This resort is in every respect a definate FIVE STAR. The service was just out of this world. The food was totally divine. Every employee at this resort bent over backwards to see that we enjoyed our vacation. The floors were so shiny and clean in all areas of the resort that you could almost eat off of them.
Our rooms were huge with very large showers that were sparkling clean at all times.
Our vacation was the best one yet and we will definately return to the Marina El Cid Resort

We just returned from 1 week at the El Cid Marina with two kids 11 and 14. It was a great vacation. The hotel was completely full, but it did not feel crowded.

There are two pools. One is heated with a swim up bar. The other is not heated (although the temperature was comfortable) but has a very large hot tub attached. This pool had caves to wonder through, a small slide and area to dive off. The main pool had entertainment such as Bingo, arts and crafts, etc. Both pools had snack bars, while the main pool also had a Bar-b-q where they cooked steaks and chicken.

There is also a beach which you take a 1 minute boat ferry to reach. The beach is great. There is a snack bar there as well with lounge chairs under palm fromm umbrellas. The beach has a lifeguard and while not a private beach, it feels that way. Great waves, with boogie boards available to rent for $4. There are some vendors who will try and sell things.

We were on the All Inclusive plan and found the food to be very good. There is a buffet every day, but you can order off a nice menu as well. There is only one restaurant here (along with the 3 pool and beach snack bars) but you can share most restaurants at the other El Cid properties., so you have access to about 7 restaurants in all.

We were there at Spring Break, but it seemed that there was a nice mix of families, couples, etc. If you are looking for a younger party atmosphere, the other El Cid resorts would be better. This seemed to be a bit more quiet.

There is a free shuttle the goes among the El Cid properties. Very convenient. We never waited more than 5 minutes for the shuttle.

The service is where this resort really shined. EVERY employee we met was extremely friendly and helpful. The resort is kept extremely clean.

We stayed in a 1 bedroom suite, (one bedroom with a king bed and a separate kitchen and living room) The living room has two couches that can be made into beds. Note that these couches don't open into beds, they simply put sheets onto the cushion. This was one of the few downsides of the resort as these beds are not very comfortable and they don't offer roll-aways. Another option is the Jr. Suite. This has two beds and the same couches as the 1 bedroom. You can also rent both rooms that are attached to give you more space. If there is availability, this can be done at the resort for much less than if you book in advance (sadly there was no availability when we were there.) Also note there are no clocks in the rooms.

There is a weekly charge of $30 for wireless Internet. It works in the pool areas and the lobby. If you have a room facing the pool you should also get service (at least on your balcony) but if your room faces the ocean, no service.

One bit of advice when you book your room compare all the different booking engines such as Expedia, Orbitz, etc. I got different prices on all of them, with the highest coming from El Cid's web site. We ended up booking through Apple Vacations web site, which had the lowest price and they threw in free airport transfers (although a taxi is only about $22)

Overall a great Vacation.

We spent one week at the El Cid Marina during the week of March 15-22. When we arrived someone informed us that it was Holy Week and there would be an extra 40,000 tourists in town.

The first part of the week it was easy to get from the hotel to any destinationi we desired. After Thursday- traffic in the Gold Zone was bumper to bumper. There were many vehicles, trucks, taxis and recreational quads. It was easier to walk- but even road-side traffic was very intense- lots of partying pedestrians sporting beers, drinks and even coolers.

Fortunately the shuttles for the El Cid hotels had access to some back roads- so getting to and from the strip was far easier for them than the open air taxi drivers. When you stay at any of the Ed Cids- you have shuttle access to the other hotels. In our case- being out at the marina, it was nice to be able to take the shuttle to the El Morro and get a little closer to the Gold Zone Strip.

Loved all the Ed Cid Facilities. The staff was great and the food was fine. The drinks weren't great- but we did not do the all inclusive this time and we saved a lot of money by enjoying meals off-site.
My only beef about El Cid is that they do not provide shuttle service from the airport (to my knowledge). We were tired and confused, having just gotten off the plane at a new airport. We were immeadiately shuffled to a competitor's time share stall where they secured us a taxi ride and various other goodies to view the 90 minute time-share presentation. We committed, as we recieved a lot of goodies. Time share presentations can be a good thing- you just have to be assertive when you say no.

It was not advantagious for the El Cid that they did not connect with us at the airport, however. One time share presentation is all we can stand - and needless to say - we dd not attend theirs.

Overall, I would highly reccommend the El Cid Marina. We liked it the best of the three El Cids we spent time at. Each one has something interesting to offer. Our suite overlooked the Marina and we had a spectacular view from our balcony. If you get noisy families above your suite, it can be a distraction.

As we are owners at Marina El Cid we booked for March as we usually have. Apparently Mazatlan has been experiencing a cooler than normal winter and spring as we have also in the Midwest. So the mornings were too cool for the pool so we found other things to do. We really like this resort and the size of it compared to some others. We love to be able to get the shuttle between the El Cid properties and the boat shuttle over to the beach. The beach near it is usually fairly quiet and with few venders bothering you. It is also where we get our fishing trips out of which makes it very easy.

We were delighted to get a one bedroom in the last building overlooking the 2nd pool and jacuzzi. We also were able to see the ocean towards the beach from our balcony. With the sun hitting our balcony in the mornings it was great for sitting with a cup of coffee.

One thing we love in Mexican resorts is the daily maid service. That is one thing you do not get in the states. We always enjoy
the restaurant overlooking the Marina and are greeted by the same waiters every year. It is always nice to be remembered.

Our day of fishing was not productive even though we saw a marlin sunning himself and the captain tried to get him to take the bait but apparently he and others were not interested. We are told it was too cool for the fishing. A few days later some had a little luck fishing. My husband and another friend went up to Lake El Salto bass fishing and had a great day. Nearly 120 fish between the two of them that day. It is catch and release but still lots of fun. My husband got the biggest for the day...an 8 pounder and also a 7 pounder. I guess they have up to 25+ lb. bass in this man made lake. It is about an hour NE of Mazatlan and the guide picks you up at your resort. Last year my husband tried but got skunked.

We met many people around the pool and enjoyed getting acquained with others from many other places. Many people from Minnesota getting out of the cold for a week or two.

Our last day turned out very windy and colder so we booked the Tequila Tour. What an interesting tour. We were in a van with only 7 of us and the guide so could get acquainted etc. We saw the plantation and learned about the Blue Agave plants that they use. We also saw the factory and how they process it. Then we had samples of some very smooth tequila. We even bought a bottle to bring home.
I do not hesitate to recommend this resort to anyone. In thinking about bringing our grandchildren I think because it is smaller and easy to get to our rooms because of the fewer number of floors I would feel more comfortable with them even going to the room alone. The El Cid El Moro Towers is about 25 stories and I would not want them to go up the elevator alone there. it is just bigger but fun to go over and use the pools and the beach where lots of activities are.

Judy