We... where do I start?
We have never been to Mazatlan and my goal is to go to a different hot spot every year so when a seat sale came up with West Jet we jumped at the chance to visit Mazatlan using our RCI points.
From the moment we got off the plane we were attacked by the ‘Time Share Sharks.’ We attempted to get a taxi for the 40 minutes cab ride from the Airport to the Hotel. When we asked to get a taxi for the Costa De Oro, we were told we must see ‘so and so’, when we went to see the guy who we thought was a representative of the Hotel, it was a ‘Shark.’
We got finally got our cab and we were off to the Hotel. After checking in, we were walking to the elevator when we were ‘attacked’ again by a ‘Shark.’ This time it was a Hotel employee, she wouldn’t take no for an answer. This is really starting to aggravate me after our long day and having to fight off these ‘Sharks.’
This was the start of a week long daily regime of fighting off ‘Sharks” at every corner on every street and even trying to walk down the beach. Our attempt to enjoy the sun and sand left us fighting off ‘Sharks’ and ‘Peddlers.’ This was, by no means, a relaxing vacation.
The Peddlers where also harassing, they were everywhere!!!! On every excursion they would be waiting for the bus, even when we went on Stone Island tour they were there, in your face and not taking no for an answer. I was getting so frustrated I would walk with my head down looking at my feet, just so they would attempt to leave me alone. This is by no means enjoyable when I want to enjoy the sun, sand, scenery.
We wanted to get some souvenirs so we took a cab to the market. Everything the peddlers were selling on the beach is located at this market for at least ¼ of the price. They sell everything at this market, from fruit, veg, meat, cloths etc. If you are at least a little squeamish then you might what to avoid the meat section as they cut a whole animal right in the open. My 10 year old will not eat pork or beef now after seeing a pigs head sitting on the counter and then they were skinning a cow head….yuck…
We went to the Mexican fiesta which is held every Tuesday and Saturday. It cost us $200.00 to bring the five of us there, I don’t think it was worth the money. The buffet did not give you a lot of choices and if your children are some what picky they might go hungry. My 10 and 14 where really bored and falling asleep, we left at 9pm, 1 ½ hours before the end.
Aside from the harassment from the “Sharks’ and ‘Peddlers’ the Hotel had friendly staff and if I needed anything I had it delivered to my door within 5 minutes of making a phone call to the front desk.
Our suite was indeed older, but hey, we are not at a new five start resort. My only complaint was the road noise, as the front of our room faced the street and the patio doors were to the ocean, since the bed was closer to the street, all I heard was cars, cars, more cars.
Happy hour was between 1-2 pm, the drinks are two for one. This is great if you don’t expect much alcohol in your drink. I never once tasted alcohol in the drinks during happy hour. We ended up bringing some rum down in another glass to put in our drinks from the Bartender, and then we could taste it. They provide you with a blender in suites with kitchenettes, so we bought some rum, and pina colada mix in the store located in the hotel and mixed our own drinks when it wasn’t happy hour. We saved a lot of money this way.
We cooked breakfast and lunch in the kitchenette, and went out every night to experience some Mexican food. The best fajitas I have had were located at the Hotel restaurant itself. After four days of Mexican food we needed a change and found this amazing sandwich shop across the street called Mary’s Sandwich Shop. I had the best bacon/cheeseburger that I think I have ever had, and who would have thought I would have found it in Mexico?
All in all, it was an experience to visit Mazatlan. I was extremely disappointed in the harassment and due to that we will not go back and will not recommend it to anyone who wants to go on vacations to get some peace and quiet. If you chose to go to Mazatlan, do some research and pick a Hotel that is not located in town or the “Golden Zone” I believe you can eliminate some harassment but definitely not all of it because you get attacked leaving the airport.

Our room had a spectacular view of the ocean and pool area.
However, the room itself is in dire need of refurbishing. The appliances are old, dirty, missing parts, and worn out. Juanita the housekeeper was excellent. Another great staff member is Veronique who hosted the welcome party. On Tuesday she leads a walking tour of old Mazatlan that is wonderful. The pool area is very nice as well and the wait staff is great. Unfortunately the hot tub is lukewarm at best.
Our major problem was the loud music from the Tequila club across the street. The volume and vibrations of the music was more than we could take. I finally called the front desk to complain and to their credit they must have gone across the street to ask them to lower the volume, But I did not want to have to call every night. We opened the balcony door and the waves somewhat drowned out the music. We will not return to the Costa de Oro, but we will return to Mazatlan.

I booked a last-minute all-inclusive deal, and stayed at this hotel for 7 days. I read many negative reviews about this hotel prior to the trip, but it was too late to change the booking.
My all-inclusive deal was a joke,as there was a U$ 8 surcharge for all steak,shrimp and lobster items(which my tour operator did not warn me of).
There is only 1 restaurant and not 2, as stated in various brochures and websites.
There is no provision of non-smoking rooms.
The rooms are in a very-poor state indeed,with substandard features and amenities. House-keeping is erratic.The maid was more concerned about what I could tip her.
There are many much nicer hotels in the area for less money. All this hotel has going for it, is a great beachfront location. The rooms need a major refurbishment.

We spent a week at this hotel for the holidays. Our stay was okay, but
could have been better. This hotel was part of our package, but given a choice we would have stayed elsewhere.

First the pluses... the location is excellent. Close to shops, restaurants, right on the beach. The staff were friendly and helpful. However, the hotel seems a bit old and run down. The lobby area is very welcoming, but the rooms are old with problems. The ventilation systems seem faulty and the rooms were always damp and cold. In general, the rooms were also not that clean. Linens are old and dated.
Public areas are a bit grungy.

Housekeeping did come daily, but the service was mediocre. Towels were
not changed daily or towels were removed and no new ones left. The bathrooms were not cleaned consistently, nor the floors swept very well. We stayed in two different rooms during our stay due to availability issues and we found the same service problems in both rooms. We are not picky travellers at all and are okay with going with
the flow and letting some things go, but in all honesty I do believe that a hotel should have certain basic standards.

We loved Mazatlan and will return but not to Costa unless the rooms are updated and the service improves.