Down Manzanillo Way

Manzanillo, Mexico

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It’s easy to forget that Mexico has a south coast. But it does – right where the Central American isthmus begins to take its first big eastwards bend. The area around the old port town of Manzanillo is a fantastic place for a vacation, and is growing in popularity. One of the great draws of the region is the sheer quality of its beaches – white and black sand stretches for miles to the east and west. Although the black beaches aren’t as dark as some black sand beaches in the world, do take care: their dark surface absorbs the sun’s heat much more readily than their white counterparts, and it’s easy to get a nasty shock if you set foot on them in bare feet!

One of the best resorts in the area is the Club Maeva Manzanillo, one of the small but growing brand of Club Maeva resorts. Club Maeva pride themselves on the care they take of their guests, and the attention to detail that is lavish on their resorts and hotels – which fall in a mid-level price range comfortably in the reach of many families. The resort itself is located on the sheltered coastline of Santiago Bay, a few miles to the west of Manzanillo town.

One thing that will immediately strike you about the Club Maeva Manzanillo is that it is a very quite place for its size. It has hundreds of guest rooms, but as these are spread out in separate villas in the resort grounds there is no dominant high-rise block containing everyone in the entire hotel. Sometimes at night, lying in your room, you could be forgiven for thinking that the only living things for miles around are you and the cicadas.

Each room is well-equipped with all the amenities you would expect of a modern resort, including a phone and color cable TV. In addition, each villa has its own private terrace for lounging out of sight of your fellow guests. If you are traveling as a family, the villas come in one- and two-bedroom varieties so there should always be plenty of room for you to spread out in. In fact, as Club Maeva Manzanillo covers a huge total of ninety acres, there’s plenty of room to spread out in, period!

The resort is very heavily oriented towards families, and there are plenty of options available for those who want to burn a little energy off of their boisterous kids! The Club Maeva Manzanillo boasts a very wide range of activities for those of a sporting inclination. So if you want to have some fun playing volley ball, soccer or tennis, you’re in luck! There are four swimming pools, and six of the tennis courts are lit during the evening, so you don’t have to stop having fun when the sun goes down. If you like to measure exactly how many calories you’re burning, there’s also a fully-equipped gym, which can also be used in the extremely unlikely event of poor weather.

If you’re idea of great exercise is to get down on the dance floor, there’s a fully featured disco, and lovers of live entertainment will be well catered-for by the large open-air theater – a pretty unique amenity as resorts in this part of the world go.

As for dining, you’re pretty well spoiled for choice. There’s a minimart for those who want to prepare a little of their own food, as well as four restaurants and five bars. It’s a good thing there’s plenty of choice – although you’ll find reasonable local restaurants not too far away there’s nowhere that’s really outstandingly special unless you travel into Manzanillo itself. The restaurants on the resort cater for all tastes, and, although you’ll not find top-of-the-line haute cuisine here, what you will find is a very friendly atmosphere and staff that are well used to looking after the needs and whims of small kids.

The Club Maeva Manzanillo is one of the increasing numbers of resorts that is offering all-inclusive plans virtually as the standard way of vacationing. The rates are reasonable, and although you will find there are some extra charges for some services, the scheme is very easy to understand and fairly implemented.

This isn’t the trendiest end of Mexico for vacationers – and it’s a long way from Cancun and the Yucatan resorts in many senses. But Manzanillo, and resorts like the Club Maeva Manzanillo, offer exactly the same quality of hospitality as you would expect in bigger name resorts. There may not be quite so many championship golf courses around (though there are two excellent links within easy reach of Club Maeva Manzanillo) and you may not run into too many movie stars. But if you want a great vacation for a great price, this could well be the place for you.