SECOND YEAR! Hotel Playa Mazatlán

            You know the saying about “You’re not getting older, you’re getting better?” Well, that seems to be the case with the Hotel Playa Mazatlán, our 2010 Mazzie winner for Best Hotel. (And 2009 winner, too!) The Playa, as it’s called, was the very first hotel, built in 1952, in what’s now the Gold Zone. That’s more than half a century of fine service, with thousands of satisfied, happy guests returning year after year with family and friends to enjoy the fine service, beautiful oceanfront rooms, fabulous surf and sand, gorgeous sunsets and so much more that the Playa has to offer. Even if you’re not a guest, you can check out the monthly Mexican Fiesta, a one-of-a-kind event with traditional live music, dancing and food, or the beachfront restaurant and bar. Hey, why not? All those visitors can’t be wrong! -JB

Plaza Machado / Centro Historico 

            When they come – and you know they will - what to do with them? You all had lots of answers, including go to Stone Island (see Best Beach), climb El Faro and walk the malecón. Others were more basic: “eat and drink, or more specific “Take the Pacifico Brewery tour.” All good ideas, all fun things to do – but the hands-down winner for the Best Thing To Do With Visitors was walk around Centro Historico and the Plaza Machado, with its tranquil shady streets full of beautiful old buildings (restored and not) and jumble of tiny tiendas, art galleries, cafés and restaurants. There are landmarks to visit, too: the cathedral, the big central market or mercado, art, history and archaeological museums, and the gorgeous Angela Peralta Theater. The First Fridays Artwalk gives you access to the galleries and homes of local artists, guiding you through the quiet streets of Centro. Then, once the sun goes down, the Machado becomes the hub for all sorts of entertainment and nightlife, with live music outdoors, street fairs and festivals, and yet more bars and restaurants that only open in the evenings. New this year on a one-block stretch of Calle Ninos Heroes between Constitucion and Mariano Escobedo (two blocks from the Plaza Machado) are a handful of hip cafés and lounges, where there’s often live music, either inside or in the closed-off street. No matter what part of Mazatlán you call home, when visitors come, this is where we take them – and usually more than once. -JB

Just for a few hours…please…

Don’t have time for an extended get away but feel the need – the urgent, pressing need – to get some sleep during Carnaval week?! There is a convenient alternative. In the outlying areas of Mazatlán are any number of the infamous “no-tell motels.” These discreet establishments are walled compounds with 30-50 rooms that rent by the hour. Most are very clean and modern and all are extremely private; discretion is their business. There’s a nice selection of these motels on highway 15 at both ends of town, just a few minutes away from most of Mazatlán and a world away from “the same old place.”

Mazatlán’s different areas are each unique – which one’s for you?

Mazatlán has five very different areas, each unique in its own way. From north to south, these are Cerritos, the Marina, the Golden Zone, the Malecón and Centro Historico.

Cerritos, at the north end of Mazatlán, has become a very popular place for foreigners to purchase second homes. It’s a mixture of homes in gated communities and new beachfront condominiums. The beaches are beautiful and the area is tranquil. Lots of restaurants are opening at Playa Bruja and there’s a very nice trailer park. The bus system is excellent, able to take you all the way to Centro for under $10 pesos.