Where To Stay In Manzanillo: Best Neighborhoods & Hotels 2024

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Looking for the best places to stay in Manzanillo, Colima?

You are in luck. I have all the best recommendations on the neighborhoods, hotels, and beaches in Manzanillo.

Manzanillo is an under-the-radar beach destination on Mexico’s central Pacific coast. The city is more well known for its large port than it is for its beautiful beaches. I want to help you find the best places to stay in Manzanillo and avoid the rough around the edges parts of town.

I have been traveling to this part of Mexico since 2008 and I am not exactly thrilled with the current state of affairs. The state of Colima went from being one of the safest parts of Mexico to one of the least safe parts of Mexico in the last decade. Manzanillo and Acapulco have a lot in common when it comes to tourism and security.

That being said, I still love traveling to Manzanillo and spending time at the beach. These days, we spend most of our time at the resort and don’t spend as much time exploring the town of Manzanillo as we used to.

For 100 years, Manzanillo was the most popular beach destination for folks living in Guadalajara. Now that the new toll freeway to Puerto Vallarta is almost complete, lots of people are traveling to Nayarit instead of Colima.

One thing to keep in mind is that Manzanillo is a much cheaper destination than Puerto Vallarta. The tolls from Guadalajara to Manzanillo are a thousand pesos cheaper in each direction and the hotels are a steal compared to PV.

Additionally, I recommend having a car when visiting Manzanillo. There is public transportation but it is limited to my favorite parts of the city.

An Overview Of Manzanillo, Colima

Manzanillo is a city of 159,000 inhabitants but the metro region feels a little bit larger because the population is spread out along two bays. It is more than ten miles from La Boquita to Downtown Manzanillo.

There is a massive industrialized area around the port on the south side of town. The port is mainly a cargo shipping port and it feels sketchy.

Las Brisas neighborhood is a sand bar on the north side of the harbor inlet between the port and the beach. Heading north is the Playa Azul and Salagua neighborhoods. Las Brisas, Playa Azul, and Salagua are all in the first bay called the Manzanillo Bay.

My favorite place to stay in Manzanillo is the Santiago Peninsula separating the southern Manzanillo Bay from the northern Santiago Bay. It is home to the lovely Playa La Audiencia and the Las Hadas Resort and Marina.

The Santiago Bay is lined with Olas Altas Beach, Miramar Beach, Club Santiago, and La Boquita are the most popular beaches in the Santiago Bay on the north side of the metropolitan area.

Where To Stay In Manzanillo

I have stayed all over Manzanillo including staying Downtown on my very first visit. My favorite place to stay in Manzanillo is the Santiago Peninsula.

Santiago Peninsula & La Audiencia

Much of Manzanillo is lowland beaches and sandbars. The Santiago Peninsula has some hills with pretty views of the bays. The trees seem to be a little taller with thick pockets of vegetation. This is where you will find the clearest water in the city. I often see scuba divers coming and going at the Yacht Club Beach.

The Santiago Peninsula has several of the best beaches in Manzanillo. Las Hadas Beach faces east protecting it from the huge surf that is common during the summer.

Playa La Audiencia is on the west side of the peninsula and will see some water move around. La Punta Casa Club has another great beach that is a hidden treasure.

Things to do in Santiago Peninsula

The primary reason that people come to Manzanillo is to go to the beach. The Santiago Peninsula is my favorite part of Manzanillo because this area has the best beaches.

Las Hadas Marina is a small harbor with a boardwalk and cool restaurants. The condo development is painted all white and goes up a steep hill making it look like something out of Italy or Greece.

I love walking the harbor, looking at the boats and the super clear water. We saw tons of fish, urchins, and mollusks from the docks. I can only imagine what marine life the local waters hold.

is the best place to find sport fishing charters around here. Double Trouble runs an awesome charter service

Where to eat in Santiago Peninsula

I love breakfasts at El Palomar Restaurant in Las Hadas. The lady who makes the omelets has worked there for 20 years and makes one of my favorite omelets anywhere.

Poco Pazzo is an Italian joint with indoor and outdoor seating. They have nice pizzas, pastas, and fish.

Finca El Origen does steaks

Kazumi Comida Japonesa has better sushi than I would have expected. The vibe at the place is super cool and more like something I would expect in Guadalajara.

OM Oasis has a pan-Asian theme and one of the best patios overlooking the water.

L’ Arte del Gelato is lovely and has delicious treats.

Where to stay in Santiago Peninsula

Las Hadas is my favorite place to stay in Manzanillo. I first stayed here in 2014 when my wife and I were dating. Now that I have kids, I love this place even more. The place is magical.

The decoration is a whimsical, Arabic fairytale. Hadas are fairies in Spanish and as you arrive at the property you are welcomed by two fairies.

I have done both the all-inclusive option and the a la carte option and I prefer a la carte. Breakfast is my favorite and love walking the marina in the evening looking at restaurant menus.

In addition to the Las Hadas Hotel, there are tons of condos in the Las Hadas Marina for rent on Airbnb.

Another great option right down the beach from Las Hadas is the Villas Del Palmar Hotel. This is one of the best deals in Manzanillo

Club Santiago & La Boquita

Club Santiago is the most popular beach destination for families visiting Manzanillo. There aren’t as many hotels in Club Santiago as there are in other parts of the city. Club Santiago is a golf course and residential community with houses.

It is common for families in Guadalajara to go in on a beach house and divvy up the weeks. It feels like everyone has a cousin with a partial interest in a Club Santiago beach house.

The beach is great for kids with almost no waves at all. La Boquita is the river mouth where the estuary meets the ocean. There is a fun wave to surf on the biggest swells of the season. Other than that, it is like a lake around here.

Things to do in Club Santiago

Go to the beach with your kids. Ride the banana boat or take a boat ride.

There is a shipwreck about 500 feet offshore that is a popular dive site.

Where to eat in Club Santiago

There are at least ten enramada restaurants lining the beach down towards the Boquita. I don’t remember which ones we ate at but they were all enjoyable and simple. Order the local fish and some ceviche.

Where to stay in Club Santiago

Start by looking at Google Maps. There are a ton of villas with spectacular pools within walking distance of the beach.

I stayed at the Hotel Tenisol on a surf trip once. As we say in Spanish, it has the three B’s: bueno, bonito, barrato (good, pretty, cheap). Maybe not pretty, but walking distance to the beach with just an ok pool. It was perfect to score La Boquita when Pascuales was too big to surf. It was probably the surf, but I have fond memories of the place.

My wife and I stayed at the Palma Real one year over the New Year’s holiday. Everything was sold out by the time we were looking for a hotel and we stumbled upon this option. The Palma Real is on the opposite side of La Boquita and requires leaving Manzanillo to find the entrance to the resort. It was a good deal but on the far side of town if you are driving in from Guadalajara.

Las Brisas

I used to love this part of Manzanillo. My wife and I stayed here a bunch of times at a friend’s condo right on the beach. There are three awesome restaurants by Chef Nico Mejilla within walking distance.

I don’t love the beach here. Las Brisas is little more than a sandbar between the shipyard’s unloading facility and the ocean. It gets deep quickly and the water isn’t the cleanest in the area.

You can take cool pictures of enormous container ships entering the small port. The massive facilities are impressive. Those containers come off the ships and are loaded to a train and an army of truck drivers.

Things to do in Las Brisas

Eat at Nico Mejilla’s restaurants. The guy wrote three books about culinary travel in Colima and he knows all of the best things to do in this marvelous state. He was on TV for a while as the traveling chef and made some very good content.

Where to eat in Las Brisas

• La Sal: Articulo 123 20, Morelos, Manzanillo, Colima
• Casa Rangel Comedor Social: Gral. Lázaro Cárdenas 1711, Las Brisas, Manzanillo, Colima

Where to stay in Las Brisas

I wouldn’t stay in Las Brisas right now. I felt the place was run down and lacking maintenance. Club Santiago and Las Hadas are so much nicer. Las Brisas isn’t on my radar anymore.

Centro Histórico Manzanillo

Safe around the tourist zone but sketchy on the outskirts. Downtown Manzanillo is sandwiched between the port and a massive CFE electric power plant. This is not the prettiest harbor in Mexico by any means.

The boardwalk is small but cute. Manzanillo is the sailfish capital of the world and there is a big monument that makes a good picture. The Mexican Navy has a ship they use like a museum.

I wanted to go surfing out by the power plant once. That is an industrial area that felt really sketchy. I would not want to break down out there.

Things to do in Centro Histórico Manzanillo

Walk around for a half hour and get something to eat at Bar Social.

Where to eat in Centro Histórico Manzanillo

Eat at Bar El Social. Nico Mejia did the menu. I don’t know if he is an owner but he was for sure promoting it when it reopened. And I know that the pozole seco was his recipe.

Bar Social is the sort of minimalist cantina that I imagine Hemingway would have liked to drink at.

• Bar Social Address: Calle Juárez 101, Centro Histórico, Manzanillo, Colima

Where to stay in Centro Histórico Manzanillo

I wouldn’t stay in Downtown Manzanillo right now. The whole point of going to Manzanillo is to hit the beach and the beach here sucks. It is way too polluted to swim.

Cuyutlán

My father-in-law had a place here for decades. This is where I fell in love with rural Colima. My article about Cuyutlán is a love letter.

Cuyutlán is a tiny little village that comes alive on three-day weekends and Semana Santa spring break. The surf is heavy and dangerous but the seafood is fresh and delicious.

Things to do in Cuyutlán

The body surfing at Cuyutlán is excellent. Be careful because the surf is dangerous during the summertime.

A couple of miles south of town is a turtle hatchery and estuary. The Tortuguario Ecológico de Cuyutlán is a very enjoyable afternoon. There are crocodiles, iguanas, lots of turtles, and a tour of the Palo Verde Estuary.

Make sure to buy a bag of course Colima sea salt at the Salt Museum. It is an gourmet product that you will fall in love with.

Where To Stay In Manzanillo FAQ

These are the questions that I often see in the Mexico forums on Facebook.

Is Manzanillo Safe?

No, Manzanillo is not safe right now. Unfortunately, the state of Colima is no longer one of the safest parts of Mexico.

The pandemic accelerated a collapse in the tourism industry and a ton of businesses have left town. I have friends in Guadalajara with houses or condos in Manzanillo who say they have not been in five years.

My neighbor across the street has not been back to her condo since there was a shooting. She wasn’t there when it happened but says that she prefers Puerto Vallarta now.

When my wife and I first started dating, we spent a few weekends at a friend’s condo on the beach in Las Brisas walking distance from a bunch of small local restaurants. Today, that condo completely looks like it was abandoned. I was very disappointed to see how the neighborhood is looking.

Everywhere we went on this last trip, everybody was talking about the insecurity. It is not just Manzanillo but Tecomán, Cuyutlán, and Armería are all vigilant for security problems.

In years past, we would spend a lot of time exploring the area. These days we do not go out to dinner after dark and we spend most of our time at the beach resort.

Final Thoughts On Where To Stay In Manzanillo

While I might not be a huge fan of Manzanillo right now, I love the Las Hadas resort. I think the Santiago Peninsula is the most beautiful part of town with the best beaches for kids.

I just saw a 1979 Dudley Moore movie, 10 that featured the Las Hadas Resort and I couldn’t believe how long that place has been around. It looks identical, actually.

No matter that Manzanillo isn’t the safest part of Mexico right now, you can still have a great vacation at a very inexpensive price.

The next time you start looking at hotels in Puerto Vallarta I implore you to have a look at Las Hadas to compare. I think you might enjoy it.