Mazatlán, Mexico - Travel Destination

A Fast and Affordable Getaway in Sunny Mexico

by André Gayot

Thinking of a sunny winter escape in Mazatlán? With the Mexican Pacific Coast and the southern United States in such close proximity, you'd think getting away for a quick jaunt to the "Colonial City by the Beach," as it is dubbed, would be easy. But the trip can involve more time and money than the relatively short distance would lead you to expect. However, now there's a remedy. Two days per week, charter airline Xtra Airways offers direct flights for less than $200 (round-trip) to Mazatlan from Los Angeles, Oakland, Denver, Houston and San Antonio. Faster and cheaper translate to you having more time for lazing on the beach and more money to spend on fruity cocktails and souvenirs.
 

Pink flamingos at Pueblo Bonito Emerald Beach Resort & Spa

Some call Mazatlán "the pearl of the Pacific." This climatic location is certainly a kind of a gem with an average temperature of 75 degrees, 60 in the "cold" months and 82 in summer. At the time when the North of the continent freezes, more than 150 hotels with their ten thousand beds, plus numerous time-shares, condos, trailer parks, you name it, fill up with winter "birds" fleeing from the frigid big U.S. and Canadian cities. The fugitives from the cold come here to have their winter ball in the sun, clad in bathing suits and shorts, although nights are cool and a sweater is welcome.

There's more to do here than just sipping beer on the beach. On the subject of beer, this is where a German created the highly-regarded Pacifico right on the Tropic of Cancer. And on the subject of beaches, there are nine of them, but check for dangerous tides in some areas.

Mazatlán started with a few settlers who must have had a hard time surviving until a garrison and military defenses were established in 1793. Thereafter, ups and downs alternated: wars, revolutions, mining booms and busts. Consequently, what is left of this past to still admire dates from the nineteenth century. As for the first settlers, the Nahuatl, the Totarame, the Xiximes, the Cahitas Indians, they apparently dug more for deer hunting (Mazatlán means Land of the Deer in Nahuatl) than constructing pyramids and temples. From a thin population of 500 in the middle of the 19th century, Mazatlán has grown to nearly 450,000. This augmentation was supported by the activity of the commercial harbor, which is the principal Mexican port on the Pacific coast. In the last ten years, tourism has induced an accelerated boom in construction. High-rises have surged fast — too fast, regret some — in abundance along the Malecon, a four-mile ocean-side walk fringed with hotels, apartments and condos.

A Colonial City by the Beach

The fishing industry is the other major sector, hence the not-to-be-missed shrimp and seafood generously served as fresh as it gets in all the restaurants. Mazatlán is a major exporter of shrimp. Nowadays, the city thrives essentially on tourism, which, as everywhere, can be impacted by the world economy. The first tourists here were Hollywood's beautiful people who in the '40s discovered that this then-remote area was a fisherman's paradise filled with marlins, sailfish and mahi-mahi. Mazatlán would be a sleepy tropical town if it were not for the appetites and the dollars of the many visitors. Enough to feed a huge population of musicians, artists, artisans, chefs, waiters, hoteliers, farmers, taxi drivers, jewelers, painters, etc.

Soothing evenings on the beach	Fresh oysters with rich ceviche

A colonial city by the beach? Indeed the romantic and "muy simpatica" part of the town is situated in its southern part noticeably around Plazuela Machado where Mazatláians dine and enjoy bands and singers performing on the gazebo, and so should you after a stroll in the narrow streets and a visit to the Angela Peralta Theater inspired by la Scala of Milan. In November and December, shows, ballets and concerts are presented daily to the public by local as well as international artists including the famous Cuban National Ballet. The Casa Machado, Edificio Juarez, the nearby Plaza Revolucion, the lively Mercado Central and the unusual Cathedral Basilica, which mixes styles and bears a lighted Star of David between its steeples, also contribute to depict the aesthetics of the colonial era close to the beach.

Ready for the carnival

At the northern end of the city that stretches along a beach of fifteen miles, in the New Mazatlán, sparkles the classy Pueblo Bonito Emerald Bay, boasting 378 luxurious suites and most likely the top choice in resorts. It overlooks quiet and secluded Emerald Bay from the top of a 20-acre gated and manicured domain. No street traffic, for there's no street, no jets above your head — all you hear is the sound of the waves licking the beach. This tranquility is in itself a luxury after the hustle and bustle of the Zona Dorada, the Golden Zone (a ten-minute drive; there's a free shuttle every hour to the other Pueblo Bonito hotel downtown). 

Restaurants, bars, shops and their partying patrons radiate an exciting energy especially at the time of the famous carnival (February) — said to be the second best in Mexico after Vera Cruz. 300,000 participants sing, dance and play to the sound of the big bands loud with many brass instruments, called the bandas Sinoalenses or Tamboreros. 

Don't forget the frenzy at the bullfight on Sunday afternoons. After all this trepidation you will appreciate your 425-square-foot apartment at the Pueblo Bonito with its fully equipped kitchenette that is quiet and soothing thanks to its high ceiling and pastel tones. That's the prelude to the conclusion of a day which will culminate after a sip at Kelly's Piano Bar with a dinner at La Cordelière right on the beach, where fresh seafood is rightly the mainstay, or at The Bistro with its international cuisine. If you overindulge, don't overlook the fitness center and the Armonia spa or burn some more calories on the lighted tennis courts.

Ballet and fun galore at the Mazatlán cultural festival and carnival

The Pueblo Bonito Mazatlán, located close to the Zona Dorada, is an alternative for those who want animation and activities à la Club Med with sports, games, shows and dances. Less luxurious, this all-suite hotel boasts 247 suites, appointed with two queen size beds, a fully equipped kitchenette and a private balcony. In an oceanfront setting, Cilantro's serves the specialty of the house: seafood grill for two, a succulent combination of lobster, fish, scallops, shrimp, calamari and oysters. Las Palomas offers traditional Mexican fare, while Angelo's serves Italian dishes like its signature osso bucco.

But don't spend your entire vacation at the hotel! You don't want to miss the local opportunities: strolling in the historic quarter, golfing at the nearby reputed El Cid course, deep sea fishing, or touring the old mining villages like El Quelite with its cobblestone streets or Copala and its baroque church in the Sierra Madre where John Huston shot one of his famous films.