I'm giving this review 3 stars, because the staff here work very hard and there is staff that have…read moregone out of there way to make our experience better. However, we were highly disappointed with the front desk management staff. Several things were brought up and after speaking to a manager, our issue was downplayed with no real solution. The Customer Service and Customer Satisfaction is just not there as a priority for management. I don't see any benefit in discussing the details here, but we are following-up with Riu directly. The rooms are as clean as they can be, meaning the staff does what they can with what they have to work with. The linens and beds need to be updated and the rooms need an upgrade. The food is also not the best in comparison to other all-inclusives, but I suppose it's o.k. for the price, as this is one of the more affordable all-inclusive hotels. The location was great, the beach front view was spectacular, the pool areas were fairly well maintained, but our main complaint was with the cleanliness of our room. We've stayed at other Riu locations and have been satisfied, but we were disappointed with our stay at this location.

This is a review on the Riu and NOT the staff. One more time, this is about this Riu, and not the…read morewonderful staff. This is my second time staying in a Riu (my first was in the Dominican Republic)and I've got to say that this one was pretty disappointing. Arrival: The airport is about 30 minutes from the resort & shuttles are only available to guest who book directly from them and not a third party, such as Expedia(like we did). We ended up paying about 500 pesos for the Taxi ride, and all of this was scheduled once we landed at the airport. We arrived to the airport and were met with a drink, we opted out and were given a beer instead. Check in is at 3, but we were on a red eye flight so we arrived around 10am. We were assigned a room but not given access to it because it wasnt ready(which we totally understood), instead we were given our wristbands and told that our suitcases would be safely set aside and looked after(we were not the only ones, there was a wall of suitcases set aside). At this point we were able to use the pools, grab food or drinks or just walk around. We decided to nap on the beach since we flew all night, and around 1:30 I went up to ask if by chance our room was ready, and I was told it wasnt. We were both really tired and asked if we could just be moved to a different room that was already cleaned & they did(again, staff is amazing). We stayed in the original hotel, not the addition that was later built on, so our room was pretty basic, but it was really clean and had an amazing view from the 9th floor. Our stay: We found out very quickly that this resort is more kid friendly than it is for adults. The evening shows began at 8pm. First 1 hour of Riuland which is for the kids, then 1 hour of the usual musical show for the adults/families. This meant that everything basically shut down at 10pm after the shows ended. Out of our entire week stay ONE night there was a live Norteño Grupo that began at 10 and ended at 11 but this was the only day, even though the app said it was a nightly thing, it never happened again. Like the other Riu Ive stayed in, there was a 24hour sports bar that you could go to, but that too is always full of kids taking up the pool tables or running around the bar. This left only ONE MORE OPTION in the entire resort, bar El Cerro that is located in the lobby. This bar is huge, and quiet. Usually just adults, no music or real vibe, and it closes at 12am. The bartenders in El Cerro bar are really entertaining so we continued to go in there whenever we were at the resort during the evening hours, but sadly we were told this bar is only open during half the year and closes during summer months, huh? Conclusion: I STRONGLY advise anyone who is coming to Mazatlan for a real MEXICAN experience to NOT stay at this Riu. The pool music is always dance/techno music, guest would bring their own speakers so they could play their own spanish music, and the live bands and vendors that are on the beach are kept at a distance by a roped fence. The bandas on the beach have to stop by 10 it seems, because thats usually when you couldnt hear them anymore. Our stay was really disappointing & it had ZERO to do with the staff.

We booked an all inclusive vacation for 4 and paid for the insurance. However, 15 days before, we…read morehad a death in the family and wanted to back out. Turns out, the insurance is only good up to 30 days in advance, which is ridiculous. Because before 30 days, you could easily reschedule things. They promised that they would refund if we sent a photocopy of the Death Certificate to prove it. We did that and still they did not refund the money as promised. Instead they insisted we take another equal vacation within 12 months. In which time they could sit on our payment? Then, gain the interest instead of us having it in our bank account -when we have many funeral expenses at the same time. We could have sold it to someone else.If we knew there were going to shell game us like this...These are not nice people.

Went to go eat at their buffet restaurant since I remember it being delicious at one point - passed…read moreon the buffet since it looked like cafeteria food and one person in our party tried it and hated the taste of it. A la carte wasn't better , we waited an hour for honestly one of the worst foods I've had in Mexico - ordered a club sandwich which was the best good item out of all of it . El cid combination is so dry and the rice and beans had no flavor. Tacos gobernador hard pass as well . Service was great only reason why it wasn't a one star The vibe is very retired tourist but at least it has a nice view

Mix feelings about this hotel because it really holds a special place in my childhood memories but…read moreI gotta say it wasn't as GRAND as I remembered. The GOOD: Staff is really attentive. They go above and beyond to make sure you are taken care of. Location: very centric and everything is within 5-10 drive Pools: Both pools are big and they have enough lounge chairs around. The pool staff were also fantastic. Plenty of Palapas at the beach for everyone The buffet at Las Palomas never disappointed. Kuddos to Gonzalo and Freddi. Great service. Angelo's restaurant- delicious and good wine selection. Kuddos to our server Alejandro Ibarra. He was great. Casa 46- delicious upscale food with beautiful views of the centro histórico The BAD: The common areas needed more up keeping. one of the nights there was so much trash around the pools (Shame on guests for leaving so much trash out) but that clearly shows you that they are understaff if they cannot keep with picking up leftovers cups and cans. The food at Cilantro's restaurant was mediocre. The service at the bar was great but not at the dining area; took too long when there were hardly any people. No transportation to the sister hotel Emerald Bay. They gave us some BS about being out of contract with their transportation company; however, if you signed up for the time-share breakfast then they would provide you transportation. Alcoholic beverages: ALL the alcohol is clearly watered-down. You could never taste the alcohol and I never got a buzz after several drinks (I would even ask for doubles) The only time I had good drinks was at their sister location, Emerald Bay; I am assuming they don't use watered down alcohol at this location because this is were they host their 'time-share' meetings and they need to impress the guests. They require you to sign a contract before check-in that prohibits hiring La Banda on the beach, even though Neto Coppel posted multiple videos on TikTok saying he would allow bands to play there (because the beaches are public!). It's frustrating because the contract states that if you're caught, they can remove you from the premises

The beach is amazing and so are all the servers. It is a but run down, but still beautiful. The…read morebeds are a bit on the hard side. Not what I am used to when stating at a pueblo bonito resort. My complaint is mostly with the suite service. It would take forever and I was on the premier all inclusive and they charged me service charge twice because I ordered pizza and a steak. The problem is the food is not always the best when I ordered service and yup. I only tasted the pizza... it was not good. So glad I had ordered the steak.

We have been coming here since 2017, at first I wasn't sure but I said sure, when we got there…read more. WOW I was completely amazed at this resort, on our first day it was amazing the food at the restaurant was out of this world...very delicious, the employees are fabulous & very hard working. In 2019 while we were there, had an emergency, by this time we were spending 2wks there by the end of the first week we were supposed to change rooms but the front desk went out & beyond, the management said we can stay in that room. I was so grateful This place is one of the best resorts in Mazatlan, if you ever wanted to do tours & such...go down & talk to Rudy he is awesome, if you bring children they do have fun activities during the day...in the morning they have exercise in the pool, in the afternoon bingo every day (that's fun) happy hour 2x a day except on Fridays 3x a day, they have a wonderful massage area..hopefully next time we come down they will have the volleyball up in the pool & singing (karaoke) back up on Friday Nights (I sure missed that) Trust me you won't be disappointed on this resort, lots of stuff to do around town..either by bus or taxi

A wonderful resort where happy hour comes twice a day, because one just isn't enough. Soccer,…read moretennis, volleyball, foosball, pretty much the Olympics of all activities. It wasn't all inclusive, but this place felt like home for the week. Worth every peso and then some. Glad I was able to enjoy with family and friends. Will be coming here again.

Sea garden sold me a timeshare for 10,000 saying I can transfer it over to my kids and my grandkids…read moreand now that I go check because I wanted to use it they're telling me that I am no longer a timeshare holder with them. Please don't buy from them.

Stay away!!! This is a rip off time share. I was suckered in buying a $14,000 time share. I was…read moretold in writing, (thank God) that they would rent out my four week a year stay, if we didn't use it. That's a check for $1,200 per week. After returning to our Carnival cruise ship, the contract clearly states, "We do not rent anything to anybody". We were told we couldn't rent for one year. That's because we had payments every month for one year and would find out they would not rent it. We would have to find someone ourselves to rent it. They told us our purchase would double in price, once all the rooms are gone and they would sell it for us. The contract states, "We do not sell anything to anybody". We were told we can use all 1,200 acres including the amusement park. After signing the contract, another vulture came to they table. He wanted $38,000 for a ticket to use the property and once all 3,000 tickets are sold we could never buy into it again. CONTRACT STATES, YOU HAVE FIVE WORKING DAYS, STARTING THE DAY AFTER SIGNING TO CANCEL THIS COTRACT. I did four days later. I DID get my $7,125.00 back one month later. It's $225 each week you stay. $2,900 after 10 years you must pay, use it or not. There is up to a six month, in advance notice to book a room. You only own it for 100 years. My wife is Mexican. does that apply? This is a TRAVEL AGENCIE like all time share companies. They have rooms all over the world. Making sound like they own these properties. Thank God, I read the contract. May God bless Yelp. Hopefully no one else will fall victims.

The lobby was quite warm, which made me wonder about the rest of the hotel. I decided to stay at…read moreanother hotel instead. I wish I could have stayed at Sunviva. I had heard some great things about that hotel, but when I arrived and found the lobby too warm, I had to go to another hotel. My partner needs a cool place to stay because he had heatstroke before. I didn't want that to happen again.

There was a band playing past 10:50 in the evening at a resort known for being situated on a quiet…read morebeach, this was a surprise and inappropriate..The band was very loud, it effected guests ability to rest and enjoy a quiet evening on the ocean. Party's and bands are not "bad" but guests pay a reasonable amount to enjoy the entire resort, and to expect a lower amount of noise late into the evening is not unreasonable. The business failed to post or warn guests of this late night band/party. My family and I believe the Inn failed in being a good host to "all" it's guests. Why not start the party sooner so that it is over by a reasonable time. Management should be respectful to all it's paying customers. Provide info, post it and let patrons know when they check in. Management at the Inn failed in this. For this I would recommend doing research before booking here. Maybe the are other more respectful resorts?

Our stay in May 2026 & Sept 2024 was wonderful. We enjoy this location and find it quite relaxing…read more The staff is absolutely great, and the service they provide is very memorable. Few servants remembered us from our earlier stay in 2024 and asked about other members of the family who were abscent in 2026 visit. We will be returning in 2027. Don't miss the experience, it is wonderful and memorable.

Just for the record, we are time share owners and have been coming here since 2005. This year we…read morehad two master suites and had five people out of original twelve. We check in then go to owners table where we were invited to owners lunch for a discounted rate. We pay for the whole week. Next day we arrive at owners lunch and are told you attended last year so no discounts. Translation if you want all inclusive you are now looking at close to $6K, nearly triple the amount originally offered.I'm shocked and ask how is this possible, you invited me, gave a me a deal then jack up the price to a ridiculous amount. The owners club people tells us you have to now deal with the resort. The person who gave us the news goes over to the front desk and after back and forth gives us a "deal" for $2K more. I am somewhat stuck because my family is with me and have no other reasonable choice. The resort is showing its age and all the refurbishment costs seems to have gone to try build other resorts. While the people who work here are exemplary. I will vote with my money and take my business elsewhere. There are so many options out there and the feeling of getting ripped off on the spot just does not sit well with me.

Absolutely beautiful 180 year-old authentic building that houses a wonderful handmade art and…read moreceramic store. Was here visiting the city and we decided to stop in because it looks so charming and it's in a lovely area of the walkable part of town. We were absolutely enamored with this store. From the moment we walked in, from the fascinating vintage architecture to all the beautiful pieces of art for sale. We were so delighted. The owner and artist is super nice and welcoming, She and her husband own the house and make all of the fine art for sale. Also, she claims all their ceramics are lead free, which we appreciate a lot. We were very happy to support them and buy several pieces for ourselves and for our family members back home. When we come back to visit, we will definitely make a point to stop here again.

I travel to Mexico quite a bit, and Mazatlan is a friendly little coastal city that gets a bad rap…read more One of my favorite things to do when I'm there is to browse the small art galleries that pepper the area around the historic district, and Nidart is one of the best. Featuring handmade art, pottery, and more, this is a great place to not only buy some very unique souvenirs, but to also support the local economy and the hardworking artists that call it home. Nidart has a huge gallery space (it's a working gallery, so you may see mom, dad, or their daughter creating when you visit -- and say "hi" to their resident tortie cat, too). Visitors are always welcome when the doors are open. We visited around the holidays and were able to pick up a half dozen handmade tin ornaments that were a huge hit as gifts for family and friends. I also purchased a gorgeous handmade bowl that's sitting on my kitchen table. If you love art, you should make a point to stop in. They accept pesos, U.S. dollars, debit cards, and credit cards. No games, no tricks with pricing like some of the big touristy stores. Look for the bright yellow and blue building. They allow photos, and the interior of the shop is perfect for unique photo ops.

Very picturesque, and oh so relaxing! The pools are so nice, and each has its own bar and snacks,…read morebut like a lunch menu, think fajitas and quesadillas. The rooms are large and comfortable. The employees are all nice and friendly, quick with a smile! The private beach is awesome! Again, it's own bar and snacks (burgers, quesadillas....) and a waiter named Javier....doing an amazing job! Kudos!

My stay is so awesome and restful The personal is so helpful…read moreand polite I love it here at El Cid Marina I ll definitely will come back next year for another All inclusive stay here! I also chatted with Tim Kaminsky the manager: friendly and informative about the hotel, and the activities! Omg: for lunch I ate a smoked marlin (fish) ceviche on a mini tostada: honestly I think it was the best meal I've ever had here so far It was so tasty and fresh Kudos for that dish