Manzanillo, Mexico

A Perfect "10"

By Stefanie Michaels

      I'll have some Manzanillo with that Margarita, Por Favor!

I was looking for a place to relax and a quick getaway, when Manzanillo, and the gorgeous Grand Bay Resort, dropped into my lap. I hadn't thought of Manzanillo. I had remembered it from the movie, "10," with Beau Derrick. Remember the famous scene of her running on the beach... welcome to Manzanillo!

Where is Manzanillo?

Mexico! A quick getaway to somewhere exotic and tropical. Approximately 2 1/2 hours down south into Mexico, with direct flights from several major west coast cities. I left LAX and within no time, was walking on this amazing beach, with a cocoa loco in hand. Manzanillo lies in between Acapulco and Puerto Vallarta.

I arrived on a Friday-early evening. I had taken the direct flight from LAX into ZLO (Manzanillo) and gained 2 hours. It was an easy flight and the landing has to be one of the most amazing around... the airstrip sits within 10 feet of the beach, so as you land parallel to the ocean, you see this beautiful water on one side, and a lush forest on the other. Unlike Cabo, it is extremely tropical.

I had remembered it from the movie, "10," with Beau Derrick. Remember the famous scene of her running on the beach... welcome to Manzanillo!

Their system of checking your bags, lies with a simple button that looks as if you're about to launch a missile test. If the light buzzes green... it's a go, and they don't ask to check your bags. If it buzzes red.. guess what... some very polite airport official, asks that you open a bag or two. It is a very laid back area, and right away, you feel as if you have left civilization miles away.

Heaven on Earth... The Grand Bay Resort

I was greeted by David from the Grand Bay Resort, who escorted me into the van and off in the opposite direction of Manzanillo proper. We were heading to an area called Barra de Navidad, where the Grand Bay Resort is located. Twelve hundred acres of pure heaven! Larry King, Lynn Swan, Stevie Wonder, Seal, Joe Thiesman, Robert Conrad, Randy White, are just a few who have signed their guest book.

The 20-minute drive to the resort was awesome. Miles of Mangos and Coconut groves lead the way to the entrance of the Grand Bay. Another 5 minutes from the guard tower, a winding road takes you upwards over a hill and past one of the vastest golf courses I have ever seen. For all you golf lovers... I'll come back to that momentarily.

We drove around a curve and there it was... This majestic hotel, built into the lush hills and surrounded by a marina with yachts, is situated on a pretty little island called Isla Navidad (Christmas Island). I had arrived at sunset, and the view was amazing!

I was whisked into a grand entrance, and greeted with a very yummy drink. Service is impeccable yet low-key. From the time you step onto the property, you can be left alone, or if you choose, as busied as you ask to be. I sat with Laura Ibarra, who helps keep the Grand Bay in top shape, and asked her about this amazing best-kept secret of Mexico. The hotel has been opened since 1996, but publicity had been kept to a minimum, aligning the proper staff, and awaiting for the finishing touches of the 28 hole golf course.

The Grand Bay Resort is a concept in the process. It is managed by Wyndham Hotels and Resorts, but is owned by one of the wealthiest families in Mexico. The owner owns the Tecos Soccer team of Guadalajara, hospitals, and the University and then some, and the Grand Bay, is his vision and family's vision. There is no cost spared, and when I say it is in the process... I mean it. So far...

There is a 28-hole golf course and country club, complete with a golf club that will blow your mind. Each course offers up a new challenge at every turn. There is the "Ocean Course," the "Mountain Course," and the "Lagoon Course."

Here are some stats...
Ratings: 1 to 9-10-10 for men: rating 73.9/slope 126. Holes 19-27 men, rating 74.0 slope 133.

There is a two level pro shop, which offers equipment rentals, complete with shoes for 45 players. Top of the line Dunlop and Calloway clubs are offered. There are meeting facilities within the golf club, as well as a separate area exclusive to golfers which offer up massage tables, marble jacuzzis, saunas, steam rooms, 8 private showers, 2 salons, 8 private villas which are for rent just off the course, offering 3 and 4 bedrooms, complete with "sauna brooks" which lead to your own private pool.

Hard day at golf? Sit back and relax in one of two bars such as the 19th Hole Bar, which brings festivities and friends together. Hugo Bremer is the general manager. There is also another portion of the course, in the planning stages for another 9 holes. Hugo states, that it will probably be another 15 years before all of the fazes will be concluded, including homes that will be sold on the property. Each home purchased, will offer a lifetime golf club membership! There is also another grouping of homes, which are beach homes available for rent, just off the beach and farthest side of the golf course, and they are absolutely amazing.

Golf Magazine has given the Gold Medal award to the Grand Bay, and the Travel Channel has honored it as the #1 resort in Mexico, three years running!

Why leave this amazing place! There are even plans for a nightclub and disco, which should be finalized sometime next year. The plan is to complete the area, and create a city with in these 1200 acres. In the meantime...

There is a movie theater which runs movies twice nightly, and you can find times and movie listings in the "What's Happening" memo, left under your door nightly, listing all the next days and evenings activities. For all of you parents - there is an activity area for kids headed up by Muriam Espinoza. There is a 24 hour a day medical facility/hospital, on the property, complete with it's own medical emergency staff and ambulance. The resort is wheelchair friendly, with ramps situated all over the property, and golf carts are made readily available for any guests who request one. It is easily laid out, and following the "fish" pointed in any direction placed near elevators and entrances, help lead your way around.

I loved the spa and my coconut body scrub, the waterslides at the pool, and the swim-up bar, and the little ferryboat that takes you to shopping, restaurants and bars, across at Isla Navidad.

For the Yachtsman is you, the 207 slip Marina is beautiful. There are additional plans to build additional slips, which will allow for Mega Yachts to come in and dock.

As for all my fellow epicureans... ahhhhhhh, can we talk! I was honored to meet with Chef Miguel Velazquez. For the past two years, he has won the prize of the Fidegua in Spain.

What is so interesting about talking with this Master Chef, and then experiencing his amazing dishes, is noticing his attention to detail and presentation. If you choose to stray off the menu, great... he considers it a challenge! "What would you like? Fish?" Give him an idea of what you like and he makes an incredible meal. His personal favorite, is chicken in a veracruz sauce. Cooking since the age of fifteen, he has loved to learn about cultural delicacies, and you can enjoy a combination of his local cuisine of Mexico, with a twist. He travels all over the world to find something different in the foods he "designs," and then modifies the infusions of both his culture and other cultures, to taste. He is a master of this, and his meals reflect his passions of foods and flavors. Definitely try his award winning paella!

I had hired a driver on my second day there, to take me into Manzanillo proper. Afraid that had I not ventured there I might have missed out, I dined at the aging Las Hadas Resort... infamous for the movie, "10," which had been shot there more than twenty some odd years ago. All I can pass on to you is... don't bother. It's lack luster, left me yearning to return to The Grand Bay... the jewel of Mexico.