Marnie Pitchford

I was lucky to get a spot on a truly great Familiarization trip this past April with 21 other Travel agents from Western Canada. Led by David Emery and sponsored by the Mazatlan Tourism Board, WestJet, El Cid and Pronatours  - this jam packed itinerary gave us a comprehensive destination experience and wonderful lasting memories.

Mazatlan is one of the closest sun destination getaways for North-West Coasters. It has golden sand beaches, a warm swimmable ocean, land and water sports, unique tours and a rich culture. Once you’ve been to Mazatlan, you understand it’s name as the “colonial city on the beach”.

The flight from Vancouver, with a connection in Calgary on WestJet Airlines, is only a few hours away. We stayed at the El Cid Castilla and checked out the other 3 properties: Granada, El Moro and Marina. La Concha restaurant's ocean view setting and delicious cuisine is fantastic! (located at El Moro resort). Each property’s charm will appeal to a wide demographic range. The service and attention to detail make this resort an excellent choice as your home-base.  Check out the El Cid website here for more details:

From what I hear, All-inclusives can get a little repetitive. We didn’t have much ‘soaking up the sun by the pool’ time as there was much to explore with day tours such as: a world famous Agave distillery tour, gastronomy tour of a nearby village, boat ride and beach day at Deer island with water activities and more. There are authentic excursions such as deep sea fishing, which I tried, a visit to the aquarium, or walk along one of the longest malecon’s in the world. In the evening we visited the historic distract of Mazatlan and had an exceptional gourmet dinning experience rooftop the restaurant of El Presidio. We continued the evening in an exquisite theatre to watch an artistic dance performance. The historic district really incorporates a magnificent and beautiful colonial expression. Night life is also an option with Senor Frogs, located beside the El Cid Castilla - serving up drinks and mixing tunes.

Overall, my short stay in Mazatlan really left me wanting to return again soon. The friendly people, the food, the sun, the fun…

This should definitely be on your destination getaway list if you haven’t been to this part of Mexico yet or if it has been a while since you’ve last vacationed.

Contact me and I’ll be happy to put my first-hand experience to work and make your Mazatlan vacation one to remember for years.