Manzanillo, some 165 miles north of Puerto Vallarta, is one of the biggest beach resort cities on this part of Mexico’s Pacific Coast. But where Vallarta has it's high-end shopping and chic restaurants, Manzanillo offers a more casual lifestyle. The restaurants here are still great, but simple, with seafood restaurants for the common person, scuba shacks and battered fishing boats. Oh, did we mention the great beaches. Manzanillo boasts not one but two five-mile stretches of beach, on two bays, separated by a small peninsula.

Manzanillo has long been popular with both Mexicans and foreigners seeking sun and sand. People tend to return here year after year, confident that they’ll find good weather and a good time. And with an average of 350 days of sunshine a year, the odds of finding both are very good. Many are from the U.S., but there is also a rapidly growing Canadian contingent.

The many foreigners "wintering" in Manzanillo tend to stay in condos or homes they’ve purchased or rented just for the winter season. The trend, however, is that many of these part-time residents are converting to fulltime.

There’s much to like about Manzanillo: a warm climate; attractive beaches; friendly population; scores of restaurants and hotels; and still-affordable real estate.