TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

The Playa Mazatlan Beach Hotel (PMBH) is not geared towards non-Spanish speaking tourists. Most staff speak very little English, however they do their best to understand and accommodate. Food: hot food at the buffets was never hot, warm at best, cold more often than not. Also very bland, not flavourful. Signs were only in Spanish. The menu at Georgini’s was not completely in English so we almost missed getting salads. Even at this a la carte, the food was cold. The pasta looked dried out, as though it had been plated long before the meat was ready. Capitan Jack’s was good however the best food and service was at Casa Roberto’s. BTW, I tried to book an a la carte in person with the concierge who rudely informed me that I was supposed to do that on the phone from my room. I told her I had tried the 2 numbers that were provided for a total of 4 times with no answer; she pulled out 2 new numbers that were not on our information sheet and told me I could have used those. It took her 1 minute to book the only a la carte for that evening, and 5 minutes to tell me about these mystery numbers and the ‘proper’ way to make a reservation. No apology for any inconvenience. She was on her personal phone when I got to her desk, and there was no line-up. Coffee: at the buffet was weak. The only good coffee was at George’s Café but the machine was broken 4 of the 13 days we were there. You can’t take the coffee to breakfast in a porcelain mug and sometimes they didn’t have Styrofoam cups. Wasps swarmed the pastries in the morning despite a screen on the display case. Excellent chocolate cake in the evening (I'm trying not to think about the wasps). Gym: small space, not air-conditioned. One of the 3 treadmills was broken for about 7 days. Room: our first room had 2 double beds, a large screen TV with Netflix and YouTube, but no dresser to store our clothes. We were moved to a king room as originally requested, and had a dresser but couldn’t get Netflix or YouTube on the TV. We are under 5’10” and our toes hung over the bottom of our so-called king-sized bed. Bathrooms could use updated fixtures. Our shuttle to the airport was to pick us up at 5:30 pm but checkout is at 11:00. We had to plead to get a late checkout – until noon. However, lunch starts at 1:00. We have never experienced this at any resort in 11 years of coming to Mexico. Beach: very nice, lots of palapas and chairs. The showers were a great idea. Drink service was slow: sometimes there were 2 servers, generally only 1. Drinks were very watered down (not a big deal for us, just something to know). E-mails sent via the hotel website or through Gmail were never answered. If you’re interested in booking a fishing trip, do not go through the Sabalo Tours desk. It’s located in the lobby but is separate from the PMBH. He booked a tour from the southern marina instead of the Marina Mazatlan by El Cid Marina. We didn’t catch any fish, the boat crew did not speak English, and the diesel motor was left running the entire 4 hours. It was more expensive than booking one through any other company.

For anyone considering booking this resort who is looking for good food, warm pools, modern amenities, modern rooms, plenty of a la carte choices, English widely spoken….please look else where. We are currently at the resort, and have been very disappointed from the beginning. This is our first vacation bringing our kids along (6, 10,13) and it has been nothing but a disappointment. We have travelled extensively throughout Mexico, Cuba and Dom Rep and thus have many trips as reference. For any travellers reading the other negative reviews….they are true. We have spent almost the entire week eating off the resort (even though we are all inclusive) as the food choices here are that of a Mexican cafeteria. The one bright spot was the Italian restaurant, but if you are not in line to make a reservation at 8am, it will be fully booked (also note it is only open 2 times per week). Please book elsewhere.

Stayed at Hotel Playa with my husband and teenage son, it was our first trip since 2020, the Hotel location is perfect for city walking to bars, food and shopping from local vendors. The beach is absolutely beautiful. The Hotel is a beautiful set up, Pools are great, room is average, small. We had 2 doubles side by side, no mini fridge. The staff are friendly, and helpful if needed, most do not speak English but will find someone to help. The down side to the Hotel is the food is cold, boring and repeat daily. We tried the Italian restaurant one evening presentation on the plate was beautifully displayed, however the food was cold undercooked and tasteless. There is no entertainment for the guest at all, and the evenings are the worst nothing to do at the resort, very boring resort. I would not be returning to this resort in the future.

Again here at Playa Mazatlan and again 5th time extremely satisfied. So many folks are here their 20 and 30th visit here. After 5 years we now recognize many of the repeat guests and staff. There is a reason, many reasons actually. The hotel is old. Rooms reveal Mexican charm. And some could use updating which management is always doing. They are updating this hotel always all year round. Thank you to all the staff. Many of the staff have been here for many years. The staff have told us management treats them very well. They make you feel like family especially when they recognize you from previous visits. Buffet is ok I’m not a fan of any buffet but it’s a good one here. The a la cartes are excellent and require a phone call in the morning to reserve your spot. The staff again fantastic, kind, welcoming, accommodating. The beach has plenty of palapas. There are multiple staff running around all day getting and bringing drinks to you chair on the beach. Again incredible people. The area offers the best. You can eat, shop and play steps out the door or take bus anywhere for 12.5 pesos. Locally there are different bands playing every night at different establishments. Two weeks stay is our minimum just to relax. Still here and disappointed to leave in a few days. Come see it for yourself you want be disappointed.

Great for families with kids would recommend elsewhere if just adults traveling. Average food and service. Location was great- walkable to main zona dorada walking strip and lots of great live music. That being said can get pretty noisy for some who don’t enjoy regional music. Can easily find last minute local activities outside of resort. Resort was extremely busy at the time of my stay. Cleanliness would be at a 3/5 mostly due to the increased population at hotel but also moldy curtains in a few of our rooms (which were changed out at a timely manner once reported to management.) Overall views were amazing and all inclusive rates were cheap.