By Suzanne A. Marshall from the April 2016 Edition
Within minutes or hours of Manzanillo you can find many destinations worth a day or overnight trip. One such 
place is Rancho Colina de San Miguel (colina means hill), a place to spend a leisurely afternoon enjoying a spectacular view of the Colima’s most active volcano and the valleys below. Just outside of Colima is Ocotillo. If your fellow travelers don’t know their way around these areas, you can ask the townsfolk when you get to Ocotillo, about how to find the ranch and restaurant. Mostly, though, it’s a straight shot uphill. Just as you get past the municipal complex on the Colima highway, heading out of Colima toward Guadalajara, keep an eye out for exit signs to Ocotillo on the right.
The day we went, a few weeks ago now, there were twelve of us in all, 3 cars, 4 families. Our group included young children up to grandmothers and there was something in it for everyone. We hadn’t known what to expect and the destination left us looking forward to another visit soon. The main gathering of the ranch is 
the restaurant with a large, covered patio and plenty of seating. The food is traditional Mexican barbeque meats and accompaniments. It didn’t take the staff long to serve our large table without a reservation and we were soon enjoying freshly prepared natural Jamaica (hibiscus flower drink) and a few spirits. Not long into the late lunch hour, a trio of musicians arrived and delighted us with very lovely local flavoured music. We enjoyed both watching and listening.
For the younger ones among us, the owners have their entertainment covered. There was a pony named Gasparin (Casper, in English) to ride, a crafts and painting hut and a zip line for the young as well as the young-at-heart!
While there, the volcano did not disappoint, puffing out a number of exhalations and giving us a close-up view. Down below the restaurant, there are stables, barns and rodeo rings and we were able to watch while one group prepared for an equestrian event, in full regalia!
We told the owner we’d be back soon and intend to keep our word. We enjoyed a day of visiting with friends, met new friends and got to take in one of the many beautiful scenes that Colima has to offer.
Download the full edition or view it online
—
Suzanne A. Marshall hails from western Canada and has been living the good life in Manzanillo over the past 8 years. She is a wife, mom and grandma. She is retired from executive business management where her writing skills focused on bureaucratic policy, marketing and business newsletters. Now she shares the fun and joy of writing about everyday life experiences in beautiful Manzanillo, Mexico, the country, its people, the places and the events.
You must be logged in to post a comment.