Sign in with Facebook"Some Good Values in Mazatlan" Mazatlán by MonoBichi
Mazatlán Travel Guide: 468 reviews and 777 photos
Mazatlan has a lot of hotels, but very few of them have chain names like Hyatt or Radison: the result of greed and dirty local politics, but that's another story. What if means is, you end up having to choose from hotels you never heard of. That sort of choice is made easier by internet sites, but it can still get bewildering. There are clear-cut choices for backpackers and penny pinchers, and some obvious spots for the price-is-no-object crowd. For the average vacationer, it can get confusing or just the result of random picking. Well, here's a local's list of some good "inbetween" places that stand out for various reasons.
Transportation is snap in the hotel strip (known here as the Golden Zone) There is only one main drag, Camaron Sabalo, and a short offshoot called Loaiza (named after an assasinated govenor, not the baseball star). Sabalo Centro buses headed south go along the boardwalk, stop at tourist traps like Senor Frogs, enter the downtown, pass by the public market, and end up at the ferry terminal. And running north they take you back to the Zone. Heading north along Sabalo, Sabalo Cocos, and Sabalo Cerritos take you out to pretty beaches beyond the building sprawl. All other buses go to horrible places.
Taxis are extremely cheap. Slightly less cheap, but more fun are Mazatlan's gift to leisure transport--the pulmonia. These open cars, usually with monstrous (in every sense) stereos, offer wind in the hair, easy upchucking, flashing at opposite sex, and as their name suggests...pneumonia. If you have a big bunch of funlovers, try an auriga, a Japanese pickup truck with rails and benches in the back for a true cattle-drive sensibility. "EcoTaxis" are cheaper, faster, safer. You will ignore them, right?
Mazatlan, tourist-wise, is more like three separate cities. The Golden Zone is a spawling, raucous strip of tourist traps and overpricing (still cheaper than U.S. or even other Mexican beach resorts, though). It also has a long beautiful beach, tropic islands just offshore, nice hotels with cool pools, flashy restaurants, and nice shopping. And, of course, thousands of other people just like you.
The Historic Zone, downtown, is rising from ruins and has a couple of hotels on Olas Altas beach, lots of great, cheap restaurants, museums, cafes, jazz and R&B joints (along with crazy Mazatlan music), a real public market, art galleries, symphony concerts and opera...and a laid-back lifestyle.
The Malecon...miles of boardwalk that connect the two areas...features dozens of cheap hotels across the beach and a bus ride from anything else. Few of these hotels appear on the internet or travel agent radar, but are perfect for anybody who drove in.
- Pros:The Only Mexican Riviera resort with a historic zone, opera house, and ferry to Baja. And Mazatlan, let me point out, is CHEAP!
- Cons:Very hot and sticky in summer, jellyfish in June and November are very painful,
- In a nutshell:A major value in Mexican Riviera resorts...with a variety of lifestyles.
Reviews (8)
The "Canexican" Restaurant and Music Bar
Restaurants
(1)
The old Fregata, a gigantic palm-thatch watering hole right across from the water on Olas Altas, went from the... more travel advice
Great Winter Baseball
Sports & Outdoors
(1)
Mexican Baseball at it's best! Mazatlan is in the winter league, which means it gets some great American players to... more travel advice
Downtown B&B's and Furnished Suite
Hotels
(5)
The scene in Mazatlan has been shifting towards the historic downtown in recent years--and attracting a whole new kind... more travel advice
The Grandaddy of the Golden Zone
Hotels
(5)
The Playa was the first of the Golden Zone hotels, and remains everybody's recommendation for lodging value. Back in the... more travel advice
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Comments (7)
Canucks is now a Gringo social Center Co-op; there is a real click there, not a tourist spot, a local old folks hangout
Hey there Bichi, to MZT!!! Hope to see a whole lot of new tips on Mazatlan and surroundings. Maybe you can add a picture of the Machado ... pleeeeeease!! Saludos from Chilangolandia, Anna
Super page, a really great resource for travellers. FYI "Canadian Cuisine"=polar bears sauteed in maple syrup
Have been hearing more & more about the restored Historic Center of Mazatlan, it sounds lovely!...Wendy
Great info on this beautiful city.
Great insider tips! I have now added Mazatlan to my travel list: )
Lin, this is a 5 star group of pages. Just impressive, indeed. We own a time share at Royal Villas Resort!! Glad you like the place. Wonderful night life, restaurant, warning, hotels...it's all well written and outstanding photos to match.