It has long been a tradition to spend Saturday nights at Casa Manana for some of the best pizza, margaritas and entertainment around.

We take our sunset ceremonies seriously down here. Wear polarized sunglasses. Sometimes when conditions are just right, when the sky is clear and the ocean is blue, you can see the famous green flash. In the last microsecond as the top edge of the sun disappears into the sea there is an exquisite green flash – something about certain gases in the corona of the sun (too technical for me), but I digress. It’s amazing to see.

When going for pizza night at Casa Manana we like to go in larger groups of friends. We pull together a number of tables and sit by the charming terrace overlooking the beach. The service is good and friendly and the owners Lourdes and Reinhart are always available for a friendly chat. The margaritas at Casa Manana are generous, potent and tasty.

The open hearth pizza ovens are hot and ready, and the thin crust pizzas are excellent. There is a choice of about 6 types of pizzas and they are all good. Sometimes we like some contrast to the Mexican fare that we eat here on a daily basis as part of our meal plans. The nights spent at Casa Manana are always excellent times filled with laughter, good cheer and friendship.

Many times there is a show with singers, bands and dancers. My favorite was the SANIX folkdancers from Santiago Ixtlan. A beautiful group of about 30 lovely young people in fabulously colorful costumes dancing their hearts out for us. We loved them so much, we have engaged them to come back and dance at our mexico weddings hosted at Villa Estrella.

The drive back to Villa Estrella, our romantic Mexico Villa getaway, is leisurely. We usually return around 10 in the evening to finish off the day with a dreamy dip in our heated cliff-edge pool under the moon and stars (clothing, of course, is optional).

Our journey to San Blas takes us through Matanchen Bay that is a perfect Mexico beach for swimming and relaxing.

Head out from the parking lot and turn left toward San Blas, and….right away, on your right, screech to a halt….there’s an industrial warehouse, with a gate and guardhouse. Don’t be shy, go in there, tell them you want to buy some dried mangoes. A kilo bag of dried mango fruit is one of the most delicious snacks you can find anywhere. Buy a few bags. Maybe John is there, tell him that Jackie from Villa Estrella sent you. The stuff is just delicious and so good for you.

So while we are zipping down the road munching mangoes, we pass a mishmash of beach houses in varying states of quality, disrepair and completion. The landscape gets a little flat, and not quite so charming. Anyways, after some 30 minutes, you wind through some villages, and you suddenly come across a most incongruous thing (nothing incongruous should surprise you in Mexico) There ..all of a sudden is the biggest fanciest Corona beer distribution palace on your left. Bigger and fancier than your average Costco, painted brilliant white.

Turn left and drive a mile or less. There on your left is Matanchen Bay, a beautiful sandy crescent of soft sand beach free of surf, ringed by your classic Mexican Palapa outdoor restaurants. Soooo…if you didn’t stop at Casa Manana..you could stop here..barefoot in the sand..more icy beer..hope you brought your bathing suit, because the swimming is great. Matanchen bay is sheltered from the prevailing winds, and the waters are calm. Yachtsmen use Matanchen Bay as a safe overnight Anchorage. In the late 1700s The Spanish Navy had shipyards here and warehouses. From here the Spanish Navy equipped its vessels with the goods to support the spanish missions in California, as well as to conduct explorations all the way up the coast to Alaska.

Soooo….. with the comfort of cool beer, bare foot in the sand, try the pulpo,(octopus chopped and fried with garlic) I wouldn’t blame you if your happiness was complete for the day.

Stay tuned for the next installment…banana bread and crocodiles

San Blas is a historic spanish naval port with that makes an interesting day trip from Villa Estrella.

The road winds through the charming village of El Llano where fruit stand vendors try to sell you Jaca fruit products. Slow down at the town square and take in the charming cookie cutter facade of the old church. I recommend the Jaca fruit ice. You will also notice that the Noni fruit grows here and they will sell you those products too.

Right after El Llano the road offers two choices; Turn right and you can go all the way to Tepic, Guadaljara and even Mexico City. Future posts will detail some really interesting trips to those Cities. 20 minutes down that road you will also come to el Cora, site of a gorgeous waterfall you can hike to”..but that’s another story, today we are taking the LEFT turn and continuing toward San Blas.

Our next favorite stop on the road to San Blas is about another 10 minutes up the road as you enter the community of Las Cocos. There on the left is a clunky looking building called the Casa Mana, its a hotel. Doesn’t look like much, park your car, walk through the breezeway and Ta Daaa……

There is a lovely pool, restaurant,palm trees and beach. Pull up a chair at a table under the palm tree and have yourself some icy coronas and a plate of tasties from the menu. Food is good, atmosphere is cheerful, bright and fun. Come back on a Saturday night for “pizza night”. The pizza is great and often there is live entertainment, including sometimes Mexican Folk dancing.

In our next instalment, we will continue our trip to San Blas…with stops for Banana Bread, the longest surfing wave, and crocodiles. Have patience, eventually we will get to San Blas, a historic Spanish Naval Port from the 1775.