Playa Las Brisas (Manzanillo) at the Pacific Coast, May 20-21, 2007

"I would like to see the other side of the Pacific Ocean!" Wim quipped when I asked him why we have to drive all the way to Manzanillo.

The real reason why I hesitated going to the Pacific Coast is the fact that Wim wanted to drive the car himself. I was afraid that it might not be safe to be travelling by road just the two of us. Most of our friends who knew about our plans encouraged us to asked some from Zacatecas to accompany us during our travel. Wim was not to be convinced at all.

In the early morning of May 20, we rented a car at Avis and then off we went to the Pacific Coast driving through highway 54. I was really surprised to see the excellent road network from Zacatecas to Colima. Due to lack of time, we did not visit Guadalajara, the second largest city of Mexico, which I heard to be a very interesting city to visit. Around 4 pm we arrived in Playa Las Brisas (Manzanillo, Colima).

With road like this, driving is a real joy. We have to stop a couple of times to take pictures of the beauiful landscape.

As we were nearing Colima, I noticed that the landscape has changed. I could see coconut, mango, and banana plantations which reminded me of the Philippines. Welcome to the Pacific Coast!

The Las Brisas Beach (Manzanillo) along Av. Lazaro de Cardenas is considered as one of the nicest in Manzanillo, because it's clean, safe and deserted most of the time. The two-mile stretch (also part of Manzanillo Bay) ends at the entrance to Manzanillo's harbor. Manzanillo is located in the state of Colima on Mexico's Golden Riviera, between Puerto Vallarta and Acapulco on the Pacific coast.

This area along the coast of the Mexican Riviera is host to 3 main costal resort towns - Manzanillo, Puerto Vallarta and Mazatlan - as well as the exclusive and luxurious resorts along the Costa Alegre between Puerto Vallarta and Manzanillo.

Today, Las Brisas is a dead-end peninsula, but at one time the road led directly to Manzanillo. The area has many older, inexpensive hotels, small sidewalk cafes, and numerous businesses. At the end, near the jetty, scuba diving and snorkeling are perfect watersports. More laid-back tourists like to watch the ships come and go from the port. It is a rare day when you won't be able to see large ships anchored outside the port, or cruising to deliver their cargo. (Source)

We stayed at Hotel Brisas del Mar and it is a good choice for those who are looking for a quiet place. Perhaps it is not a place for those who cannot just sit still, read an interesting, and watch as time goes by.

The wireless internet connection was really a big plus. Imagine me reading my email feeling the cool evening sea breeze with the vast ocean in front of me.

Sunset at Las Brisas


The beaches along the highway as we heeded to Lazaro Cardenas on May 21.
Again me and my laptop!