Marina el Cid Hotel & Yacht Club

January, 2006 - We stayed in a studio unit at this resort. The location of our unit was perfect -located between a view of the marina and the ocean view. The best of both worlds, and absolutely beautiful views! The water taxi (no charge) takes you over to the beach and is very convenient.

After seeing the one bedroom unit, that would have been our choice and we would not stay in the studio size again. The one bedroom is much more spacious and more nicely furnished. Our dinner table was a plastic outdoor table!

The weather was cool (low 48-52F) at the end of Jan. and the resort has NO HEAT. I must have called the front desk three times to request a heater. NO HEATERS EITHER! The bed is on a stone slab base, but we requested padding that was promptly put on our beds.

The resort staff, however, were very helpful and courteous. We did not particularly enjoy the food at the resort, and the service was bad. I do not think that the "all inclusive" would be a good choice (we were glad that we did not get it).

Many wonderful restaurants to eat at in Mazatlan. We enjoyed The Shiek, The Chile Pepper, Munchkins, and had breakfast at The Ace. I typically had lobster and prime rib dinner for less than $20US.

We took a bus (yes, the bus!), that was nice and had air conditioning to a Walmart and the cost was 8 pesos, vs. a taxi that would have cost 80 pesos (roundtrip cost for two $3.20 vs $16). It was definitely worth it! Many tourists seemed to be taking the bus, and everyone one was very friendly telling you which bus to take and where to eat. The price of a taxi if you use it daily can begin to add up. However, the shuttle from the Marina El Cid runs frequently (every 15 mins) to the El Cid closer to the shopping areas in the Gold Zone. We had a great vacation in Mazatlan and plan to go back again and again. If you want good food at reasonable prices, and beautiful beaches, this is definitely the place to vacation!

This is a lovely resort with a real community feel. At night it is quiet - you could actually sleep on the balcony! If you prefer action, there is a free shuttle to the other El Cid properties - so you have the best of both worlds. It's also very easy to go right down town as a city bus stops right at the property - very convenient when you want to go to the Mercado Central to pick up fresh shrimp! (Mazatlan is the shrimp capital of Mexico!), fruit and veggies. The swimming pools are very good. We especially like the salt water pool which has its own artfully constructed caverns. The marina is great. We enjoyed meeting the boaters, some of whom have used this marina as home base for several years! As I said, this resort has a homelike attitude. The staff is friendly & the service very good. The restaurant has a wonderful view of the marina - very romantic - and the food is fine. To get to the beach you take a shuttle across the marina. It runs whenever there are passengers, so it's very convenient. On the beach side there is another bar - no going thirsty or hungry. The beach is lovely - you can walk along it for miles. Marina El Cid is our favorite place to stay in Mazatlan.

Great place to be if you want to be at the marina. To get to the closests beach, you have to take a water taxi across the channel and then walk to the beach.

There is a free shuttle to take you to the El Cid locations in the "Golden Zone."

This is not the location for you if you want to party. The marina location is a lot quieter than the other El Cid locations.

Nice family atmosphere. Clean rooms.