Second time on the blue agave tour Unfortunately the second…read moretime around wasn't quite the same as the first... Our tour guide today was quite friendly but not very informative Most of the time he just set up front talking to the driver I suppose I might be comparing it to the first time which was great! That tour was a few years ago and she was very talkative, funny, and informative of both the flora and Fana. The blue agave tour in end of itself this time was also lacking. One the tour guide really didn't inform our group much of the process of making "tequila", just the video And the staff at los Osos we are basically not really there... Other than the people trying to sell the crafts at the small booths next to the tequila tasting. They complete five star part of this tour is the stop for lunch. The food cooked in Molcajete is absolutely worth the tour if nothing else. The food is excellent, the salsa made by you! on the table, the little smattering of beans and guacamole with the accompanied blue tortillas was excellent! Just remember... LUNCH YOU HAVE TO PAY for as it is not included in the price of your tour. Something they need to outline. And YES, they do take credit cards there. We were told they did not. All in all the tour was comfortable, the small town we visited was cute and quiet, and the food that we stopped for and paid for was excellent! Will I do this again... Not quite sure!

This popular port is known primarily for their seafood, especially shrimp. We booked the tour…read morecompany with Costco Travel and the instructions was to find our guide at the "umbrellas". We got a lot of bang for our buck with this tour. Our tour guide was Juan, but he said we can call him "Chilly Willy", a nickname his friends call him. This 6'5″ giant was a delightful tour guide. Very articulate, humorous, and a local to Mazatlan. Originally, we were supposed to stop first at the Cathedral, but had to make a stop at the shrimp market. It wasn't a market you'd find inside a building at a ports of call. It was rows of independent vendors selling their catch under a tent in the streets of Mazatlan. Unfortunately, we didn't see the actual market as Chilly had the driver go outside to bring back 2 samples of the shrimps from Mazatlan. Following the quick "show and tell", Chilly had the driver take us to another market, similar to a Grand Bazaar. You can find everything from clothes, souvenirs, to fresh food ranging from seafood to produce. Chilly tried to give us a quick overview of the market, and moved rather quickly. I didn't want to get separated from the group, and was only able to capture the seafood and meat section. I had wished he gave us a little more time here. We hopped back on the bus and made our way back to the original stop: the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, located in the heart of the city center. We were given a brief summary of the church, and then allowed some time to roam the grounds, grab a snack, or use the bathroom at the Panama bakery. We left el Centro (the center of town) and Chilly had the driver take us to the Golden Zone Mazatlan with the fancy hotels and condos. Our next stop on the tour was at a micro distillery called Onilikan. What's interesting about this micro distillery is the company was founded by Canadians! Like our other tequila stop in Puerto Vallarta, this place gave samples of their spirits. Stephen didn't care for their tequila, but did enjoy their liqueurs and purchased 2 bottles. What was surprising was Stephen's dad really enjoyed a liqueur, he even purchased a bottle! This tour is far from over as we piled back on the bus and made our way along the coast for the highlight of the trip... to watch the cliff divers (or cliff jumpers). Acapulco is more famous for their cliff divers, but Mazatlan has been jumping since 1961. The divers expect tips so have a few bucks handy. Our tour continued back to the historic part of town, stopped at the Casa de Haas (as in Haas avocados) and we walked to the Angela Peralta Theater Opera House, before heading back to the ship around 2:00. I wish Chilly allowed us more time to explore certain areas. I know he is on a time schedule, but most of the tour was on the bus, not on the ground. Its a good oversight of the town, and to make note to visit places next time.

Great experience with this tour provider! I had pre-booked an excursion arriving on a cruise ship…read more Once checked in and waiting for others to arrive for the city tour, I explained to the tour guide that I wasn't feeling well and might want to skip Stone Island. He said he could bring me back to the crust port if necessary. He gave a great city tour explaining the buildings and new versus old section of Mazatlan. All in all, a great tour and much more reasonable than booking through the cruise line. Highly recommend!!

We booked a tour of classic Mazatlan sites and our driver was excellent. However, just as a few…read morepeople have mentioned below, we were taken to the worst restaurant I've ever eaten at. I believe someone compared it to Taco Bell. I'd eat Taco Bell a thousand times before going back to Costa Marinera. Obviously, they are partnered with this restaurant because last year we were taken here as well and we walked out. Ask to go somewhere else for lunch. What people wrote about the vendors, is an underestimation. They hound you from the second you sit down.

We booked the Marzatlan Trolley Tour through Norwegian Cruiseline. I'm glad they partnered with…read moreTropical Tours because they did a phenomenal job! We were picked up right at the port in a gated area. It was very safe. The trolley I'd an older bus with no windows but was still comfortable. I didn't feel that they packed us like sardines. Our tour guide, Erick was amazing! He was informative and funny. He stopped at off at a tiny market at the end of our tour to pick up a 4 pack of Pacifico beer. He used them as prizes for those who answered questions regarding the information he gave throughout the tour. I thought that was a great way to end the tour. Highlights of the tour were the cliff divers. Make sure you have cash to tip as the divers will give you a sob story about how this is their only livelihood. To be fair, it was very entertaining! We were driven to the MATZATLAN sign and the tour guide took all our pictures. We were then driven to the shrimp market where we were free to walk around to shop. The market was huge but all the stalls sell pretty much the same thing. We then walked a few blocks to the Catedral Basilica de la Inmaculada Concepcion. It was not far . We were given info on the church beforehand but walked through the church by ourselves at our leisure. The cathedral was stunning. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing it on the outside and inside. Our last stop was in downtown Matzatlan which was my favorite the town has so much color and history. The tour guide gave us a choice to follow the blue lines on the ground back to the ship. We were able to do back to downtown after the tour. It is about a 15 minute walk. Tour included a shopping trip to the silver jewelry store where they gave you free beer samples. Most of us stood outside. we also stored my La Selecta store with Sinaloan candy and goodies. I highly recommend this tour if it's your first time in Matzatlan!

We were on a cruise and stopped in Mazatlan. We booked a tour through our ship and Tropical Tours…read morewas the local company that provided the bus, driver and tour guide. The bus was in good condition, comfortable and the driver skilled. Our tour guide was friendly, engaging, knowledgeable, and informative.

Great view and beers, but food and service was not memorable. Our tour operator dropped us off…read morehere, not pleased as but at no fault of this place, more of lack of communication with the tour operator. I'm sure they have an agreement and maybe it's a safe choice and offers options for those who want beach and/pool time (as they have a small pool) as well as parking for their vehicles. We had an hour so not much time for either.

This review is for the outdoor portion of the resort only as I have never been a guest here. Las…read moreFlores welcomes cruise ship passengers so if you're only stopping for the day, head here. You can sit on the private beach, enjoy the swimming pool and eat at the beachfront restaurant. Steps away are lots of local vendors rent out jet skis, parasails, kayaks and more, so I love to come here with my husband. I sit on the outdoor terrace and sip margaritas while he has fun out on the ocean. I'm not outdoorsy so the margaritas and guacamole are more my speed! The food and drink prices are cheap and (knock on wood) I've never picked up a stomach bug on my 4 visits here. When he's done with his fun in the sun, we just hang out on the beach, drink and relax. It's great! Pretty much everything you need is right here: bar service, decent food, a nice beach, water sports, clean bathrooms, and local vendors hawking everything from cigars to silver jewelry. It's easy to catch a taxi right out front too. This is a great day stop and one of the best kept secrets in Mazatlan.

My favorite place in the whole world. My Dad has a condo here and it is absolutely amazing. The…read morepool is great, the palapa restaurant/bar is also excellent. I highly suggest staying here, you won't be disappointed

First of all, we stayed in Building "B", which does not have even a garden view, it has a parking…read morelot view. Upon opening the door to the room, the smell of pine-sol was so overbearing, we coughed!! We had to buy our own toilet paper and soap. No toilet paper holder. Only one light bulb in bathroom worked. There was no coffee pot, hair dryer, alarm clock, wash clothes in the room. I believe there were two bath towels. There was one garbage can. The refridg is very loud when it starts up every 30 minutes or so, so during the night that was very disturbing to me. The sliding glass door did not lock. There were no screens on the windows or curtains to help block the sun in the morning, but that's okay if you like to wake up on vacation when the sun comes up. There was a curtain on the sliding glass door though. The TV remote did not work. I know this all probably sounds very nick-picky. I am not that picky, but this room was poor at best. Be very, very careful booking this place!! If there's any way for you to know what building you will be in and what room, definitely find that out. (we were in room 212). Find out who the person is that you're going through......Do NOT go through Monserrat Huerta!! This room is not what is advertised. We learned the hard way! If possible, go through another property management person. While looking on Booking.com for a place to stay in Mazatlan, I read all the reviews on this place. One person had posted a negative review, like I'm doing right now. I figured this person was just a complainer because all the other reviews were pretty good. But it's my assumption now that they probably had the same room we had, or one that Monserrat Huerta takes care of. I have never complained about a hotel room before, but this room, on a scale of 1 to 10, was a 1. I would highly NOT recommend this place. Monserrat Huerta needs to take better care of her clients' property. We couldn't get out of there quick enough! I'm sure if we had been in one of the condos, we would have had a great time. The people staying there are very nice. Too bad that this room can make such a bad first impression, because I have to believe the condos are wonderful. As we left, we talked to Karla and she was very nice and understanding. When we tried to talk to Monserrat the first day, she basically told us we're on our own (my words, not hers). At that point we had nowhere else to go, otherwise we would have been out of there in a heart beat. Just my opinions. The grounds are very pretty and clean. If you can get in one of the condos, they appear to be very nice. We weren't able to eat there due to timing, but everyone said the food is great. Access to the beach is right there and the beach is nice. The property is up north, so there's limited places to eat. You will have to take a taxi or bus down to the Golden Zone, but that's not bad and it's cheap on the bus and a good way to see the area.

There is hardly anything written about the International Airport in Mazatlan. I would say that it…read moreis like Burbank Airport (easy in and easy out). It is clearly more progressive, in terms of shops and eateries. Don't get me wrong, this is still a small space. Getting in and out of here is a breeze. No hassle. But there is more work to be done. The airline check out counter monitors (on my way out), are only displaying signs of the airport logo. Even when they are open to customers. Problem is, where do you go, there is no airline display. Lack of signage. Only talking to attendants on duty, can you get proper guidance, then to the right place. Very disappointing.

For a small airport, it should be easy to navigate. The only issue, signs and directions can be…read moreclearer. For instance, Gate 4 is written on a glass door in frost stencil, practically blending into the glass. The way to determine section A and section B, also difficult. Again, should be easy to navigate but a little off on executing signage.

Mazatlan is one of the ports of the Mexican Riviera cruise route. So naturally, there's a port with…read moretourist focused shops. Once you're off the ship, and you want to say, take a walk into town, you'll need to go through a building with shops, the main one being duty free. Obviously, the prices are the biggest here but it's very convenient and has AC for those hot Mexican summers. Once you come out of the main building, there are more shops in an open courtyard and a bar. This is also where the persistent taxi drivers are offering you rides anywhere and everywhere. If you do hire one, negotiate a price before even getting in their car. It's a small terminal and besides one or 2 photo ops and shops, there's isn't much more.

If you're cruising into Mazatlán Cruise Terminal, this port makes a not-so-great first impression,…read morebecause your ship will be docked right in the middle of a busy working industrial zone with hundreds of commercial cargo containers. It's not beautiful, but beyond this area a lovely city awaits. The process to get from your ship to the main tourist terminal is pretty simple. There's no tender required. Once you step off the ship, you hop on a quick and free open-air tram that shuttles you through the industrial area straight to the terminal. It's efficient, easy, and kind of fun. Once you arrive in the terminal, you can tell it is geared towards cruisers. The indoor area feels festive and welcoming, almost like a mini marketplace. There are dozens of shops selling everything from local crafts and souvenirs to silver jewelry. It's a great place to browse or pick up gifts without even leaving the port. There's also a small restaurant, bars, and vendors if you want a quick bite or drink, and an open air market with cheap booze, food, and other trinkets to buy. Again, I do not recommend you only stay at the terminal because Mazatlan is a gorgeous and friendly city with tons of culture (and way better and cheaper food, beaches, and more outside the touristy zone). The terminal has all the practical amenities, like restrooms, ATMs, and a tourist information desk with maps and helpful volunteers who can point you in the right direction. Everything feels safe, organized, and easy to navigate. Right outside the gate, you'll find official taxis, tour operators, rental options, and the iconic pulmonias (open-air taxis that are basically Mazatlán's version of a golf cart ride). They're a fun and breezy way to get around. You can also walk to Old Town (my fave area of the city) by following the "Blue Line" that's literally painted on the sidewalk. While the industrial setting might not be glamorous at first glance, the Mazatlán Cruise Terminal delivers where it counts. Even if you don't venture outside the gates, this is a surprisingly enjoyable and stress-free port stop.