American Express -- The office is on Avenida Camarón Sábalo in the Centro Comercial Balboa shopping center, Loc. 15 and 16 (tel. 669/913-0600; fax 669/916-5908), between the traffic circle and the El Cid Resort. It's open Monday through Friday from 9am to 6pm, Saturday from 9am to 1pm.
Area Code -- The telephone area code for Mazatlán is 669.
Banks -- Most banks are generally open Monday through Friday from 9am to 6pm, and some have limited hours on Saturday.
Climate -- As the northernmost major beach resort on the mainland, Mazatlán can be cooler in summer than the resorts farther south. The wettest month is September.
Drugstore -- Farmacias Hidalgo, German Evers and Hidalgo s/n (tel. 669/985-4545 or -4646), is open 24 hours and delivers to hotels.
Emergencies -- Dial tel. 066. For medical emergencies, contact the Sharp Hospital, Rafael Buelna and Las Cruces (tel. 669/986-5676 or -5678). The Traffic Police can be reached at tel. 669/983-2616.
Internet Access -- Numerous places offer access, with one long-standing business being Internet Café Netscape (Av. Camarón Sábalo 222, between Farmacia Benavides and Taco Loco); it's open daily, including holidays, from 8am to 11pm. Access costs $3 (£1.65) per hour; $1.50 (85p) for 30 minutes (tel. 669/990-1289).
Language Classes -- Spanish-language classes begin every Monday at the Centro de Idiomas (tel. 669/985-5606; fax 669/982-2053; www.spanishlink.org), 3 blocks west of the cathedral near 21 de Marzo and Canizales. In addition to small-group (maximum 10 students) and individual instruction, the language center offers a home-stay program and a person-to-person program that matches students with local people. On Friday at 7pm, the center holds free Spanish and English conversation groups open to both visitors and locals. For more information, call or write Dixie Davis, Belisario Domínguez 1908, Mazatlán, Sin.
Post Office -- The correo is downtown on Benito Juárez just off Angel Flores, on the east side of the main plaza (tel. 669/981-2121). Hours are Monday through Friday from 8am to 5pm, Saturday from 9am to noon.
