It was in the high 80s/low 90s (F) the whole week, and humid . I was told that late March is the bes

Traveler Postcard Jessica in Mazatlan | BootsnAll Destinations Africa Asia Central America Europe North America Oceania South America RTW Travel Career Breaks Coming Home Slow Travel Trip Planning Accommodation Budget Travel Bus Travel Flights Holidays Insurance Money Packing Safety Solo Travel Tours Train Travel Art Culture Architecture Art Festivals History Literature Music Photography Food Drink Drink Food Lifestyle Family Travel Healthy Living Relationships Sex + Love Technology Travelers Learning Classes ESL Study Abroad Travel Blogging Volunteering Work Abroad Outdoors Beaches Camping Eco Travel Hiking Islands Mountains Travel Gear Wildlife Series Best Of How I Travel cheap car rental brisbane australia RTW Wednesday Top Indie Destinations Transformational Stories Home Articles Traveler Postcard Jessica in Mazatlan Traveler Postcard Jessica in Mazatlan Laid-back beach style in Mexico, away from the all-inclusive resort By Jessica Spiegel | December 5th, 2011 | Comments (1) Do you Like BootsnAll? Share on Facebook Get daily travel inspiration Featured Like this article? Please share! cheap car rental brisbane australia Share on Facebook Be the first of your friends to like this.
At BootsnAll, we aim to give you all the resources you need to book the right trip for you whether that be an epic round the world adventure, a backpacking trip to see the best of Southeast Asia, a week losing yourself in the museums of Europe s capital cities, cheap car rental brisbane australia or a relaxing weekend trip to a beach nearby. From big trips to small, nearby and faraway, we want to inspire you to get out and see the world. And we know that sometimes the best inspiration comes from reading cheap car rental brisbane australia about the trips of people just like you.
That s why we re launching cheap car rental brisbane australia a new series, Traveler Postcard, in which we profile a real trip - highlighting the best of a destination as seen by a particular person cheap car rental brisbane australia on a particular trip. They ll share what they did, what they liked and disliked, and how much they spent, giving you a personal perspective and real tips to plan your trip.
This trip is a good option for people who want sun, sand, and surf, as well as cheap food and lodging, but who also want to be able to get there easily and not have to worry too much about infrastructure questions. It s a good middle ground between an all-inclusive cheap car rental brisbane australia resort situation and getting too far off the beaten path, because there s plenty to do that doesn t require being at a resort.
I was invited on a press trip by the Mazatlan Hotel Association , so my itinerary was pre-planned for me and my expenses were taken care of but I d never been to Mexico before and wanted to challenge my idea of a Mexican beach resort city. I m interested in places that seem like they might not be appealing to indie travelers many of those places have things to offer that aren t tourist-trap-y, if people take the time to look and I wanted to see if Mazatlán was the kind of place I could have fun without being a resort person. Turns out, it was. Heck, maybe next I ll go on a cruise (Okay, I m kidding about that last part.) What was the biggest cheap car rental brisbane australia surprise of the destination?
You can drink the water in Mazatlán. I know it sounds silly, but I was so prepared for the whole it s Mexico, you can t drink the water thing and, frankly, so scared that I was going to slip up and get sick that finding out the water in the hotels is purified and the water in most restaurants (even the seemingly cheap car rental brisbane australia locals-only ones) is purified was a big surprise and a relief. In one locals spot I even had a homemade barley version of horchata, cheap car rental brisbane australia that refreshing milk usually cheap car rental brisbane australia made from rice and spiced with cinnamon it was bottled in a previously-used plastic water bottle, and when I poured the contents into my glass (with ice cubes, of course) there was a thick, brown sludge at the bottom. I didn t ask questions. I drank it. It was delicious. I lived. (Don t let that stop you from asking if the water is purified, however, because the answer isn t always going to be yes.)
One of the best parts of the trip was seeing some of the Day of the Dead parade. The Day of the Dead is a major holiday in some parts of Mexico, and while it s not as big of a deal in others (including Mazatlán) there are still festivities and it s still a national holiday when things are likely to be closed. The parade in Mazatlán was on the night of November 1, and the official national holiday cheap car rental brisbane australia is November 2. It felt a bit like a New Orleans parade, with a brass band leading the charge from the Plaza Machado in the heart of the old city and people following in procession behind the official parade, but this one had people dressed up in Day of the Dead costumes and face paint, as well as a beer cart people kept approaching cheap car rental brisbane australia with upheld plastic cups saying, Cerveza! Cerveza! and the guys on the cart were working constantly, refilling cups from the kegs on board. It was just such a jubilant atmosphere, and it was so much fun to fall in line and not care where we were going. Inspired for an around the world trip? Let us help with a FREE BootsnAll Account. Sign Up Did anything about the trip disappoint you? Were there any must do activities or attractions that you found overrated?
It depends on what your must do list looks like, but Señor Frog s (which originated in Mazatlán) is ubiquitous in the city and not worth the time, in my opinion. It was on the press trip itinerary, but I didn t stay long. It s everything you imagine an overly loud and alcohol-fueled spring break party vibe and nothing about it gives you a flavor of Mazatlán. If you could be pretty much anywhere, what s the point of going? Besides that, the food is nothing special and the drinks are far more expensive than you can get at other bars in the city.
It was a culinary press trip, so we had some pretty incredible meals, but one of my favorites was at Diego s Beach House (Calle Florida 100) he grilled a fish for us that had been caught a few hours before. The fish itself was fantastic, but it s the restaurant that makes the experience it s right on the beach. You eat your food with your feet in the sand. There are picnic-style cheap car rental brisbane australia tables with umbrellas cheap car rental brisbane australia if you want to escape the sun, or you can retire to a lounge chair at the front of the restaurant (AKA there s nothing between you and the water except a little more sand). There are even two small pools the kids can splash around in to give mom and dad more time to savor a meal and (possibly) a sunset.
Everything cheap car rental brisbane australia about the place is casual, but the food is spectacular. cheap car rental brisbane australia Diego knows what he s doing with fish. Diego s Beach House is off the so-called Malecon, the main drag between the old city and the resort area of the Golden Zone, and it s much closer to the Golden Zone end so you ll need to drive or hire a taxi. It s worth the trek, though.
We got to visit the factory where a Mazatlán treat is made they re called cheap car rental brisbane australia Suaves, cheap car rental brisbane australia and they re coconut-covered marshmallows. I have a sweet tooth, so I m partial to any local candy, but I particularly like them when they come with a story.
In this case, the woman who started making Suaves something like 50 years ago (she s about 85 now) did so in her living room and that s where they re still made. She and her family cheap car rental brisbane australia still live in the house the dining cheap car rental brisbane australia room table is flanked by rickety shelving piled high with bags of Suaves ready to go to market, and the kitchen they use to cook their own meals is right across the hall from the living-room-cum-Suaves-factory and although they don t really have walk-in traffic you can get Suaves at the Pino Suarez market and some of the other stores in Mazatlán. cheap car rental brisbane australia Some of the city tours also include stops at the Suaves house, so if you re interested you should ask a tour company before you sign up.
The marshmallows themselves are great fluffy squares cheap car rental brisbane australia with a light coating of toasted coconut but the thing I can t get over is the smell . The smell of the Suaves house itself gets into every single bag, so when you open the bag just imagine if all the air you were breathing had that slightly sweet, slightly toasty aroma. I m not kidding, I wanted to bottle it as a perfume.
It s not really a splurge, except that it will cost you a hefty taxi fare, but there s a restaurant not far from the Mazatlán airport cheap car rental brisbane australia that does really excellent seafood. They re not open for dinner, and the lines at midday can (I m told) snake down the street, but if you get there early (they open around 9:30) you shouldn t have much of a wait. It s called Cuchupetas cheap car rental brisbane australia (Jesus Carranza y Reforma 301) and it s in the town of Villa Union a few minutes drive from the airport. I ve never seen bigger oysters in my life than they served cheap car rental brisbane australia at Cuchupetas the meat alone was bigger than some filet mignons I ve had. We made this our final meal in Mazatlán before flying home the airport is so close I was still picking bits of octopus out of my teeth when we pulled up outside the terminal. What was the weather like when you were there? Would you recommend visiting at a different time for optimal weather?
It was in the high 80s/low cheap car rental brisbane australia 90s (F) the whole week, and humid . I was told that late March is the best time weather-wise, when it s not humid and it s still warm, the summers are the rainy season (so skip that), and the shoulder months are May and October. How easy or difficult cheap car rental brisbane australia was it to travel independently in the destination (in terms of getting around, cost, safety, language and culture shock)?
cheap car rental brisbane australia If you stay in the historic center of Mazatlán rather than the all-inclusive resort end of the city (which, cheap car rental brisbane australia if you re an indie traveler, is what you d do), then it s a very easy place to visit independently. You can explore the old city on foot you can even walk to the beach, it s cheap, and most people you ll run into speak at least a little (if not a lot) of English. If you want to get out of the city and explore towns in the area, that s when you ll either need to rent a car, hire a driver, or reserve a spot on a day tour; it s not as easy to get around outside the city by public transport.
I would recommend Mazatlán to indie travelers, bu