Travel Tales

Marvelous Mazatlán

The beauty of Mazatlán: from top, left- a vendor offers a giant shrimp from the shrimp capital of the world, the Old City, a cliff diver, acres of agave from which the world's best Tequila is made and the beautiful Holiday Inn Sunspree resort.  Photos by Patricia Brooks 

And they know a lot more about promoting than we do 

By Walter & Patricia Brooks 

Mazatlán pulls out all the stops to impress travel writers and destination booking agencies.  The officials of this Pacific Coast seaport resort across the Sea of Cortes from Los Cabos knows more about promoting than any US region I've run into, and I've run into many starting dozens of Best Read Guides over the past decade.

At our oceanfront hotel, the Holiday Inn Sunspree Resort, the waves kept getting bigger every day, and the Margaritas and food kept getting better along with them. This is not a party resort, in fact, the management goes out of its way to afford such.

We want to go back to Mazatlán but next time never leave the hotel.  All the meals were great, but the breakfasts sitting outdoors with this spectacular scene on right were especially satisfying.

Sure, the huevos rancheros were fine as always, but the "divorced eggs" were even better - two huevos with a red sauce on one and a green sauce on the other with refried beans, home fries, etc., and wi-fi everywhere, even on the beach.

Mazatlán is also a very safe city, and the resorts here are world-class. It is one of the most important ports on the Pacific Coast and is located in the southern region of the state of Sinaloa, 130 miles southeast of state capital Culiacan. The climate is warm with an average year-round temperature of around 77 degrees  although it did get into the 80s while we were there.


Mazatlán's 13th annual Gran Fiesta Amigos

As its name - Big Festival of Friends - suggests, the celebration is a tribute to travel partners, including wholesalers, tour operators, airlines and incentive companies, for their support in promoting Mazatlán as a destination.
Presented by the City of Mazatlán, the Mazatlán Hotel Association and the State of Sinaloa, the four-day festival gives industry guests the opportunity to enjoy the city's golden-sand beaches and rich cultural heritage.
   This year's Fiesta kicked off with a cocktail reception and dinner at Machado Square in the heart of Mazatlán's lively, colorful and quite beautiful Historic District.  
   Other festivities include a gala dinner at the Inn at Mazatlan, overlooking the Pacific Ocean, and performances by Delfos Contemporanean. This award-winning contemporary dance company enjoys acclaim throughout the Americas, Canada and Europe. Its Mazatlán Professional School of Contemporary Dance draws students from all over Mexico.
   In addition Fiesta Amigos offered their guest tee times at El Cid Golf & Country Club and Estrella Del Mar. The El Cid boasts an 18-hole championship course and nine holes designed by Lee Travino. Estrella del Mar has a Robert Trent Jones-designed course located on picturesque Stone Island not far from Old Mazatlan.
   Throughout the Fiesta, guests were invited to relax with spa treatments at Los Sabalos Hotel and Pueblo Bonito Emerald Bay Hotel, luxury properties with panoramic Pacific views.
   "Fiesta Amigos gives us the opportunity to express our sincere gratitude to our travel partners," said Carlos Berdegué, vice president, Mazatlán Hotel Association and Tourism Board. Known as the Pearl of the Pacific because of its beautiful beaches and its abundant marine life, it has become an important site for international fishing tournaments such as the Bisbee’s Billfish Classic.

And the surf in front of the Holiday Inn Sunspree Resort where we stayed was both impressive and a wonderful sound to lull you to sleep each night.

This destination combines traditional architecture in its Historic Center, known as Old Mazatlán a 15 minute mini-cab ride from the modern hotels and restaurants in the Zona Dorada (Golden Zone), a 6 mile strip with beautiful beaches with exotic names like Playa Norte, Playa Gaviotas and Playa Venados (North, Seagull and Deer).

These beaches are ideal for surfing, diving and fishing for both sailfish and marlin.  In Old Mazatlán, you can visit la Catedral de la Inmaculada Concepcion (The Cathedral of Immaculate Conception), walk down beautiful streets lined with 19th-century buildings, buy fresh shrimp from the fishmongers market (this is one of the world's major shrimping ports), wander through one lovely plaza after another or dine al fresco at many of the excellent restaurants like Pedro & Lola on the Plaza Machado.

An antique hidden treasure 

This plaza is one of Mazatlán's hidden treasures. The plaza is tucked away in the heart of downtown. It cost 8 pesos and a 20 minute scenic bus ride (Sabalo Centro) from the Golden Zone. The plaza is surrounded by European style cafes and the newly restored opera house named after a famous Mexican opera singer, Angela Peralta.

Here you’ll also find natural treasures such as el Cerro del Creston, where you can enjoy ecotourism outings and go rock climbing. At Creston’s peak you’ll see a lighthouse which is the world’s second tallest - only the one at the Rock of Gibraltar is taller.

You’ll can also play at fantastic golf courses with ocean views, and for boating enthusiasts, Mazatlán has two marinas that offer docking and maintenance service for all types and sizes of boats.

Among the cultural and sports events that you can enjoy in this seaport town are: The Jesus Arnoldo Millan International Golf Tournament, the Grand International Tennis Tournament, the Mazatlan Cultural Festival, the Sinaloa Arts Festival and the world famous Mazatlan Carnival, a week long celebration that takes place in February. During carnival, floats pass by the main avenues and plazas.  Locals say it's the biggest one in all the Americas. What’s more, you can dance in the streets to the beat of drums into the wee hours of the morning and no one will raise a ceja (eyebrow).

1960s-Style Pulmoní minicabs continue to flourish

Exploring the streets of Old Mazatlán in this local transportation trademark continues to be a popular past time for most tourists since its inception 37 years ago.

Actually, golf cart-sized, open mini-cabs, their history can be traced back to a local businessman named Miguel Ramirez Urquijo who purchased three Cushman golf carts, hoping there might be an alternative to the horse-drawn wooden carriages. Local bankers wouldn’t give him a loan to buy more of the three-wheeled cars. He traveled to the Cushman factory in Nebraska and persuaded company officials to grant him loans.

In the 1960s there were 100 pulmonías on the roads. A four-wheel design was adopted and in the early 1980s the design included a VW engine. In 2002, a unique monument (on right) to the pulmonía opened in Mazatlán’s city center. Currently, more than 350 pulmonías buzz around town and remain the most preferred means of transportation by tourists. There’s even a monument to the pulmonía in town.

Transportation is accessible via the local "pulmonías" or four-person open-air vehicles that have become a symbol of the city.  If you're wondering why they're called pulmonias, it's because the local humorists suggest they can get pneumonia from riding in one.  

That may be a tad difficult given the warm, balmy year-round temperature in this golden resort.

“Que bonito es El Quelite” (How beautiful is El Quelite)

If you able to pull yourself off the beach or the nine-mile long waterfront promenade, you can visit a local tequila brewery on your way to the really pretty town of El Quelite, an hour away. 

The villagers sweep the street, and this is simply a postcard perfect Mexican town which was a mule team stop from the silver mines in the hills centuries ago.

The driving force behind the town's rural tourism initiative is El Quelite's medical doctor, Marcos Osuna Tirado shown on the left with Hotel Association representative Javier Paez.

Dr. Marcos is a man of great charm, energy and innovative ideas who believes it is important to diversify the local economy away from relying solely on agricultural income. Today few people in El Quelite speak English, but Dr. Osuna is encouraging the young people to become motivated to train as qualified guides, earn a little income, and practice English that some are learning in the local school.

The good doctor owns the historic Mesón de los Laureanos which includes bed and breakfast accommodation and a cantina-style restaurant which serves meals, snacks and the always-welcome cool cerveza amidst the flowering shrubs of his walled-in courtyard.

Our lunch was one of the best of the trip, see the menu here. We had Quesadillas and Carnitas de puerc, see photo on left. All our plates included: a glass of a soft drink or a beer or glass of purified water, natural nachos made in house, cheese, cheddar cheese and yogurt, one traditional homemade dessert and hot hand-made tortillas.

Below is the nine-mile beach promenade from the mountain top overlook at the south end of town with the three islands, Wolf, Bird and Deer and the Golden Zone, in the top left. Photo by Pat Brooks.