Passport: You now need a passport for all travel into Mexico from the United States and Canada. You must make sure that your passport is valid for at least 6 months from your travel date.

ATM Card: La Manzanilla now has ATM machines! Using an ATM machine is an easy way to get pesos, and you will get the best exchange rate. Be advised that if you wait until a Saturday night to get pesos you might be out of luck, with only a couple of machines in town you might not always get the pesos you need the minute you need them.

Credit Card: You should bring a credit card but don’t expect you can use it everywhere. Larger restaurants and grocery stores take credit card but the local street food vendors usually do not.

What to Pack: La Manzanilla is very casual, pack light and leave room for all the treasures you are going to buy a the Tianguis- Friday market.  If you forget something- swimsuit, shoes, shorts, dress, sandals- you name it…you’ll be able to pick it up in town.  There is a gym in town so if working out is your thing bring your tennis shoes, or if you like hiking the hills, same thing bring comfortable shoes.  Winter months can be “chilly” in the evening and mornings a light fleece or sweater is nice to have.

Health: La Manzanilla has very basic medical facilities.  Just off the main road into town is a Central De Salud and its USUALLY staffed with a doctor.  There are a couple of pharmacies where you can find basic medication including antibiotics.

Travel Insurance: It’s recommended to purchase travel insurance.  You’ve paid for a flight, vacation rental, maybe a rental car and now something has happened, and you can’t make it.  Travel insurance to the rescue.

Seasons: La Manzanilla is tropical and has two basic seasons, wet and dry.  Dry is the winter months December-May weather is perfect, warm and sunny.  Wet season are the summer and fall months June-October.  This time of they year is hot, wet and steamy.  This is also hurricane season.

Tipping: Tipping by tourists is expected and appreciated especially in La Manzanilla restaurants and to housekeeping staff.

• Restaurants: 10-20% of the bill
• Street food vendors: 5-10%
• Airport baggage personnel: $10-$20 pesos per article of luggage
• Taxi driver: 10-20% of fare
• Maids/cleaning staff: $20 pesos per day per guest
• Gas station attendants: Any amount of loose change is appreciated.
• Boat captains + help: 10-25% of the cost of the boat. More if you caught lots of fish
• Baggers at grocery stores: Any amount of loose change is appreciated.

Language: As of late more and more La Manzanilla full time residents speak English.  Certainly, in most restaurants and stores you’ll find someone who can speak enough English to help you, and many are fluent.  However, you should come equipped with a few words and if you want to practice locals are happy to oblige! You can also find many people offering Spanish classes. People are friendly; don’t be embarrassed to give your Spanish a try.

Drinking Water: Drink only bottled water. Local La Manzanilla restaurants and bars use purified water, but feel free to ask to be sure. When cooking or preparing vegetables for salads, use products such as “Microdyn” to purify the water you use to clean them. You can purchase Mircodyn at all the La Manzanilla grocery stores. When staying in a La Manzanilla vacation rental the proprietor will usually have one or two five-gallon bottles of water for you to use. If you run out just listen for the horn of the water delivery truck, flag him down and for a few pesos you can purchase a five-gallon bottle of water. Do not drink the tap water, unless the home owner has a purification system.

Water and Sewage: Water is always in shortage in La Manzanilla, think about it when you are showering, flushing toilets, doing laundry.  Reduce your use whenever possible.  The sewage systems are not the systems you might be used to in the US or Canada.  In general, throughout Mexico, DON’T FLUSH TOILET PAPER.

Electricity: Mexico uses standard 120-volt/60-cycle current, the same as the US and Canada, so adapters are not needed.

Phone Calls: Most major phone carriers from the US and Canada have packages that include calling within and to/from Mexico.  Check your carrier provider for specific information. WhatsApp is widely used in Mexico.

Safety: La Manzanilla is safe when you use normal travel common sense. Petty theft can occur when valuables are left unattended or homes are left unlocked.