Since the early 1990s, the 450 km stretch of idyllic topical beaches between Puerto Vallarta and Manzanillo has been dubbed La Costalegre. Exclusive resorts have been built on a few of the loveliest beaches. Continued development in inevitable, but for the moment, signed and unsigned roads lead to simple fishing villages, rocky coves that are perfect for fishing or snorkelling, and long bays with modest accommodations. Manzanillo, the Pacific’s most important industrial port, manages to combine commercial fishing and shipping with tourism and excellent billfishing.

It is said that ships from the Orient docked here two centuries before the Spanish arrived in Mexico. Instead of a row of restaurants, hotels, and bars such as those in Mazatlan’s Golden Zone, Manzanillo’s attractions are found here and there along the bay and downtown, located at the far eastern point of the bay. The most picturesque beaches, and those best for swimming are mainly clustered around the peninsula.