TIE! Hotel Freeman / Olas Altas

It’s really no wonder that you couldn’t choose just one winner in this category – there are just so many options, and fabulous ones at that! Eventually, though, two spots pulled away from the crowd, both in Olas Altas: along the malecón and from the top of the Posada Freeman Hotel.

At the Freeman, savvy sunset connoisseurs can enjoy a breathtaking 360-degree view of Mazatlán, and an unforgettable, unobstructed view of the setting sun out over the glittering Pacific. You can sit in the lounge on the 11th floor (easily reached via a creaky kinda-scary elevator) or – my personal favorite – go to the lounge, order a drink and then walk up one more level to the rooftop deck, where the bird’s eye view is just stupendous. Ain’t life grand?

Should you want to be a little more up-close-and-personal with the atardacer (sunset), just stay at ground-level and sit on the beach wall along the malecon in Olas Altas. As the brilliant sun sets, you’ll see fisherman scurrying home in their tiny lanchas, pelicans flying low and usually a few determined surfers catching the last of the daylight waves. Families, sweethearts, businesspeople and just about everyone stops to watch and see if the fabled “green flash” will be visible – but whether it is or not, you’re guaranteed a spectacular ending to what was most likely another spectacular day in Mazatlán, our personal paradise. -JB