We arrived at El Cid Marina on April 23rd for 6 days. We selected this resort based on reviews on Trip Advisor. My first impression of the resort is that it was very plain, in fact I wondered if I made a mistake when the shuttle was pulling into the driveway. Fortunately, that was the only negative thing about the Marina resort itself.

Lobby: The lobby has a small scale ship on entering and the front desk is nice and marine-like in feel, appropriate for the theme. Leticia at the front desk was wonderful, helpful and pleasant. Everyone was professional, but Leticia and Ignacio (when we checked out) went over and above just being professional.

Room: We selected a Jr. Suite All Inclusive when we booked through Expedia. On arrival, the front desk said we could upgrade to a 1 BR suite for $30/night. We saw the Jr suite and I thought it was just fine with a kitchenette, sitting area and bedroom all in one. Then they showed us the 1BR suite – it was VERY roomy. It had a LR with TV, DR, kitchen, separate bedroom with TV and 2 separate vanity area. It was actually like a 1 BR apartment and we took it.

Bed: My first night sleeping on the bed, I went to sleep thinking, this is not much different than my bed at home. Evidently not. I woke up the next day with back pains that continued the following days. I had to pop Ibuprofen the entire vacation. I finally took every pillow in the suite and made my own “pillow-top”. That did help some and the pain was not quite so bad. I can only attach it to the bed because we did not do anything that required much activity the entire week. ☺

Grounds: The resort from the marina and pool side look like an Italian villa and the grounds were beautiful and lush. There are two pools, one with waterfalls, lagoon area, ledges to dive from and slides. This pool was 9 foot deep in places; the other pool was about 3-4 feet and had more children. The food at both pools was great. You had hot dogs and hamburgers, but you could also choose ceviche, quesaillas, seafood soup, steaks and chicken dishes. The french fries were delicious.

Food: Breakfast at the Marina is either the buffet or from the menu. There is only one restaurant at the El Cid Marina. The buffet is the standard food. When we ordered from the menu we had bacon (not on the buffet) and toast. I knew they had regular sliced bread because their french toast was sliced bread, but I never saw toast as a selection. Our waiter, Miguel, was so patient when I requested toast, but it took a few attempts. First they brought dinner rolls that had been toasted, second they bought french toast, the third attempt was the charm. The Rib Eye at dinner was flavorful, but the level of doneness was inconsistent (if ordered medium rare you might get medium or vice versa).

Because we selected all Inclusive, we could eat at the 3 other El Cid properties - El Cid Castilla, Moro Beach (25 stories) and Granada. We ate at El Patio (Granada) –Argentinean cuisine. The setting is very romantic later in the evening. What was really great was the lemon pie – save room because it was the best dessert we had during the entire week – creamy and the right blend of sweet and tart. The Alcazar (Castilla) was labeled Italian. I had the shrimp in a balsamic reduction which was delicious, but not Italian at all. It actually had an asian flavor. We went to a show and dinner at La Pergola restaurant where they serve a stupendous variety of food on their buffet – everything I tried was wonderful. With the all inclusive, I ordered drinks every day (Strawberry Pina colada). At home I may drink every few months, but the drinks were so good, I had oned daily. We ate at the La Cascada for breakfast where you order from the menu. We ordered a Mexican dish for breakfast which was wonderful, but I forgot the name of it.

Other El Cids Hotels/Beach: There is a free shuttle for between the El Cid properties. Our longest wait was 5-8 minutes. The Marina was the most beautiful of the El Cids and perfect for us. We wanted peace and quiet and the resort is very peaceful, even with the kids playing it wasn’t bad. The Castilla and Moro seemed to have A LOT of people around the pool, lots of children, lots of vendors hawking stuff at the beaches. I did think the Castilla’s relaxation area was the most beautiful of the El Cid’s, with it’s brown and green décor - very open, comfortable seating for reading and relaxing. The Moro and the Castilla are right on the beach. There is beach access at the Marina, but you have to shuttle over to the area with the water taxi. We got on and my husband asked ”Are you getting off?” I was like “We’re there? I could have swam that!” It literally was about 20 feet, the boat wasted more time backing up, than getting there. LOL. I liked the beach at the Marina, it was not crowded, a few hawkers, but they left you alone, plenty of shade cover and lounges and there is food prepared on site.

The only negatives to our stay: 1) TIMESHARE: We normally avoid these. The young lady said she got a commission if we attended, so I decided we would do it. We got to select 3 excursions and we selected, Stone Island, Pronatours City Tour and Fiesta Show with Buffet. Later we found out the Fiesta is included in the All Inclusive. After we finished the timeshare presentation, they changed the City Tour from the Pronatours one (which is more historical, educational) to the Sunset Trolley City Tour (sponsored by Diamonds International - DI). I told the lady the Trolley tour WAS NOT what we were offered and she was argumentative and did not change our ticket to what we were promised. So if you do the Timeshare, make sure the person writes down Pronatours City Tour (not the Sunset Trolley Tour). The Trolley tour was okay, but we stopped at 2 different jewelry stores and some place for dinner. We got off at the dinner place and took the bus back to the Marina. 2) EXCURSION: We were scheduled to go to Stone Island and looking forward to the horseback riding. When we arrived at Harbor Master site, they said they did not have enough people to go to Stone Island and we could go to Deer Island instead, saying it was a more beautiful beach anyway. NOT! This was the worst beach I have EVER seen, very rocky, one area with shade but no loungers, just plastic white chairs, tables and 3 mangy-looking dogs. I kept wondering if I was going to go back with fleas. They offered snorkleing but the water was so algaed that my husband saw only one fish. The ride TO Deer Island made it worth it, the weather and breeze was wonderful and we saw sea lions, pelicans and sea gulls. Enjoy that part of the trip because if you are going to lounge on the beach you can forget it. 3) AIRPORT transfers: This was through Playa Del Sol. When we arrived in Mazatlan, nobody was waiting. We found someone inside who helped us and she called the shuttle company. About 10 minutes they arrived. Leaving was worse. They were supposed to pick us up at 5:15 a.m. – Our flight left at 7:00 a.m. They did not arrive until 5:32 a.m. We made it in time, but definitely not the way I want to end a vacation, stressing about whether the transport would be there to pick us up to make our flight on time.

Overall, I would gladly visit El Cid Marina again and highly recommend it as a wonderful vacation resort.