On a trip last season we revisited a small Mexican town named La Manzanilla. When we ended the visit we reserved a two bedroom suite for three nights at our rented condo named Brisas del Mar . With the holidays over, our Essence of Cuisine Cooking School (EOC) going strong, we were fast approaching the reserved date for a revisit to La Manzanilla and a well deserved respite from the daily activities. We had asked our daughter Nicole to do a “mule” trip, bringing some much needed items from Seattle, even though she and a friend would be visiting us during the month of February for a visit to Mexico City. She arrived on the day of an EOC class, so she was able to visit with one of our condo owners who had just arrived from the frozen northland – Chicago.
The next morning, as agreed, we arose, finished the school cleanup, loaded the car and got our early start on the small vacation jaunt down Route 200 – MX. to La Manzanilla at 11:00 AM – well it is Mexico!
The highway is very good; but, curvy, so averaging around 40-45 mph for the 210 Km was the best we could do. After you travel through several small towns south of Puerto Vallarta and continue over some small mountains the road becomes straighter and you enter an Ecological zone known as Costa Alegre, or Cheerful Coast (sometimes known as Happy Coast). This starts near the village of Playa de Quemaro and continues for some 57 miles. Following MX 200 past many small and picturesque towns highlighted by many Topes (speed bumps), some indicated by a yellow graphic sign and others clearly marked by a few skid marks, we arrived at the Dolphin Statue indicating the turnoff to La Manzanila at approximately 2:30 PM. When you travel this route be cautious. There are now 4 Pemex Gas Stations in route, only two operable, 5 miles apart, with approximately 150 miles between. Not a problem going, but after traveling about in Melague, Bara de Navidad and other local sightseeing you might want to check your fuel load before returning to Puerto Vallarta.
Being without rains for several months La Manzanilla appears to be a small dusty Mexican Village without much to offer. Having been there three times over a period of 6-7 years previously it appears nothing much has change, then you notice that the main street is being paved with brick and the street around the square is undergoing preparation for the same treatment. Squeezing our way down the one-lane portion we turned just before we arrived at the village square (zócalo) and proceeded past the church and up the hillside to our place of lodging – Brisas del Mar. As agreed upon it was open and we proceeded inside to a magnificent view of the beautiful Tenacatita Bay. Not only was the view as wonderful as memory serves, the rooms were immaculate, cool, and I was able to commandeer one of the two lounges on the veranda. The place is screened, fans in every room, B/R air-conditioned, and the top floor is all recreation with kitchen, refrigerator, Baños, large lounges, table/chairs and laundry facilities.
After a refreshing nap on the veranda lounge the evening began in earnest. We watched the sun set behind the mountain view to our left. As the dusk crept over the town zócalo in front of us we became aware of the townsfolk and beachcombers going to and fro in the shadowy dusk with a total silence that seemed to accompany the approaching evening, almost as if we were watching
an old black and white silent movie.
That evening we went to an Italian eatery named Figaros, previously named Coco Loco. I asked the owner what prompted the name change, and after a slight hesitation to see whether my question was serious, he answered as expected – “the new name better implies that this is an Italian restaurant. Amazing. As I wrote before, after eating our way through Italy on a trip to Europe and enjoying many of Seattle finest, Figaros still stands up to the best. I enjoyed a repeat of last visits repast, a beautiful starter of Calamari Fritti followed with a main dish of Pasta Puttanesca, to me one of the true tests of an Italian kitchen (the other – Meatballs). My wife Dolores (EOC Cooking School) also repeated last year’s main course, Pasta Alfredo con Gamberi (pasta with shrimp in a cream sauce with nutmeg) . She was joined in this treat by Nicole and they shared a Pizza pepperoni from the restaurants locally famous pizza oven for the first course. My only disappointment resulted from the fact that I had previously experienced two Italian restaurants in Mexico named Cocos and now there is only one!
The next day we drove to Melaque, some 11 Km away to have brunch and introduce Nicole to a restaurant named Maya. This is a place owned by two Canadian ladies, Peg Montgomery and Anne Manning, formerly of Delilah's, Vancouver, BC. whom we had the fortune of visiting twice before after being introduced by my sister and brother-in-law, the Sacamano’s, now residing in Sicily. It’s located on an absolutely beautiful beach that runs for several miles. The brunch, food, music, and ambiance were wonderful.
Taking our leave we had decided to drive to Bara De Navidad , a small charming fishermen’s village located in the heart of the beautiful region of the Costalegre.The town is built on a sandbar which separates the great lagoon from the ocean. Our intent was take a boat, skiff, panga’s, or whatever, to visit the Grand Bay Hotel, located on a peninsula across from downtown Bara De Navidad. This has been a desire of Dolores for several years; however, the town was crowded by tourist and locals leaving no place to park the car so we decided to drive around to the Hotel.
The Grand Bay Hotel combines the best of Pacific Coast splendor with the romance of Old Mexico. It is a Spanish-style luxury resort designed to reflect the rich heritage of Old Mexico while providing a modern-day facility for golfers, beachgoers and water-sport lovers. Enhanced by scenic grandeur, our drive led us through a 27-hole Gold Medal golf course that featured wonderful vistas with greens carved into ocean dunes against a backdrop of mountains. We wandered through the Hotel grounds and the pool area to get a “feel” of what tourist’s experience. We finally departed and had an exhilarating mountain drive back to Brisas del Mar.
That evening we tried a different restaurant in La Manzanilla named Yolanda’s which advertised Asian-European food. This palapa style restaurant is owned by a charming Dutch couple and is a great place for locals to surf the net with their wireless Internet as they enjoy an evening drink while taking in the sunset. We had dinner amongst a dozen or so focused laptop denizens, visited with owner Yolanda Hendriksen, then departed promising to return for the next morning’s breakfast. They also host rice table dinners. A rice table (in Dutch, rijsttafel) consists of rice accompanied by 12-20 side dishes served in small portions. It is a Dutch colonial adaptation of the Indonesian dinner. The following morning we did return for breakfast featuring Dutch pancakes. A real treat!
Checking out at after 11:00 AM Tuesday morning we began the 3 ½ hour trip back to Puerto Vallarta arriving in mid-afternoon, indulged in a quick nap, and then had dinner at Joe Jacks Fish Shack. What better way to end such a wonderful road vacation!
