La Manzanilla Casa Golondrinas sunset

Our Trip to La Manzanilla – the 2016 Edition

Nine days, twelve friends, and countless beers and tortilla chips later, our trip to La Manzanilla has come and gone. Although the group wasn’t quite the same as 2014’s, we had just as much fun, and we’re already dreaming of going back!

La Manzanilla boats La Manzanilla palm trees La Manzanilla beach walk La Manzanilla beach viewIf I told you that La Manzanilla was a tiny town filled with 55-85 year old Canadian and American snowbirds as well as Mexicans who don’t speak a whole lot of English, you might wonder why we love the place so much. I think the unique mixture of semi-permanent gringo residents and friendly locals is what gives the village the charm that we can’t get enough of. As a group of twelve young(ish) people, we were the talk of the town, and got asked numerous times if we were on spring break, if we were a family, and why so many of us had come to this little place together. Word spreads quickly down there, and many people told us they’d “heard about those young people” from their friends and neighbours. Being the youngest in a town full of retirees means that almost everything shuts down by ten, but the early closing times are worth it for the constant age-related ego boosts.

La Manzanilla beach for sale La Manzanilla beach tile rummy  La Manzanilla beach margarita La Manzanilla town

La Manzanilla Casa Golondrinas viewWe were down there to soak up some sun and chill out in the ocean, and that’s exactly what we did. Every day we’d get up, go for breakfast at one of the various cafes around town, and then choose which beach restaurant we’d be camping out at for the afternoon. We’d spend the remainder of the day riding the waves, eating delicious food, reading, and playing tile rummy, with a few dangerously cheap beers and dangerously strong margaritas thrown in, of course. At night we’d collapse in to the pool after braving the steep walk back to our villa, and watch the sun disappear in to the ocean from our balcony. Usually we’d head back down the hill for dinner, and then finish out the evening by chatting and playing games in the warm night air.

La Manzanilla puppy La Manzanilla GeorgeMuch like last time, I had trouble stopping myself from scooping up one of the many Mexican strays and sneaking it in to my suitcase. The dogs in La Manzanilla are so friendly, and even the homeless ones seem to be pretty well fed. If I thought Benny wanted a friend to keep him company one of those puppies might have made its way home with me!

La Manzanilla Danel margarita La Manzanilla Heather Debbie La Manzanilla beach sunsetAlthough the town’s a pretty quiet place, we did get to do a little partying (I use that word lightly) with the Mexicans and out-of-towners alike. One of the bars in town is owned by a Canadian, and we went to see a cover band play there one night. Most of the band members were from western Canada, and they had the crowd of at least 75 snowbirds dancing up a storm! While the Canadians were shutting things down at 10, the Mexican band that played in the square on our final night in town was going strong until 3 am. Tons of families and couples were out dancing, and it was fun to see so many people getting together in the town centre and having a good time.La Manzanilla crocodiles

La Manzanilla’s only real tourist attraction is a crocodile sanctuary. We’d peeked at the crocodiles through the fence on our last visit, this time we decided to go all in and take a walk through their swampy home. It was a little nerve-wracking to walk on rickety boardwalks and swaying suspension bridges mere feet from the water and the crocodiles’ giant teeth, but it was pretty neat to see the animals up close. We were unexpectedly offered the chance to hold a baby crocodile at the end of our walk, and although I was pretty opposed to the idea at first, eventually I decided to go for it. No fingers were bitten, and it was cool to feel how soft the babies are!

La Manzanilla group shot La Manzanilla girls La Manzanilla beach sunset La Manzanilla is one of my favourite places in the world, and I can see myself returning for years to come. I’m not sure when our next visit will be, but hopefully we’ll be heading back soon!

6 Comments

    1. What an amazing little place! I can definitely see why your group likes it there. Honestly, hanging around with older people sounds way more fun than a bunch of dumb teenagers! 😉 What’s the place like that you rented to stay in? And how did you go about renting it?

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