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Matzalan


biggiebigs7

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We used one of the tour guides available at the pier, rode along with a family of 4 . He took us to some really neat sights... narrated very well. I have great pictures of cliff divers, the downtown open market, cathedral, and he took us to a great restaurant on the beach which had musicians playing among the diners, served terrific huge shrimp. We had such a good time and he told us we could take as much time as we wanted and it was a flat feet. I think it was 20$ pp and we gave him a good tip as well.

I was among one of the best "excursions" we have had. The Mexican Riviera was one of the best trips we have taken.

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across the way from the piers (about a 10 minute ride) there is a beachy resort area that is a nice hang out for a few hours. There were boat rentals, beach side bars and restaurants, etc...more or less we just walked around and had a good time

 

That would be Stone island. A quick walk to the 'ferry' will take you there. Keep your receipt, as this is how you return on 'ferry'.

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We were gonna hoof it on our own around Old Town but it was hot, so we opted for a tour with one of the guys waiting there as you get off the shop - Mazatlan Van Tours (there were a bunch of them there) We went with Jose Velarde, who was very very nice .... had a good tour, beverages included, $25 each.

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Old Mazatlan -- Cathedral & Opera House

Golden Zone -- Beaches

Lighthouse -- if you like a good hike

Outside Mazatlan -- Gold & Silver Mines

 

 

Sultan, can you please tell me if the hike to the lighthouse is strenuous?

We are doing the " best of mazatlan" tour and will have our DD8 with us and don't want anything too difficult.

Thanks!

Toni

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Just got back from Mexican Riviera cruise. Mazatlan Frank was the best. On his site he says you need a minimum of 6 adults ($40 per person). We only had 2. He told us if we paid for three adults ($120) he would do the tour anyway. At $60 per person for an all day personal tour, this was still far cheaper than the cruise line and one of the best tours we've ever experienced. He'll take you anywhere you want to go, but in our case we just told him to show us what he recommended. Had a great lunch at Tony's on the Beach. Highly recommended.

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Just wanted to add my two cents...

 

We have been to Mazatlan on a cruise and liked it so much we have been back twice for a week. This year (on our week there) we took a tour with Mazatlan Frank. He was excellent. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend his tours. On the other hand, the massage at Aroma Spa was terrible - worst massage I've ever had (and I've had a quite a few!). The woman doing the massage had no idea what she was doing so I think if I'd had someone else who did, my experience would be very different. Also, they had a fan running which made it very cold. Also, to add one more complaint, you could hear every word from the waiting room where all the employees who weren't busy were chatting up a storm. So not at all relaxing. If I was coming off a cruise ship I wouldn't waste my valuable time doing this. Go with Mazatlan Frank instead.

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  • 5 months later...

Hi posters,

 

I notice that misty57 in her post #7 mentions cliff divers. Are there cliff divers in Mazatlan? I'm aware of the ones in Acapulco.

 

I'm planning on what to do in Mazatlan in September this year on the Splendor. Mazatlan Frank gets some good reviews. Only problem for me is he wants the money before hand. I won't do this. I hope there will be people at the pier offering tours. Any updates and advice welcome.

 

Sandra

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Hi posters,

 

I notice that misty57 in her post #7 mentions cliff divers. Are there cliff divers in Mazatlan? I'm aware of the ones in Acapulco.

 

I'm planning on what to do in Mazatlan in September this year on the Splendor. Mazatlan Frank gets some good reviews. Only problem for me is he wants the money before hand. I won't do this. I hope there will be people at the pier offering tours. Any updates and advice welcome.

 

Sandra

 

Yes there are cliff divers in Mazatlan. Frank just wants a deposit and is the most recommended tour guide yet. Sorry you won't do this but if you keep looking up tours you will find all of them you will pay the full amount in advance. Yes there will be some at the terminal but this is the town of timeshares and there will be timeshare sharks all over the terminal tempting you to take a tour and give you stuff for fee to listen to their timeshare talk. If I were you, I would take Frank's tour and pay his small deposit. He is very reputable, if he wasn't we wouldn't be going either as I do not like paying upfront. But I thought a $25 deposit was fair for 4 people.

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Thanks CruisinAgain for your quick reply. How do the cliff divers compare with the ones in Acapulco?

 

It is not the amount of the deposit or full tour that I object to paying up front it is giving my credit card details. I've just returned from the 49 night cruise around South America on the Splendor. We organized independent tours in every port and never had to pay up front.

 

Sandra

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Thanks CruisinAgain for your quick reply. How do the cliff divers compare with the ones in Acapulco?

 

It is not the amount of the deposit or full tour that I object to paying up front it is giving my credit card details. I've just returned from the 49 night cruise around South America on the Splendor. We organized independent tours in every port and never had to pay up front.

 

Sandra

 

Sandra, I haven't seen the cliff divers in Acapulco and haven't seen them in Maz either as we went to Stone Island last time but you can do a search on google and pics of them will come up. Yes, I was surprised to see that more and more tours now are requiring payment in full but was surprised to see Franks was just a small deposit that is returnable and he does not see the credit card at all - Paypal does the transaction. Another company we booked with for Cabo wanted the credit card info for in case we pulled a no show otherwise we pay in cash once we get there. In PV, we had to pay in full. This will be our first cruise that has required advance payment so I definitely know what you are talking about. Must be the area where they have been taken or something. But I could not find a tour that I could book without paying so your choice is Frank thru Paypal or the luck of a straw with the people at the terminal. I will tell you what I saw before at the terminal, I would gladly pay Frank thru Paypal. You could take the Stone Island tour on your own and not pay until you get there but no cliff divers there and we only liked it for the horseback riding.

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I really surprisesd no one ahs mentioned Randy. We went riding with her and her group in Dec and had the best time ever. it is not Nose to butt like lost places. You spend about 2 hours on the beach riding. We had 2 kids with us( 12 and 18) and even they were able to ride. She matches the horse to the rider perfectly.

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Hello,

 

I found a affordable massage place just a couple hundred yards from the cruise boat gates. The building is modest but a great massage for $20usd. The name of the place is Kelly's Spa. You can found out more info for them at www.myspace.com/kellysspamaz My wife and I were very happy with service received. I didnt expect much but was surprised. We spent the rest of the day at the pool at Los Sabalos with cold coronas very cheap.

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