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Barra de Navidad with Melaque in the distance. More Aerial Photos. photo by tomzap from February 2010 Flight to Manzanillo
Barra de Navidad is a lovely little town situated on a sandbar in a large bay on the coast of Jalisco (costalegre). Note that Barra de Navidad, Jalisco, may sometimes be confused with Barra de Navidad, Oaxaca, also on this web site. A long curving beach extends the full length of the town and continues across neighboring Melaque. The southern end of the sandbar ends at the malecón. On the east side of the sandbar is the Laguna de Navidad and canals have been built to service the Hotel Cabo Blanco as well as a number of homes. The streets are paved with cobblestones and bricks and many are sectioned off for pedestrian only or reduced traffic use. There are numerous hotels, restaurants and small shops--more than I will list here. Barra is only 20 minutes away from the Manzanillo airport, actually closer to the airport than Manzanillo is. There is also a dirt airstrip just outside of town. The town is served by several bus lines with multiple daily departures.
A mile north is the small town of Jaluco on highway 200. 2 miles to the west is Melaque and Cuastecomates. To the east is Cihuatlán. Avenida Lopez de Legazpi is one of the main streets and runs along the beach (oceanside). The other main street, Avenida Veracruz, runs parallel and one block over, so it's hard to get lost in this little town. see map
A number of Canadians and Americans (U.S.) reside here and some even operate small businesses. The only exception to the small town atmosphere is the gran turismo class hotel, the Grand Bay, which is located across the lagoon. Although the hotel usually runs near empty, from time to time its 158 rooms are rented out for large gatherings. Transportation between the Grand Bay and Barra de Navidad is by water taxi.
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The Beach
La Playa
break close to shore. However, surfers get some good rides along the jetty at the entrance to the lagoon. The beach is good for swimming but will present some difficulty for small children due to waves breaking on shore. The beach is rather long, extending from the jetty in Barra de Navidad to the west end of Melaque. Not recommended for snorkeling--have a boat take you to a better location.
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Hotels and Accommodations
Hoteles y Alojamientos
![]() Barra de Navidad in the background with the Hotel Grand Bay marina in the foreground, Laguna de Navidad at right, and Bahía de Navidad at left. |
I am often asked for recommendations for beachfront hotels in Barra. In Barra, most hotels are NOT on the beach but are a short distance away. The old section of town, where most of the hotels are, is located on a narrow sand bar with the beach on one side and the lagoon on the other. It's only about 4 blocks across. The absence of through traffic and the presence of sidewalks and cobblestone streets makes a short walk to the beach quite pleasant. Most of the beachfront is occupied by restaurants so there are plenty of places to rest in the shade without having to return to your hotel room.
Cadillac Ranch RV Park 044/045 (315) 100-0482. Located just off the road to Barra de Navidad across from the water park. RV pads with 220VAC, water, sewer, WiFi, gym, book exchange, pool, golf driving range, club house with bar/restaurant, billiards and ping pong tables, darts, secure storage. dondeines@hotmail.com
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See also Best of Barra de Navidad.
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See the Visitors' Comments.
See the La Paloma Where to Eat? Guide.
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Real Estate Bienes Raíces
Real estate agents and properties for sale. Properties for rent are listed under Hotels.
Bienes Raíces Mar Vida Marsha Hernandez marshahernandez@yahoo.com (315)355-5911, (315)355-5349 (fax). Av. Mazatlán #168. Se vende casas, terrenos, ranchos, y empresas. Se habla Español y Inglés.
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Tom Penick:
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