Luna Palace

Booked through Expedia as an add on to our winter travels, we stayed here because some friends were...didn’t have high expectations as I had read a lot including some bad reviews.....but it’s WONDERFUL! Loved our two weeks. Perfect location. We booked the Nexus airport shuttle return which was cheap and on time, a few hotel drop offs making trip about 40 mins. Arrived to a 7th floor room with amazing view and balcony. Sunsets from the balcony, sunrises from the door. Awesome. Check in easy, lovely reception staff. Spotlessly clean and people are working 24/7 cleaning, brushing grounds / keeping the pool clean. Room was good...king size comfortable bed, big fridge, small kitchenette with good coffee pot/ toaster/ pans. You have to leave a deposit or card for plates and cutlery etc. No problem. A safe in room. TV with a few English channels. Supermarket opposite for snacks, water etc. We bought bottled water. We got breakfast with our room...well worth it. Delicious selection of Mexican type buffet breakfast plus eggs and omelettes made to order. Retried beans were so good. Plus as always cake and sweet buns etc. Had to pick up a breakfast slip at front desk every morning and get bracelet at restaurant each day...but no big deal. Restaurant staff are super friendly and helpful...Julio was specially sweet and attentive. Learning a few Mexican words helps! Makes me laugh when people complain about not enough English speaking staff....you’re in Mexico! Bathroom was small....I travel with a dollar store over the door shoe holder type thingy. Works great for more space. I forgot my universal sink plug...which would come in handy as neither the kitchen or bathroom sink have plug. Walk in shower has great pressure. Always chairs around pool or beach in morning...afternoon it gets busy...but also Carnaval week so hotel full during first week. Lots of sellers of treasures on beach...if you’re not interested a simple no gracias works. My partners favourite was the oyster man! Drags the catch in every morning and shucks them on the beach. He got 12 oysters every day. Taking the bus downtown is easy...stop right outside. Get small peso change .Any green bus 11 pesos wherever you get off...or bus saying Centro. First time we had used bus but so easy and much cheaper than pulmonias or taxis. Lots of restaurants in walking distance...Catrinas right opposite. Fish ( the best clam chowder) Tony’s on the Beach. Laundry (lavenderia) almost opposite will do a large bag of washing for 70 pesos. Wifi sometimes worked in room, usually on balcony...great in lobby, around pool, on beach chairs. ATM....20 min walk just past El Cid and opposite ..Santander.....gives mixed notes. There are a few in a row there, past Mary’s (great lunch) We visited downtown...beautiful cathedral....and wandered around and into old hotels and buildings, great photo ops. Of course the market too, bargains “almost free”. Walked back along the malecon. If you have time or the inclination...check out Vineyard Church to help make sandwiches or go the dump with them to help hand them out. It was a humbling experience. The only thing we didn’t like were the loud brass bands on the beach many afternoons...but this has nothing to do with the hotel....and thankfully all done by 4. Loved the Luna Palace and we will return. We didn’t have chance to buy pesos before we came but I would next time and bring small bills for tips etc. ATM works well though.

Had a excellent vacation in Mazatlan. Staying at the Luna Palace was just the icing on the cake. Maid service was excellent, and the activities director Miguel had alot of energy and had everyone involved in the activities. He made sitting by the pool interesting and exciting. Enjoyed every day. Would stay here again.

A most excellent vacation the staff was wonderful the people were amazing and service was wonderful. The activities director Miguel was so personable I would wish to take him every trip,the rooms were well cared for and I would stay here next time in Mazatlan.

We were two adults who stayed in a studio at the Luna Palace from February 18-25, 2019. Our goal was to escape the snow storms in Utah, so we booked the Luna Palace online for 7 nights and arrived on Monday afternoon. Cost for a taxi from the airport is fixed at $430 MX pesos (approx. $25 USD) and takes about 20-30 minutes to make the trip into the Golden Zone where all the beach hotels are located. A return from our hotel back to the airport was less - we paid only $380 MX pesos plus we gave our driver a $20 MX peso tip. Tipping is optional in Mazatlan, so if you get good service and tip $20 to $50 MX pesos you will get a happy smile in return. Please don't overtip and ruin this gratitude like so many other places in the world. Online prices for a room at Luna Palace (non-inclusive) during the time we went ranged from low $80/nt.(with taxes) for a studio with a king bed and tiny balcony to $100+/nt.(with taxes) for a one-bedroom that has 3-4 beds and a huge balcony. The Luna Palace also offers 2-bedroom units, but we didn't see the room configuration or the cost. Rooms at the Luna Palace are simple in furnishings, which we loved, very Mexican. My only wish was for an extra blanket as the temps got a bit chilly at night and they don't have heat in the rooms - only A/C, which we never needed to use. All of the balconies have an ocean view and if you leave the glass door open you can fall asleep listening to the waves below, which is awesome but chilly when we were there! There is no loud, noisy, bar on premises to worry about disturbing your sleep at night. But bars with bands are just a short walk down the beach, if that's what you want. All rooms also have cooking facilities. Our room had a "partial kitchen" which included a full-size fridge, microwave, two-burner electric stove top, and 4 sets of dishes, pots and pans. You must put up a small refundable deposit at check in to have the kichenette unlocked, which we were happy to do. As stated in other posts you must supply your own dish soap, paper towels, salt/pepper, and other cooking supplies. Linens, bath towels, toiletries, room safe, and large pool towels are provided just like any other hotel. The bed was comfortable. A nice surprise we received when we entered the room was a welcome fruit basket sitting on the small dining table. Our housekeeper was good and came in every day, but don't expect housekeeping to speak English. The desk staff and pool staff speak English, so we had no problems with communication. Wi-Fi was good in our room. I must work while traveling and had no problems getting a good Internet connection during my stay. The TV is small, but adequate. It has 4 English channels including Fox News, the other channels are in Spanish. The location of the Luna Palace is ideal. It's at the end of the Golden Zone, nice and quiet, yet easy to get to everything! Dozens of restaurants within a 1 to 5 minute walk up or down the street. Popular cuisines in Mazatlan are BBQ ribs, New York Steaks, and shrimp cooked several ways (garlic, breaded, coconut, grilled, shrimp cocktail). Two adults can easily eat dinner for $15-20 USD for both people, not including alcohol. Best ribs? - go to Juanito's across the street and walk left (all you "can't" eat dinner for $170 pesos; tasty and very meaty ribs). Cheapest ribs? - Fat Fish across the street and walk right for 5 minutes (2 X people special for $250 pesos CASH only - but the ribs aren't as meaty as Juanito's and not all-you-can-eat.). La Catrina's across the street from the Luna Palace serves excellent Mexican food and seafood. We ate there twice! The Taco stand across the street from the Luna Palace is also good and cheap. Several restaurants offer breakfasts for about $55-$99 pesos. The currency exchange rate while we were in Mazatlan ranged from about 17.40 to 19 pesos/USD. We used a combination of payments to see which would give us the best rate. We used cash (pesos and US dollars), a debit card, and a credit card. We found we got our best rate using the credit card (about 19 MX/USD). But you will need pesos for the buses and you'll find them useful for other purchases. Either get some cash from your bank before you leave the USA or draw from any ATM in Mazatlan. An ATM will charge you two small transaction fees (about $35 pesos to the Mexican bank plus about $5 from your US bank). Most hotels will also exchange currencies (dollars for pesos). We didn't ask the Luna Palace for their exchange rate, but the Pueblo Bonito hotel next door had a sign on their front desk advertising an exchange rate of 19 MX/USD, not sure if there was a fee or if you need to be a guest at their hotel to get this rate, we didn't ask. BTW - if you exchange money in a bank or hotel, you must show your passport. Not needed at an ATM. We bought groceries and cooked our own breakfasts and lunches, which was easy and convenient. Mazatlan has two Super Walmarts. We took a taxi for 60 pesos to the Marina Walmart and hired another taxi for 70 pesos to bring us back with our groceries in the trunk. Buses stop right out front of Luna Palace. Cost only 11 pesos to go to the megamarket (local farmers market housed in a warehouse in the "old Mazatlan" tourist area). The mega market is worth a visit. The bus line ends by the lighthouse (free to climb and visit) next to the Cruise Terminal. Heads up! - it costs another 11 pesos to ride the bus back because each time you get on the bus you must pay. The buses give change, but try to have small money - coins or $20 or $50 peso notes. For us, the best part of the Luna Palace was the pool area. It's beautiful. Beach is also nice. As mentioned in other posts, we never had a problem getting a lounge chair by the pool. A DJ plays music, but not loud. Great for tanning, reading, and just relaxing. And there was always a card game, dominoes, or some other group board game going on. One thing we enjoyed was the people. Mazatlan is full of expats from the US and Canada! Expats are everywhere and very friendly. Some live in Mazatlan full-time, but most we spoke to just winter there from November until about April. I felt safe everywhere I walked in the Golden Zone, day and night. So, that was not an issue. In summary, I travel a lot and have during the past 30 years have visited many places in this world from Europe to Southeast Asia. This was my first time to Mazatlan. I loved it! I look forward to returning. :-)

We came here for a getaway in January for 7 days and were pleasantly surprised. I had moderate expectations of mazatlan but we were blown away by how great it is here. The beach is soft and there are not that many vendors and they take no for an answer quickly. Use the uber app here as it is way cheaper than the taxis or the pulmonias (though they are probably more fun) This is a small hotel and you can always get a pool chair. You can even bring the chairs down to the beach (Some people brought the chairs down to the beach but didn't bring them back leaving it for the one poor maintenance guy every day, not cool.) The pool is heated to about 29 degrees and felt a little warm on hot days but was great on the cooler ones. I can't recommend the mixed drinks from the pool bar though they were extremely watered down. A shot of "straight" tequila was easily half water. No matter, drink the beer. The waiters around the pool are stellar though. All of the staff we encountered at the Luna Palace were very nice and helpful. I didn't like the first room offered to us and the front desk man changed us right away to one that we did like no problem. The rooms are large with a fullish kitchen and a dining area. All the rooms have an ocean view! The most beautiful sunsets! You will need to provide your own dish soap, towel, cloth and coffee. But all of the appliances and utensils are there. It's not a big deal that you need to sign the inventory when you check in. I broke one small plate by accident and they didn't charge me for it. The beds are firm but comfortable. The doubles are a bit small for two grown ups though (and we are not big people) I loved this quiet hotel at the north end of town and I can't wait to go back.