not done the 'Family Beach Getaway' but have taken a taxi to a couple different resorts and bought their all inclusive package once there.

I really enjoyed the one at Las Hadas but there is one down the road, called Terra Sol or something similar and it was awful ... nix that ... it was 'beyond' awful. I wouldn't hesitate to go to the Barcelo ... which is the resort they told us we were going to when they took us to that Terra Sol.

The beaches in Manzanillo are not white sand or turquoise waters, either. Don't get me wrong, if you pick the right beach or resort, you will still love it ... they are just not what you'd find in the Caribbean.

[Dndiva]

I am going on thi cruise with my 20 yer old granddaughter and am also wondering what to do in Manzanillo. I was thinking that the princess excursion for the resort looked pretty good?

[trbarton]

I was on a cruise where somebody on our Roll called & made arrangements at Las Hadas & it was great. Some pools where you could lounge around plus the beach area. They supplied any drinks that you wanted plus we could get breakfast when we arrived plus a buffet later.

Tom😎

[Cruise Raider]

I am going on thi cruise with my 20 yer old granddaughter and am also wondering what to do in Manzanillo. I was thinking that the princess excursion for the resort looked pretty good?

 

Aside from Las Hadas, which I do recommend, the Turtle Sanctuary and Salt Factory tour that we had taken a couple of years ago was fantastic. If you are lucky, you will get to release the baby turtles into the ocean. I cannot remember what time of year that was ... seems like it would have had to been in either March or Sept. Sorry I cannot remember but someone else may speak up on this thread. Wear bug spray if you do this tour.

Some people thought the salt factory was dorky ... I thought it was rather interesting but probably wouldn't make it all the way out there if not for the turtles. If it's still the same tour, they offer you some ice cold refreshments (beer or soda) and some excellent potato tacos at the end of the tour. This was way up at the top of my list of favorite tours ever and it was actually reasonably priced.

[mcrimmins]

We spent a couple of days there earlier this year. We really didn’t enjoy the city and ended up leaving early, driving up to PV. The beach was nothing special.

 

Monzanillo is a major shipping port and I didn’t feel it was a tourist destination.

[DrivesLikeMario]

OP - Have you checked out YouTube videos of the beaches? That'll give you a good idea of what to expect. Manzanillo itself is a beautiful, quaint little town but doesn't offer much to tourists. Most people end up going in to Ixtapa. That's where the big resorts are. Hope the videos help you with your decisions. I'm not sure if this is the same tour, but it'll give you an idea of what it looks like there:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AA3n_rQLXJk

[Dndiva]

Thanks for the input. I think those all nclusive resorts,look good..

[BritinSoCal]

If you're in Manzanillo why not take an excursion to the colonial capital, Colima, and visit the Teotihuacan archaeological ruins of La Campana?

[Colo Cruiser]

From the US Department of state...................

 

 

Colima (includes Manzanillo): U.S. government personnel are prohibited from intercity travel at night, from traveling within 12 miles of the Colima-Michoacán border, and from traveling on Route 110 between La Tecomaca and the Jalisco border. U.S. citizens should defer non-essential travel to this border region, including the city of Tecoman.

[BritinSoCal]

I think we can all agree that cruise passengers won't be travelling through Colima at night?

[capriccio]

I think we can all agree that cruise passengers won't be travelling through Colima at night?

 

And the trip between Manzanillo and the city of Colima doesn't travel near the borders of the state of Colima. Last December we enjoyed the excursion to Colima, especially the archeological museum and the archeological ruins. We were even treated to the local volcano spewing ashes or gasses into the very blue sky that made for wonderful pictures.

[SadieN]

If you want to stay around port

 

We ate in the Mercado area. It's behind the tall, pointy hill behind the government building at port. Can't beat a 70peso shrimp cocktail in a tall sundae glass.

 

A traditional food in Manzanillo is the ice cream sold from the carts lining the streets.

 

 

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[partybarbie]

The port itself it pretty. There's a giant Marlin sculpture and smaller statues of colorful dogs. One time when we were in port, they were doing timed trials for a speedboat race competition. It was fun to watch. There are lots of little shops and street vendors. I'm sorry to say that I was not that impressed with the turtle sanctuary, although I do appreciate their efforts to help the turtles.

[CruisingJs]

The port itself it pretty. There's a giant Marlin sculpture and smaller statues of colorful dogs. One time when we were in port, they were doing timed trials for a speedboat race competition. It was fun to watch. There are lots of little shops and street vendors. I'm sorry to say that I was not that impressed with the turtle sanctuary, although I do appreciate their efforts to help the turtles.

I remember the speedboat race competition! They were loud! I agree about the turtle sanctuary. It was very sad looking and didn’t seem like much of a sanctuary...more like old swimming pools. We did get to release baby turtles which was a thrill. As I recall it was in January.

[partybarbie]

I remember the speedboat race competition! They were loud! I agree about the turtle sanctuary. It was very sad looking and didn’t seem like much of a sanctuary...more like old swimming pools. We did get to release baby turtles which was a thrill. As I recall it was in January.

 

Yes, my dad, aunt and I grabbed a local taxi and the driver took us out there. Since we weren't part of the Princess tour, we didn't get to release the baby turtles. The "old swimming pool" remark is the perfect description. Oh well, at least they are trying.

[justafem]

I enjoyed our time in Manzanillo. It's completely non-touristy, reminiscent of Ensenada in the 70's. The prices are extremely inexpensive for any tourist items and the "chicklet children" hadn't figured out what they were supposed to be doing yet.

 

 

I did see LOTS of armed law enforcement, blending into the background. When we tried to go into the residential area, there was an armed law enforcement on every street, politely telling us that we were not allowed further.

 

 

We walked the entire waterfront and visited all the shops we wanted to in about 3 hours. Ended up in a rent-to-own store on the main strip, mostly because it was so very cool compared to the outside sweaty heat.

 

 

Go off the main strip into the more local shops, you'll have fun!

[Zudora]

We sailed the Mexican Riviera last winter and really enjoyed the ports...however the trip down and back was a little cool and rainy. We are toying with the idea of canceling our 8 Day Eastern Caribbean leaving January 20 to sail the Riviera again. However some in our group are very concerned regarding the U.S. State Department travel advisory for the Mexican Riviera. I am not concerned because we will not venture off the beaten path. Does anyone have any thoughts regarding these advisories?

[swedish weave]

We sailed the Mexican Riviera last winter and really enjoyed the ports...however the trip down and back was a little cool and rainy. We are toying with the idea of canceling our 8 Day Eastern Caribbean leaving January 20 to sail the Riviera again. However some in our group are very concerned regarding the U.S. State Department travel advisory for the Mexican Riviera. I am not concerned because we will not venture off the beaten path. Does anyone have any thoughts regarding these advisories?

You should,see beefed up security in the port cities because they want the cruise ships to keep coming.

 

A lot of the reported crime is between drug groups and most doesn't occur when cruise ships are there.