Mazatlan, Mexico Estrella Del Mar Resort
An analog to Nuevo Vallarta is now springing in another Pacific Coast town, Mazatlán, also known as the Pearl of the Pacific. The Estrella del Mar Resort, is four miles from the airport and 10 miles from Mazatlán’s city center along the sun drenched Pacific Coast in the State of Sinaloa. Mazatlán (population 438,000), lying 200 miles north of Puerto Vallarta, often is overlooked as a Mexican beach destination because it is not as well known as other Mexican destination, but it is truly authentic Mexico at its best. It is a very affordable golf and fishing destination with direct air service from many US cities and also Tijuana airport. Mazatlan has ideal year round weather and attracts golfers, fishermen, retirees and snowbirds searching for their place in the sun south of the border. Mazatlán, because of its affordability and terrific weather, is well worth a visit year round.
Here’s what I mean:
The weather: Mazatlán enjoys a moderate year-round climate, with summer highs rarely topping 91 degrees and average winter lows rarely dipping below 77. In the afternoon, onshore Pacific breezes keep you cool. Rainfall is modest, just 31 inches a year.
The golf: Estrella del Mar has a 7,015-yard, 18-hole Robert Trent Jones Jr. golf course that features six holes along the beach. The greens of Jones’s spacious palm tree-lined course recently were enlarged and re-grassed with a superior salt-tolerant Bermuda varietal. The course is home to the PGA Latin American Tour and a John Jacobs Golf School and Academy.
Lodging: Las Villas, the Estrella del Mar resort’s lodge, is a charmingly unpretentious three-story, 47-room hotel – the antithesis of the mega-resorts of other Mexico beach destinations. The staff is unfailingly friendly. On property are two restaurants, a spa and fitness center, tennis courts, swimming pool and more than three miles of totally isolated and pristine beach. A third restaurant at the golf clubhouse offers superb food served indoors or on an covered patio just off the beach.
El Cid Country Club
Discover the endless pleasures of playing El Cid’s PGA-rated par 72 course that is host to the Canadian Tour and Mexico PGA tournaments. Enjoy three premier golf courses, each with its own signature character. Learn from experienced golf professionals through personalized lessons or join our Golf Academy.
For 42 years, El Cid Golf & Country Club has provided an exceptional golf experience in the heart of Mazatlan’s Golden Zone. Our 27-hole, PGA-rated championship course has hosted the prestigious Mexico Professional Tour, Canadian Tour and Mexico Golf Federation for Children & Youth, multiple times. The original course features 18 holes, followed by the Marina 9, developed by Lee Treviño in 1999 and described by Golf Today as “an absolute winner”. El Cid Golf & Country Club has been described as one of the most remarkable courses along the Pacific Coast of Mexico. It has generous Bermuda grass greens with fairways framed by majestic palms, pinon, rubber and capiros trees with abundant bird life, turtles and iguanas. Multiple holes play directly along or over water on this beautiful, diverse course, which presents challenges to golfers of all skill levels.
Marina Mazatlan Golf Club
Golf Course Marina Mazatlan Marina Mazatlan, 18-hole Golf Course, par 72, designed by renowned designer David Fleming, beginning construction in 2005, opening its doors in 2009. It is a Challenging and Fun Golf Course, the greens are huge and undulating. Salt tolerant Paspalum grass - very eco friendly! The staff is great, friendly and professional. Don't miss the food while you're there - some of the best authentic Mexican in Mazatlan!!
Fishing in Mazatlán
The junction where the Pacific converges with the vibrant Sea of Cortez is dubbed ‘The World’s Largest Natural Fish Trap’, and Mazatlan is happy to show you why. Lying across the famous Marlin waterways of Cabo San Lucas, the area is chock-full of hotspots appealing to just about any type of game fish, and just about any kind of fisherman. Mexico’s trademark deep sea madness is well present along the offshore honey holes, ample with Sailfish, Marlin, Wahoo, Dorado, Mako, Tuna and the rest of the Caribbean pelagic roster. Typical big game migration spans from May thru November, but these waters hardly ever sleep, so even when trolling begins to taper of, bottom fishing virtually knows no season. There’s almost always a busy shipwreck, outer reef or an open-water FAD to raid, attracting bruisers like Amberjack, Red Snapper, Grouper, Flounder, Spadefish, Pufferfish and more. An often overlooked part of Mazatlan’s angling appeal, inshore and mangrove fishing is fantastic for Snook, Red Snapper, Triggerfish and White Sea Bass, while the popular Roosterfish dominates the surf and the northern city beaches. Catch and release for all pelagics is considered the norm, but land anything edible, and most seaside restaurants will have no problem making you a delicious personal ‘ceviche’ out of it. The freshest dinner you’ll ever have, guaranteed!
The environment: Tropical bird-watching tours are available. The resort also operates a government-sanctioned Olive Ridley sea turtle hatchery. From early fall through early winter, guests can participate in the release of hundreds of baby turtles each day at sunset.
Colonial Downtown: Mazatlán has a vibrant core, thanks to a young demographic that enjoys the bars, restaurants, and outdoor music of the Plazuela Machado. There’s plenty of shopping and people-watching along the Malecόn, one of the longest seaside boardwalks in Mexico. The 119-year-old Carnival of Mazatlán (Feb. 8-13, 2018) is one of the largest, most important festivals in Mexico. It culminates in “The Burning of Monigote” – Mazatlan’s version of the Burning of Zozobra in Santa Fe.
What’s nearby: About 28 miles north of the Mazatlán city center is the sleepy mountain town of El Quelite with clothing and art shops and a family-run restaurant, El Meson de Los Laureanos, that serves terrific Mexican breakfasts as chickens wander around the dining room. Not far away is the Vinata Los Osuna, a family-run distillery that produces a tequila-like liquor from 100 percent Weber blue agave using the same equipment the family has been using since 1864. (Because of a political drama dating back to 1944, the family is not allowed to call the product tequila.)
Experience authentic Mexican cuisine and the freshest seafood amid this peaceful tropical paradise. Climb the historic El Faro lighthouse or visit nearby Stone Island (Isla de las Piedras), a cozy fishing village , with great restaurants and bars with a short water taxi ride to the Colonial District in Old Mazatlan. More on Mazatlan day tours>>
Here’s what I mean:
The weather: Mazatlán enjoys a moderate year-round climate, with summer highs rarely topping 91 degrees and average winter lows rarely dipping below 77. In the afternoon, onshore Pacific breezes keep you cool. Rainfall is modest, just 31 inches a year.
The golf: Estrella del Mar has a 7,015-yard, 18-hole Robert Trent Jones Jr. golf course that features six holes along the beach. The greens of Jones’s spacious palm tree-lined course recently were enlarged and re-grassed with a superior salt-tolerant Bermuda varietal. The course is home to the PGA Latin American Tour and a John Jacobs Golf School and Academy.
Lodging: Las Villas, the Estrella del Mar resort’s lodge, is a charmingly unpretentious three-story, 47-room hotel – the antithesis of the mega-resorts of other Mexico beach destinations. The staff is unfailingly friendly. On property are two restaurants, a spa and fitness center, tennis courts, swimming pool and more than three miles of totally isolated and pristine beach. A third restaurant at the golf clubhouse offers superb food served indoors or on an covered patio just off the beach.
El Cid Country Club
Discover the endless pleasures of playing El Cid’s PGA-rated par 72 course that is host to the Canadian Tour and Mexico PGA tournaments. Enjoy three premier golf courses, each with its own signature character. Learn from experienced golf professionals through personalized lessons or join our Golf Academy.
For 42 years, El Cid Golf & Country Club has provided an exceptional golf experience in the heart of Mazatlan’s Golden Zone. Our 27-hole, PGA-rated championship course has hosted the prestigious Mexico Professional Tour, Canadian Tour and Mexico Golf Federation for Children & Youth, multiple times. The original course features 18 holes, followed by the Marina 9, developed by Lee Treviño in 1999 and described by Golf Today as “an absolute winner”. El Cid Golf & Country Club has been described as one of the most remarkable courses along the Pacific Coast of Mexico. It has generous Bermuda grass greens with fairways framed by majestic palms, pinon, rubber and capiros trees with abundant bird life, turtles and iguanas. Multiple holes play directly along or over water on this beautiful, diverse course, which presents challenges to golfers of all skill levels.
Marina Mazatlan Golf Club
Golf Course Marina Mazatlan Marina Mazatlan, 18-hole Golf Course, par 72, designed by renowned designer David Fleming, beginning construction in 2005, opening its doors in 2009. It is a Challenging and Fun Golf Course, the greens are huge and undulating. Salt tolerant Paspalum grass - very eco friendly! The staff is great, friendly and professional. Don't miss the food while you're there - some of the best authentic Mexican in Mazatlan!!
Fishing in Mazatlán
The junction where the Pacific converges with the vibrant Sea of Cortez is dubbed ‘The World’s Largest Natural Fish Trap’, and Mazatlan is happy to show you why. Lying across the famous Marlin waterways of Cabo San Lucas, the area is chock-full of hotspots appealing to just about any type of game fish, and just about any kind of fisherman. Mexico’s trademark deep sea madness is well present along the offshore honey holes, ample with Sailfish, Marlin, Wahoo, Dorado, Mako, Tuna and the rest of the Caribbean pelagic roster. Typical big game migration spans from May thru November, but these waters hardly ever sleep, so even when trolling begins to taper of, bottom fishing virtually knows no season. There’s almost always a busy shipwreck, outer reef or an open-water FAD to raid, attracting bruisers like Amberjack, Red Snapper, Grouper, Flounder, Spadefish, Pufferfish and more. An often overlooked part of Mazatlan’s angling appeal, inshore and mangrove fishing is fantastic for Snook, Red Snapper, Triggerfish and White Sea Bass, while the popular Roosterfish dominates the surf and the northern city beaches. Catch and release for all pelagics is considered the norm, but land anything edible, and most seaside restaurants will have no problem making you a delicious personal ‘ceviche’ out of it. The freshest dinner you’ll ever have, guaranteed!
The environment: Tropical bird-watching tours are available. The resort also operates a government-sanctioned Olive Ridley sea turtle hatchery. From early fall through early winter, guests can participate in the release of hundreds of baby turtles each day at sunset.
Colonial Downtown: Mazatlán has a vibrant core, thanks to a young demographic that enjoys the bars, restaurants, and outdoor music of the Plazuela Machado. There’s plenty of shopping and people-watching along the Malecόn, one of the longest seaside boardwalks in Mexico. The 119-year-old Carnival of Mazatlán (Feb. 8-13, 2018) is one of the largest, most important festivals in Mexico. It culminates in “The Burning of Monigote” – Mazatlan’s version of the Burning of Zozobra in Santa Fe.
What’s nearby: About 28 miles north of the Mazatlán city center is the sleepy mountain town of El Quelite with clothing and art shops and a family-run restaurant, El Meson de Los Laureanos, that serves terrific Mexican breakfasts as chickens wander around the dining room. Not far away is the Vinata Los Osuna, a family-run distillery that produces a tequila-like liquor from 100 percent Weber blue agave using the same equipment the family has been using since 1864. (Because of a political drama dating back to 1944, the family is not allowed to call the product tequila.)
Experience authentic Mexican cuisine and the freshest seafood amid this peaceful tropical paradise. Climb the historic El Faro lighthouse or visit nearby Stone Island (Isla de las Piedras), a cozy fishing village , with great restaurants and bars with a short water taxi ride to the Colonial District in Old Mazatlan. More on Mazatlan day tours>>