Just north of Bucerías, La Cruz de Huanacaxtle, better known as simply "La Cruz," has a fishing fleet but not much of a beach. A private marina is being developed as part of the Riviera Nayarit development plan. Like other Vallarta-Nayarit beaches, homey La Cruz is growing and becoming somewhat more sophisticated. On the north side of La Cruz, Playa la Manzanilla is a crescent of soft, gold sand where kids play in the shallow water while their parents sip cold drinks at one of several seafood shacks. It's somewhat protected by the Piedra Blanca headland to the north.
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