Sporting Activities in Manzanillo

Many travelers come to this Pacific resort city for Manzanillo’s famous sailfishing, especially during the season of March through September Visitors can arrange full-day fishing charters with tackle and guides for about $300 (half-day cruises are another option.) Anglers also test their skills against the blue marlin from May to August. The sailfish has become a symbol of Manzanillo thanks to a 70-ton statue which stands on the renovated esplanade in the historic city center.

Many fishing charters depart from the marina at Las Hadas, Manzanillo’s best known resort. First drawn into the public eye with the release of Dudley Moore’s "10," this stark white Moorish style property sits on one of the many golden beaches for which Manzanillo is known. Next door at Hotel Sierra, Playa La Audiencia is the well-recognized strip of sand where Bo Derek made her famous jog in the 1979 movie.

Las Hadas is also home to one of the many golf courses in the region. The 18-hole Las Hadas Golf Club, designed by Pete and Roy Dye, is rated by Golf Digest as one of the world’s top 100 courses. North of Manzanillo, the 27-hole Isla Navidad link-style course is located at the Hotel Grand Bay. An 18-hole course tucked beside the rainforest but with views of the sea is located at Tamarindo Country Club. For casual golfers, the nine-hole course at Club Santiago in town is a less expensive option.

Watersports also keep visitors on the go with everything from snorkeling and scuba to kayaking and surfing. Because of the nearby volcanoes, scuba divers can explore tunnels, fissures, and other signs of ancient lava flows. Playa Miramar is popular with windsurfers, while surfers and boogie boarders head to Olas Altas. Kayakers head to the Centinela River to view alligators and eagles.

Landlubbers have their share of sporting options as well, from a tennis club at Las Hadas to tours which feature mountain biking, hiking, four-wheelers, and horseback riding.