From the moment we walked into El Cid Marina we experienced excellent and efficient service. My husband and I have an aversion to timeshare presentations. At check-in we politely informed the "information" person that we were 100% sure that we didn't want to go to a presentation. No one at the resort approached us about attending for the rest of the week.
There were a variety of activities offered at the resort, but we chose to absorb the peace and tranquility that made this setting very special. All the units overlook the marina and some have more of an ocean view as well. On our second day I discovered those units toward the end of the property. I requested a move to get closer to the ocean. The woman at the desk explained that all the units in the last section were full, but offered to move us closer for more of an ocean view.
Armando was extremely helpful in trying to locate a clothing item I had turned in with a paint splatter. After an unsuccessful attempt to locate the item, he offered to pay for the cost of the shirt and went an extra mile, paying for our Sunday brunch.
Other highlights: Free shuttle to the secluded beach, two great pools, reasonably priced food at the restaurants, shuttle and access to other El Cid properties.
Overall an experience we would recommend and we would do again.

We are timeshare owners at Marina El Cid in Mazatlan. Actually my wife and I co-own with her brother and his wife. Normally, my wife and I visit once every other year. Our time of this visit was Feb 9, 2008 – Feb 16, 2008. First the glitch…

We arrived at Marina at about 9:30PM on Feb 8th only to be told they would not have a room for us until the following day. They would put us up at El Moro for one night. I don’t know what the difficulty was. We had reserved the timeshare back in October and received a confirmation. Our timeshare unit consists of a joined junior suite and one-bedroom suite. Needless to say, the six of us in our party were not happy. At the front desk of El Cid, a gentleman named Armando was very polite and very helpful. We were given a free round of drinks at the bar, and free breakfast buffets the next morning. We were also promised our room at Marina by about 1:00PM the next day. So, we were shuttled over to El Moro (after our free round of drinks), and retired for the night. The next morning we awoke, and had our bags transferred over to Marina. We all took advantage of a nice, extensive breakfast buffet (which has expanded a little – for the better – over the past few years). Two members of our party went golfing for the morning. In the meantime, the remaining 4 hung around the pool on a rather cool morning until we could get our room.

At 1:00PM we were given an option of three available units. The first one Armando showed us was completely remodeled! New appliances, cabinetry, furnishings, light fixtures, and some attractive new artwork. We were all extremely impressed! We told him he needn’t show us the other units because we wanted this one. I’m not certain if this was the only fully remodeled unit, but if it was a sign of how they are going to be updating the entire resort, they are definitely heading in the right direction.

We definitely like El Cid in Mazatlan. Especially the location and the complimentary shuttle service between the El Cid resorts. Marina is on the “quiet” end of the spectrum, whereas El Moro and Castilla are much more active. It’s nice to shuttle from resort to resort. Plus the proximity to the Golden Zone is nice too.

As an FYI, Senor Frog’s is opening a new restaurant/ bar in the Castilla resort in the location of the old El Caracol disco during summer of 2008.

The beds are still hard, but the resort is nice. We ended up enjoying every minute of it. Again, our thanks go out to Armando (and the other staff) who offered such polite assistance.

My wife, daughter and I spent the week after Christmas through New Year's at the El Cid Marina. Our room, on the 4th floor, with balcony overlooking the main pool was a very spacious Jr. Suite and nicely appointed. Unfortunately the microwave and stove didn't work-- but we don't go on vacation to cook anyway. The staff were friendly and given that we speak Spanish there were no communication problems. You are a bit away from the main Mazatlan scene at the Marina but the efficient shuttle service allows you easy access to the other El Cid properties and la Zona Dorada. Likewise, catching the little boat from the pier in back of the hotel takes you on a 5-minute ride to the very nice beach club. The beach was uncrowded and enjoyable with loungers, etc. The upstairs hotel restaurant actually serves pretty good food-- we tried several Mexican dishes and my wife even had a tremendous BLT sandwich there. The caesar salad with shrimp served out by the pool is also excellent. If you love shrimp-- the best camarones in the world are found in Mazatlan. Order them almost anywhere for a real treat.

The biggest problem we had-- it as only 70 degrees max with a cool wind off the ocean the first three days after we arrived. Our room, with white tiles and furnishings, has no heater which is not unusual for a semi-tropical location. The first few evenings we resorted to turning on the hair dryer to warm ourselves! The main swimming pool was heated but the pool with water slide was not. Given the cold weather-- we could not get into the jacuzzi as it was constantly crowded.

We were not bothered as much as others by the whole time share sales pitch-- at least at the hotel. The worst place for us was the restaurant Cilantros-- beautiful location and ambience, mediocre food for the price. And the host, despite being told twice in Spanish that we had absolutely NO interest in a timeshare, kept coming back to pitch the Pueblo Bonito Emerald Bay. This must be the newest resort because virtually everyone in Mazatlan is trying to sell you a share at this place. Anyway-- we complained to the manager who gave a talking to the host, but it ruined the experience for my wife.

My daughter loved the bowling alley across the road from the hotel-- it was fun and they have the usual video games, etc. for kids. My best restaurant advice: the shrimp are so good you will get a better value from many of the simple beachside restaurants than the formal sit-down places. My favorite was the restaurant (name?) at Playa Brujas where we rode horses in the afternoon. It overlooks the beach and I got a tremendous plate of shrimp "mojo al ajo" for $9. Much better than the average $20-25 you'd pay at the name establishments. Place to avoid: Senor Peppers= incredibly over-priced and over-rated. We ordered a caesar salad that was supposed to be prepared table-side but wasn't (we were told the busboy made it) and it was the worst salad we ever had. The average entree at Sr. Pepper is $30-75!! We spent $165 for the three of us and were extremely disappointed.

Loved the Aquarium, the cathedral and downtown areas but we'll never go back to Mazatlan in the middle of winter. Definitely a March- November place for us.

We have stayed at the Marina El Cid for 6 of the seven years we have traveled to Mazatlan. We love the staff, the suites, the pool, and the secluded ocean beaches. We especially enjoy the activity staff at the pool.