Landing at Manzanillo Playa de Oro International Airport in Manzanillo puts you right in the middle of things, with places like Barra de Navidad, Colima, and Comala all close by. Manzanillo is a working Pacific port and a sailfish fishing capital, spread around two wide bays lined with palms and golden sand. It is less polished than the big resorts, with a busy harbor on one end and the white Moorish domes of Las Hadas on the other, and the fishing and seafood are the real draws.

Standout experiences around Manzanillo: - Swim at La Audiencia, the calm cove between the two bays - Spend a day on Playa Miramar for surf lessons and beach restaurants - Charter a boat to fish for sailfish or marlin, the sport that put the town on the map - Visit Cuyutlan, a black-sand beach town with a turtle sanctuary and a salt museum - Eat ceviche colimense, finely chopped fish with carrot and lime, from a beachside stand - Drink tuba, a sweet palm sap drink sold from carts with peanuts and apple - Stroll the marina and the sailboats of Las Hadas at sunset

The airport sits about halfway between Manzanillo and Barra de Navidad, a mellow fishing town with a lagoon and a long beach that is about 40 minutes north, with the quieter beach of Melaque right next door. Colima, the small state capital, is about 90 minutes inland, and the white village of Comala, where botaneros bars serve free snacks with every round of drinks, lies just beyond it beneath the smoking Volcan de Colima. The international sailfish tournament held here each year fills the marina, and the whole town turns out for the weigh-ins.