La Manzanilla Beach, a great North Zone family option

La Manzanilla Beach, La Cruz de Huanacaxtle, Nayarit, Mexico

There are five beaches around La Cruz de Huanacaxtle, some larger than others, with easier and more difficult access. We will concentrate on the ones that are more readily available and offer better services and experience. Two of these beaches are Playa La Cruz de Huanacaxtle and Playa La Manzanilla.

The sequence of beaches from east to west in La Cruz are:

• El Tizate Beach
• La Cruz de Huanacaxtle Beach
• La Manzanilla Beach
• Piedra Blanca Beach
• Arena Blanca Beach

La Manzanilla Beach, La Cruz de Huanacaxtle, Nayarit, Mexico

In another article, we will describe Playa La Cruz in another way. In this one, we will focus on La Manzanilla Beach.

Although the beach measures a total of 2800 feet (0.53 miles), the area most people recognize as La Manzanilla is a 560 foot stretch that goes from the breakwater by Vista Hermosa Restaurant to the breakwater separating the Alamar Beach Club.

The beach is in the southern part of the town known as La Cruz de Huanacaxtle in the northern part of Banderas Bay. La Cruz itself is located between the towns of Bucerias to the southeast and Punta de Mita to the west along the edge of the bay.

By car or Uber, it is about an hour from Puerto Vallarta‘s main square. Depending on the time of day (and traffic), it will be 10 minutes added or subtracted. The distance is 20.5 miles (33 km).

The beach is almost perfectly oriented from east to west. On the east side, it ends at the Riviera Nayarit Marina area, and on the west, it reaches the hilly area that is a condominium known as Real de Mar, in front of the Vista Hermosa Restaurant.

From Puerto Vallarta, the trip begins as if one were going north towards Tepic and Compostela on Federal Highway 200. After Bucerías, look out for the exit that branches off to the highway going towards Punta de Mita and Marina Riviera Nayarit.

Continue on Federal Highway 200 towards Punta de Mita passing the exits into the town of La Cruz de Huanacaxtle until you reach the fork in the road that to the left leads to La Manzanilla Beach.

Go southward and use the exit to Alcatraz street if you are walking or arriving in a taxi. On the right side of Marisquería El Pulpo is the access to the beach. If you are arriving in a car, you can take advantage of the big parking lot and from there take the path to the beach.

Below is a map showing the route from the Plaza de Armas (main square) in Puerto Vallarta to the western access of Playa La Mazanilla in La Cruz.

Access to the east side of La Manzanilla is through the town of La Cruz de Huanacaxtle, go in along Avenida de la Langosta until you reach the Marina Riviera Nayarit access or by the La Cruz main square take Tiburón street and then turn left on Huachinango street to reach the beach.

On the west side access is along Alcatraz street.

It is a popular beach for all locals, north and south. The beach is also popular for families with children. The waves are kind, the sand is soft, and it very gently slopes into the sea. Even on windy days, the waves are manageable and the water is shallow for easy access (do watch out for underwater rocks though). The beach is a perfect place for children and families to swim and float.

There are some good seafood restaurants where fish and other delicacies from the sea are also offered. You can enjoy delicious food with a juice or a refreshing cocktail while looking out at the sea.

Public restrooms are available for a small fee. Parking in the large field has a fee of around 20 pesos (1 US dollar).

The beach offers vendors and restaurants serving cold drinks and food. There are umbrellas, beach tables, and beach chairs available for rent, along with boating, fishing, and inner tubes as floats. Restaurants will often have beach tables and chairs available for you to use if you eat or drink with them. If you have an umbrella and some seats, the waiters will bring you the food and everything else you ordered.

There are several shops on Alcatraz Street that sell beach gear and swimwear. There are also vendors offering their wares on this beach, including pies.

The sea in front of the small town of La Cruz in Bahía de Banderas is among the best for fishing, and many of its residents are fishermen. Many of these local fishermen take tourists fishing for tuna, snapper, bass, and other fish on fishing charters.

You will enjoy a fun day at the beach near La Cruz, and you can also walk along the beach to Marina Riviera Nayarit to the east.

In 2008, an impressive marina was built. Marina Riviera Nayarit has 351 dock spaces for boats from 10 to 130 meters long. The Marina has a fishmonger, a dry dock, a yacht club, a restaurant, a sky bar and a spa.

There is no place right on the beach, but in the town of La Cruz there are several options, some with excellent views of the town, the Marina and the bay. Among these we can mention:

• Quinta del Encanto
• Villa Bella Bed And Breakfast
• Villa Magnolia

What was once a small and rustic fishing village now has the Marina Riviera Nayarit in La Cruz.

Among its natural charms are its two largest and easily accessible beaches, La Cruz de Huanacaxtle Beach and La Manzanilla Beach.

An excellent and popular beach option in the northern part of the bay. It’s highly recommended for a family outing if you want to see how the locals live together and enjoy their beaches and natural resources.

• La Manzanilla on Mapcarta.com