Manzanillo - Tesoro Manzanillo

The hotel was a little bit difficult to find initially, but we were happy when we arrived because of the beautiful private inlet in which it is located. The front desk agent was friendly but not... More>

The hotel was a little bit difficult to find initially, but we were happy when we arrived because of the beautiful private inlet in which it is located. The front desk agent was friendly but not able to speak English well so my lack of Spanish left me a bit confused as to how to take full advantage of the resort. We traveled as a family (6 adults) and requested rooms near each other, unfortunately we were not put in rooms anywhere near each other. (Floors 1, 6, and 18) We were fortunate enough to find a valet who was originally from Minnesota and he was kind enough to explain how things worked at the resort. We were on the all-inclusive package- *There is one buffet restaurant and two "fine dining" restaurants. If you don't want to eat at the buffet for each dinner you need to reserve a table each morning (yes, stop at her desk and reserve daily) with the concierge in the lobby. They alternate Italian/Mexican nights for the fine dining. Honestly the food was ok at the buffet and traveling with six adults we probably enjoyed the multiple options at the buffet more than the fine dining- but I would suggest giving both a try. The buffet is only open certain times of day, so plan accordingly. The lines weren't too bad at the buffet. There is also a snack bar off the pool which is open most of the day. The hotel has one large pool with a swim up bar. There is also a beautiful beach with nice beach chairs and a few covered tent areas. One of our favorite things about this hotel was the view. The ocean views are amazing and the beach is very private. (Some of the other more "value" oriented hotels are not on private beaches...think graffiti.) There are activities each day, a large board near the pool lists the times. (beach volleyball, water aerobics, etc.) There is also a kiddie area at the back of the hotel- I believe there was mini-golf and a playground. The hotel also has tennis courts. There is also a free rental area for boogie boards, etc near the pool. You can reserve your outings in the lobby. There are adventure company reps in the lobby daily. There is also canoe and jet ski rentals on the beach. In the evenings there are shows- sometimes on the beach and sometimes on one of the upper patios. Nice, family fun. If you choose to stay here, remember this is Mexico and this is a beach resort. The salt water is hard on the hotel, but you can tell the hotel is taken care of. We sincerely enjoyed our trip and would stay here again.

After travelling to many places I would have to put this resort into last place in my mind. Check in went pretty good for us and the room was clean but rundown. The a/c cut in and out so the room was... More>

After travelling to many places I would have to put this resort into last place in my mind. Check in went pretty good for us and the room was clean but rundown. The a/c cut in and out so the room was generally too warm. As for the food it was always cold. I basically had a bowl of cereal for the morning, The omelette bar was good but always had a long line up. There is limited fruit here. I had heard some group from California bought out the resort and did major cutbacks on things and it is so obvious. The same staff that did the poolside games and programs were the ones that did the nightly entertainment. You could tell they were tired and their routines were far from polished. We just lost interest in even going. Since the resort is on a hillside there is nothing to do in the evening other than sitting in the small lounge. Was also told by our tour guide that their was so jellyfish issues. I got stung twice and had to go to the lifeguard to get vinegar put on. Their were a few of us that got stung. Overall I will say no to expect too much out of this resort.

Tesoro- We were greeted by a friendly bell hop on arrival. He turned out to be the only staff we interacted with on our 8 night stay. We were quickly checked in, handed an envelope with our room... More>

Tesoro- We were greeted by a friendly bell hop on arrival. He turned out to be the only staff we interacted with on our 8 night stay. We were quickly checked in, handed an envelope with our room keys, towel cards and remote control and warned to return them all on check-out. The bellman then escorted us to the elevators for the trip to our room. The elevators were in a state of disrepair. Panels missing and numbers from these missing panels replacing the up and down buttons on most floors. Amusing to push 19 to go down. Walking into our room we are hit with the smell of sewage-but we already knew this from reviews. Across the room we see a door hanging open by its safety chain. "Back yard" we are informed. A lovely, huge patio it is. With an amazing view and half size plastic chairs. Hmmm, ok. Seems like such a waste of an enjoyable space. The door has been kicked off it's hinges so often it doesn't shut but the chain holds it within 4" of closing. Good enough, we like fresh air. Now for the bathroom-fold a towel and place it over the vent beside the toilet and place the garbage can over it. This solves the sewage smell. Housekeeping will continue to do this throughout our stay. Make sure to start the shower a few minutes before you get in as the water runs brown at first. The bed is very comfortable. A few holes in the sheets but clean and well bleached. If you have ever wondered where old hotel towels go I'm pretty sure it is to Tesoro. Thin, holey and not a single hem left. But again, clean and well bleached. The beach is lovely and clean. The water was fine for bobbing and we swam every day, a lot. Snorkeling was ok but the water was quit murky. We did see a few pretty fish. Beach food was pretty good. The pool was hardly usable while we were there. The sign said not to reserve seats but every morning all the seats were "taken" with a shoe a shirt or a childs sand shovel. We stuck with the ocean. We did not do the all inclusive. In fact we did not take a single meal at Tesoro. Checked out all the eating options the first evening looking for a cup for coffee and decided to look elsewhere. So now the truly wonderful thing about Tesoro....... MANZANILLO! The pure beauty of this place and its people is not to be missed. If you like to walk, walk! Not so keen on walking, ride the bus. Taxi's are ok when needed but the bus is more comfortable and only 7 pesos. No matter how you choose to do it, this place should not be missed. There are tons of places to eat and the food is fantastic.The Kiosko 2 blocks away is cheap and has great coffee and cold water as well as snacks and basic food items.. Much like 7-11 there is one on every corner. Farther down-town there are lots of places to eat on the beach. Fantastic views and people.Keep in mind the people siesta and so eat much later in the evening. We walked and rode the bus at night with no problems. If walking the beach is your pleasure take the short cut over the point and you can walk all the way to Santiago (10ish miles?). Plenty of places to stop for food and drink along the way and lots of people to watch. A trip to Old Town the other direction is a must, make sure you see the Iguana tree and the big blue marlin up close. Very easy to get to by city bus. We did take a fancy bus to Isle de Navidad. $10 round trip on a beautiful motor coach. Very nice. All and all we had a fantastic vacation. Tons of fresh seafood, sun and fresh air. Lots and lots of walking. My husband reminded me that essentially our room was free as the package was the same cost as buying just the airfare separate. If you need more than a place to lay your head at night (after 11 when the nightly show ends) then this is not the place for you.

The staff were excellent. They were friendly and ready to help. Food was nicely prepared and served. We would have liked to see more variety of fruit and vegetables. Hotel was very clean and the... More>

The staff were excellent. They were friendly and ready to help. Food was nicely prepared and served. We would have liked to see more variety of fruit and vegetables. Hotel was very clean and the bed was comfortable. We were on the 11th floor in the tower which afforded us a lovely sunset view. We even managed a double sunset by watching from the beach and then heading up to our room to see it again! The beach is clean and lovely and we seldom had to search for a lounge chair. The waves were still the typical 'Pacific Ocean' rolling and crashing type although slightly lower than other beaches as the cove is somewhat sheltered. On the negative side: I wouldn't recommend being there during Holy week - or any other week when the hotel is full. There is only one buffet so there were often line-ups; especially in the morning when there was no other place in the hotel to go and eat - other than room service. The hotel description states there are 2 a-la-cartes. This is true, but only one is available each night. One night it's Italian and the next night is Mexican. So, in reality there are only two places to eat each night. There was also the Palapa that served light hamburger type meals but it was bit of a roll of the dice. Sometimes it was open and sometimes it wasn't. Also, there is only one pool. As the hotel was full, so was the pool. It was also extremely noisy from the music and entertainment crew. So, if you are looking for quiet relaxation, this is not the place to go. The beach was much quieter. Another negative was the very strong mildew smell in the meeting space off from the lobby. The hotel is definitely due for a major renovation. The other problem was that the elevator didn't operate very well. We took this in stride and decided if we took the 11 flights of stairs we could eat and drink more. So all told - would we go again? Even though we thoroughly enjoyed seeing all the Mexican families having a good time, it was too crowded and noisy for our taste. We would not repeat this trip during Holy week again. That said, if you can get it for a good price and keep in mind that this is no where near a 4-star, I would recommend the Tesoro.

Manzanillo was a lovely surprise. Tesoro was a quaint ,simple, small, but lovely resort located in a private bay called La Audiencia Beach on the Santiago Peninsula. The area is very hilly with... More>

Manzanillo was a lovely surprise. Tesoro was a quaint ,simple, small, but lovely resort located in a private bay called La Audiencia Beach on the Santiago Peninsula. The area is very hilly with georgous Mediterranean Style architecture. The beach was open to the public but was not over crowded. You must get an ocean view room and enjoy the peace and watching the fishing boats and beautiful sunsets. There was an am buffet, lunch time cabana restaurant,2 evening buffets and an ala cart restaurant. All were fine. They had a troop of young entertainers who worked like crazy to put on shows for everyone. They were quite good if you like that sort of entertainment. We took the city bus for 60 cents and got on the wrong one. We rode all around Manzanillo and got to see all up in the hills as the kids and families were heading home after work and school. It was a very bumpy, mountainous ride that we really enjoyed. Finally the bus emptied out and the bus driver helped us get a bus back to our resort. Saturday was the outdoor market in Santiago. Interestingly, there was no bartering . We walked around the city of Manzanillo, where we were surprised to see many armed guards, and no toilet seats in public washrooms. We did a boat tour and a tour of some small towns as well as an a turtle and Iguana sanctuary. Ideally, Manzanillo is layed back, and not a heavy party place ,which was great for me and my sister-in-law to relax and unwind. I do hope to return to Manzanillo with my husband next year as I really thought the buildings,and mountains were dream like. Tesoro,met all of our basic needs in price, comfort, food, and safety.