La Pergola Hotel

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Hotel Dolphin Cove Inn, Manzanillo

Mexican Bay Real Estate, Manzanillo

Manzanillo & Costalegre

Imagine if you can, a stretch of Mexico's Pacific Coast where you can be pampered in complete isolation for $2000 US (and more) a night, or find a self-catering "bungalow" in a small seaside town for $25 US a night. Imagine, also, an area that sees relatively few North American tourists and snowbirds yet is located just 30 minutes drive north of Manzanillo International Airport and 4 hours drive south of Puerto Vallarta. Such a place is the Costalegre (Happy Coast). This moniker may have been invented by a smart marketing promoter, but many believe it originated among middle class Guadalajarans when describing the area they escape to on weekends.

Manzanillo itself is a popular destinaton for thousands of gringo holidaymakers each winter and is home to one of the most impressive tourist developments anywhere in the world. It is the Santiago Peninsular with the famous Las Hadas resort as its centrepiece. This is the home of the famous movie "10" starring Dudley Moore where the beautiful beaches and beautiful women are almost overpowered by the magnificent white wedding cake architecture of the numerous hotels and exclusive villas that dominate the landscape. Land and house prices here are perhaps the best value of any 'gringo' destination along the Pacific Coast. Now is the time to explore this often neglected area before it's prices explode.

The Costalegre stretches about 100 kilometres along the coast of the state of Jalisco. Sandwiched by two super- exclusive, super-luxury and super-expensive resorts: Las Alamandas on Playa Chalacatepec at the northern boundary and the Grand Bay Hotel on Isla de Navidad just off the resort town of Barra de Navidad at the southern tip. These two resorts can cost well over $2000 US a night although prices can start at around $350 - $500 for a suite. Between these two are two other exclusive properties that cater to wealthy tourists. The Careyes, a tranquil, tropical-escape resort and El Tamarindo where, although equally isolated, one can enjoy a round on the resort's 18 hole golf course in the morning before attending a meeting in their 100 seat conference room. Prices here start at $350 US and peak at around $650 US a night!

The fact that such exclusive resorts have been established here attests to the pristine beauty of the coastline and the (then) relatively inexpensive cost of purchasing large parcels of coastal property on which to build their isolated resorts. Interestingly such large tracts of land in the hands of wealthy owners have benefited the conservation of the fauna and flora of the area. The best example of this is the Cuitzmala Trust property established by Sir James Goldsmith to protect the deciduous woodlands, its creatures and the nesting grounds of the endangered hawksbill turtle.

After Highway 200 was extended and paved all the way from Puerto Vallarta to Manzanillo the area began to open up to tourists. Most of the tourist focus was around the more populous southern end where Barra de Navidad (Barra) and, 4 kilometres up the coast where the three small towns of Villa Obregon, San Patricio and Melaque seamlessly join together to form one town we shall simply call Melaque. Barra and Melaque complement each other nicely. Barra with 5000 to 6000 souls is about half the size of Melaque. It is the tourist centre with a string of palapa roofed seaside restaurants, gift shops and small hotels. These vie with each other for space in the pedestrian commercial centre and along the half kilometre long peninsular that leads to a jetty. Here pangas are available to take you across the 100 or so metre stretch of water to the Isla de Navidad where the magnificent Grand Bay Hotel sits resplendently - like an exotic fairy tale palace, coated with white icing. Now a magnificent setting fo amulti-million dollar residential development around the beautifully landscaped golf course, the Grand Bay Hotel is a must stay.

But it is Melaque that is the most intriguing. Initially it gives the impression of being a nondescript service and commercial centre. The wide boulevards leading off the highway are lined with stores of every description. These lead to the central square before finally reaching the wide expanse of the Bahia de Navidad. East and west of these boulevards are a myriad of small hotels, bungalows and apartment buildings that occupy the 3 or 4 blocks from the shoreline. The North American invasion begins each December. I should amend the phrase "North American" to read "Canadian", as Melaque has become a snowbird escape and tourist destination dominated by Canadians. This has been especially true since the devaluation of the Canadian dollar vis-a-vis its American counterpart and Melaque is certainly better value than most other resorts in Mexico. Here acceptable accommodation can start as low as $10 US a day although most self-catering units (ideal for long-term stays) are $20 US and more.

San Patricio Melaque also hosts an excellent restaurant in the form of the Restaurant Maya. This palapa and open air restaurant just down the beach from La Paloma is the brainchild of two talented Canadian ladies, Peg Montgomery and Anne Manning. The fact that Peg was formerly chef at Vancouver's world-renowned Delilah's restaurant is evident from the creative menu and the resulting superb cuisine that is served daily throughout the season. It is almost too good a restaurant for a small resort Peg and Anne just fell in love with the area, recognized its potential and decided to stay.

Twenty-one kilometres north of Melaque is the other developing tourist area of the Costalegre, the small town of La Manzanilla. This is still an authentic fishing village of 3000 people and faces the beautiful expanse of Bahia de Tenacatita (also known as the Bay of Angels). La Manzanilla has only just started the transformation to tourism and, in contrast to Melaque, is attracting mainly American property buyers and tourists.