"Mazatlan, not a favorite destination in... " a Mazatlán Travel Page by sunquest

I had a bad impression of Mazatlan when traveling from the airport to my Hotel (Pueblo Bonito). The scenery along the way was dirty, ugly and at times bad smelling. The hotel, Pueblo Bonito was acceptable, it just needed some remodeling and updating done. Mazatlan is very laid back and not a lot going on in the downtown area.

Something that I thought was very odd was the absence of mariachi bands while dining. Other places that I've traveled in Mexico had the music of the mariachi's everywhere, which just adds to the experience of being in Mexico!

The beaches in Mazatlan are fantastic and the malecon (boardwalk) is one of the longest in Mexico... you can literally walk for miles along the ocean. The locals tend to trash it up on the weekends by littering it with paper, plastic bags, pop cans and diapers! Visitors seem to be more respectful in comparison.

We were vacationing there during Cinco de Mayo and were surprised that there wasn't much celebration going on... another Mazatlan oddity.

If you're the type that likes to lay beside the pool all day and never venture away from your hotel then none of what I've mentioned will make any difference.

Most of the restaurants are poorly maintained shacks with expensive prices for meals.... WHY, am I paying for the ambience of the place? You won't find a lot of food variety, in fact I could swear most of the restaurants print up the same menu! Not all of them were disappointing though. I would recommend Chilis Pepper, extremely reasonable and right on the beach. I wish that we would have found it sooner, since it was a short walk from our hotel. There is also an Italian restaurant right next door to Pueblo Bonito that is excellent in all respects... sorry can't remember the name, but it's easy to find. Another great place to eat is Panchos a restaurant located right on the beach and very well maintained and is a perfect place to watch the sunset.

If you would like a great BBQ grilled hamburger then try Munchkins directly across the street from Pueblo Bonito. The restaurant is very rustic.

Warning: bad food at The Shrimp Factory! The shrimp wasn't fresh and the price was excessive!