La Manzanilla (gets its name from a tree which grew in the area called Manzanillo, the apple like fruits are Manzanillas [possibly derived from Manzana]). It's less than a kilometer (½ mi) in from the highway to the beach at La Manzanilla, on the southern edge of large Bahía de Tenacatita, 78 kilometers north of Manzanillo. Hotels and restaurants line the main street of the town. Rocks dot the gray-gold sands and edge both ends of the wide beach. The bay is calm.
Next to the village is a Mexican Federal Ecological Zone (a high tide mangrove lagoon), home to Egrets, Heron, King Fishers, Ibises, Anhingas, and Caimans (part of the crocodilian genus) plus several miles of shrouded waterways accessible with a local boat guide or on your own in a kayak.
Boca de Iguanas is just a few kilometers NW up the beach past the mangroves. Boca offers a nice beach, two trailer parks and a small store with adjoining restaurant.
