Introduction to Mazatlan

This vivacious port city encapsulates the paradisical Mexican mix of sunshine, golden sand, and exuberant mariachi music. Mazatlán may be less manicured than other coastal Mexican resorts, but it offers surprisingly affordable beachfront golf, fresh lobster dinners and an authentic cobblestoned Old Town. From the great height of Mazatlán Lighthouse you can see the city glittering below, and beyond it the Pacific beckons with peaceful days of deep-sea fishing or exhilarating surfing on white-crested waves.

Things to Do

Climb up to Mazatlán Lighthouse, which crowns the rugged Crestón Hill at the bottom of the peninsula, for swivel views of the city, harbor, foam-fringed bays and the never-ending Pacific. Catch a colorful glimpse of what lies in the ocean nearby at the Mazatlán Aquarium, where you can see lemon sharks, Gulf turtles and tropical fish. A five-minute boat ride takes you to palm-fringed Isla de la Piedra, still on the mainland, where Mexican families eat and chatter at beach-restaurant palapas (shacks) on weekends.

Nightlife and Entertainment

True to Mexican form, at sundown Mazatlán wheels out smiling mariachi bands, unscrews the tequila bottle, and dances on tabletops until the wee hours. Locals and tourists mingle in beachfront bars and clubs and in Old Mazatlán's rustic cantinas. You'll find live mariachi and salsa band music pouring out of most restaurants and hotels. Mazatlán's festive hospitality is epitomized by the Hotel Plaza Mazatlán's free beach fireworks show every Sunday evening in fall and winter.

Restaurants and Dining

Mazatlán's famed shrimp is hauled in from the sea every morning and served up citywide, whether barbecued, tossed in breadcrumbs, marinated raw for ceviche or simply cooked. Startlingly fresh lobster and fish also monopolize menus, often sweetened with tamarind sauce, fired up with hot chipotle or thrown into a rich broth. Cocktails and beer are popular thirst-quenchers; tequila, naturally, is knocked back too. Restaurants cluster along the Malecón, Downtown and in the Zona Dorada.

Active Pursuits

Deep-sea fishing is excellent value in Mazatlán, and marlin, sailfish and dorado cruise the warm Pacific waters in plentiful numbers, particularly in July and August. The captain of your hired lancha (motorboat) will do catch-and-release fishing upon request. Sunbathers watch surfers slice through the waves at Playa Sábalo. Golf is also becoming increasingly popular in Mazatlán. Loosen up with a round on El Cid's 27-hole course or the Estrella del Mar's 18-hole course.